Rhetoric I

 

Rhet 101 - 03 Term: Fall 2000 Time: 11:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m. TF Room: Bliss 145

Prof. G. Steinberg Office: Bliss 216 Office Phone: 771-2106 Office Hours: 3:30-5:00 p.m. TF E-mail: gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

TEXTBOOKS:
John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, and June Johnson, Writing Arguments (5th ed.)
Christine A. Hult and Thomas N. Huckin, eds., The New Century Handbook (1st ed.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  The Rhetoric Program at The College of New Jersey consists of a two-course sequence designed to develop skills in writing, speaking, and listening; logic and critical thinking; and library research.  The two courses are intended to support the college's comprehensive learning goals and outcomes, specifically those concerning effective communication.  The courses are designed to teach students the effective communication skills they will need to succeed in college and beyond.  The specific skills which the rhetoric program focuses upon are those directly related to the analysis and production of persuasive arguments, both written and oral.  For more information, visit the rhetoric program's home page.

GOALS.  As my goals for this course, I want you

1. to perceive persuasion and argument primarily as a form of dialogue rather than as a form of debate or competition,
2. to develop a greater sense of responsibility for your own learning and work,
3. to become more independent and more adept in your ability to elicit and exploit effective feedback on your writing (from your professors, your peers, and even yourself),
4. to develop your ability to read and listen critically and to write and speak clearly and effectively in standard English,
5. to develop your critical reasoning skills in the use of analogy, deduction, and induction,
6. to develop your ability to collect, analyze, and interpret information and to communicate the results to others, and
7. to develop your ability to make informed judgments concerning ethical values.

1. one no-credit, diagnostic, in-class writing assignment,
2. five essays of 2-3 typewritten pages,
3. three speeches of 3-5 minutes, and
4. participation in the "library experience."

ATTENDANCE.  Regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of the papers in this class. Class exercises and discussion constitute important, useful preparation for the course's graded assignments. If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day's contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone). If, however, you positively must miss a class, I will expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared -- without excuses -- to the next class meeting.

OFFICE HOURS.  My office is Bliss 216. My office hours this semester will be 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you cannot see me at this time, please, feel free as needed to call my office (771-2106) or talk to me before or after class to arrange an appointment at another time. You may also contact me by e-mail (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu), or you may leave a message for me in my box at the English department offices in Bliss 124.  E-mail is generally the fastest way to contact me in an emergency.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES.  An e-mail discussion list has been created for this course. To subscribe, send the message, "SUBSCRIBE FROSH-L your name" to listproc@list.TCNJ.EDU.  Note that you must send the subscribe message from your own personal e-mail account (that is, from "yourname3@tcnj.edu" or from "yourname@aol.com," but not from one of the generic "student@tcnj.edu" accounts in the computer labs). After you have subscribed to the list, you may circulate messages to all the members of the list simply by sending what you want to circulate to FROSH-L@list.TCNJ.EDU (although, again, you must send the message from your personal e-mail account). This is a great way to get in touch with your classmates, form study groups, ask me or your classmates questions, and generally share information about class.  I encourage you to use the discussion list a great deal.  I myself sometimes use the list to make important announcements that I may have forgotten to make in class.  NOTE: You can always access your personal TCNJ e-mail account from the web anywhere -- including from the computer labs on campus -- just by going to https://secure-web.tcnj.edu/imp/index.php3.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  (This schedule is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.)

Date	Topic	Assignment
T Sep 5	Introductions	----------
F Sep 8	Argument	Writing Arguments, pp. 3-23 IN-CLASS DIAGNOSTIC
T Sep 12	Choosing an article	Writing Arguments, pp. 48-71, 472-475, and 602-606
F Sep 15	Summary	Writing Arguments, pp. 24-47
T Sep 19	Evidence and Audience	Writing Arguments, pp. 107-151
F Sep 22	LIBRARY EXPERIENCE	Meet in the front lobby of the Library.
T Sep 26	Refuting an argument's logical structure	Writing Arguments, pp. 75-106
F Sep 29	Reading a professor's feedback	ESSAY 1 DUE
T Oct 3	Reading critically and revising	New Century Handbook 5a-d
F Oct 6	NO CLASS	----------
T Oct 10	Paragraphs	New Century Handbook 6a-h
F Oct 13	Revising for a different medium	ESSAY 2 DUE
T Oct 17	Group Work	SPEECH 1 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
F Oct 20	Expertise	SPEECH 1 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
T Oct 24	NO CLASS	Mid-Semester Break
F Oct 27	Collaboration	SPEECH 1 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
T Oct 31	Getting and giving feedback	New Century Handbook 5e
F Nov 3	Writing Workshop	WRITING WORKSHOP (up to 6 extra-credit points)
T Nov 7	Group Presentations	ESSAY 3 DUE
F Nov 10	Writing (and Speaking) Communities	Writing Arguments, pp. 445-452
T Nov 14	Eliciting feedback from others	SPEECH 2 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
F Nov 17	Focusing feedback	SPEECH 2 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
T Nov 21	Evaluating feedback	SPEECH 2 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
F Nov 24	NO CLASS	Thanksgiving Break
T Nov 28	Writing Workshop	WRITING WORKSHOP (up to 6 extra-credit points)
F Dec 1	Audience	ESSAY 4 DUE
T Dec 5	Accomodating your audience	Writing Arguments, pp. 152-178
F Dec 8	Final Assignment	SPEECH 3 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
T Dec 12	Review	SPEECH 3 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
F Dec 15	Farewells	SPEECH 3 FEEDBACK TO SPEAKERS (2 extra-credit points)
Finals Week	No Exam	ESSAY 5 DUE in my box in Bliss 124