Engl 3850 Syllabus SPR15

8/10/2019 Engl 3850 Syllabus SPR15

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ENGLISH 3850Instructor: Katie Zabrowski

Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays,

2:15-3:30pm

Office / Office Hours: Adorjan 209 / Thursdays,

12:00-2:00pm

Contact: [email protected]*

*Email is the best way to reach me

outside of class.

I promise to respond within 24 hours M-F,

and within 48 hours over the weekend.

THE RHETORIC PROJECT

Course Description and Objectives

There has yet to be consensus on just what rhetoricis. One way to approach an understanding of what it mightbe

is to track what it does, noting what effects it creates it the world. Practicing making our own effects with the help

of rhetorical principles in our writing is one way to begin to know rhetoric better and thereby grow in our ability to

both recognize it at work and put it to work in our worlds.

Craftis a term that has infiltrated our cultural consciousness in recent years. Think of craft or artisanal cheeses andbreads, Pinterest's crafty craft projects, and a range of other craft aesthetics; all signal an intensified interest in the

careful, knowledgeable process of making. Cognizant of this cultural moment, this course organizes itself around

the historically contested descriptions of rhetoric as a craft or a knack. Treating rhetoric and writing as crafts

means that we recognize the comprehensive knowledge and skill behind their deployment. Ultimately, the course

encourages students to grow in the knowledge of rhetoric through the craft of writing.

The principal objective of this course is to establish exposure to and facility in the practice of a range of principles

foundational to rhetoric and writing. We will come to understand better the objects of our projects--and through

them, rhetoric--by imitating, crafting, and making. Students act as authors in this course in two important ways:

first, as the authors of their writing projects and second, as authors of their own learning. This means that students

create individualized learning goals, articulating how the course can best support them in and assess the successof their endeavors.

ENGL 3850 | Spring 2015 | 1

techne, or the belief that rhetoric is the practicableand perfectible art that enables one to be eloquent

and persuasive. -- Joseph Petraglia

[rhetoric] guesses at what's pleasant with no

consideration for what's best. And I say that it isn't a

craft, but aknack, because it has no account of the

nature of whatever things it applies by which it applies

them, so it's unable to state the cause of each thing.

-- Plato, Gorgias

ENGLISH 3850 | FOUNDATIONS IN RHETORIC AND WRITING: THE RHETORIC PROJECT

Spring 2015
mailto:[email protected]


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Why The Rhetoric Project?

This course finds inspiration for its central project in TheAlinea Project , what began as a blog and has since1

evolved into a book jumpstarted with a Kickstarter

campaign. With the project, its creator, Allen

Hemberger, tracks his journey to cook every dish in the

Alinea cookbook. Given the kitchen at Alinea's

reputation as a site of molecular gastronomy, recreating

(imitating) its dishes in his home kitchen proved to be

both challenging and gratifying for Hemberger. He

records his experiences creating the dishes, each of

which required several attempts, unconventional

cooking materials and serving mechanisms, and

revisions to some recipes to make their actualization possible in his home kitchen. In this course, students will

undertake their own projects in a similar way, facing and reflecting upon the complexities of imitating with their

projects or modeling in them the work of some crafter. We will model our reflections after Hemberger's project,

revising his approach along the way so as to invent our own.

*PICTURED: CRAFTING DESSERT ATALINEA, NOT IN THE KITCHEN BUT AT THE TABLE FOR THE DINER TO SEE. PHOTO CREDIT:

BANDITOB (FLICKR). CC LICENSE. NO CHANGES MADE.

Required Materials

Pender, Kelly. Techne, From Neoclassicism to Postmodernism: Understanding Writing as a Useful, Teachable Art.

ISBN: 978-1-60235-207-0

Dropbox.comaccount (to access course readings and documents)

Twitter/Facebook and Medium account (for sharing discussion papers/responses and links to project segments)

A Flash drive or other means for backing up course work

Willingness to engage with potentially new or unfamiliar technologies and modes of composition (including but

not limited to: visual design, audio podcasts, web design/writing for the web, etc.)

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ENGL 3850: FOUNDATIONS IN RHETORIC AND WRITING | SPRING 2015

See http://www.allenhemberger.com/alinea/about/ and https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1050038100/the-alinea-project1
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1050038100/the-alinea-projecthttp://www.allenhemberger.com/alinea/about/


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COURSE ORGANIZATION

Three Stages

Our course will be organized into three stages, each centered on a particular iteration of rhetoric:

Our writing in these three stages will explore and practice rhetoric by way of imitating, practicing, and analyzing in

the context of both major assignments and reading discussion papers. Our course readings and in-class

discussions will guide us as we work to comprehend more fully the implications of understanding rhetoric and

writing as imitation, practice, analysis, and/or, ultimately, as a craft. Our investigation of rhetoric's many iterations

sees us reading classical rhetorical texts, works in rhetorical theory, and pieces that exhibit writing about writing.

MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS

Our course is project-based, meaning that all of our daily work relates directly to semester-long, student-drivenprojects through which we will imitate, practice, and theorize rhetorical principles in writing that takes shape in

both textual and new media formats.

Re-Writing a SLU Text

The goal of this project is to practice the rhetorically complex strategy of revision. The assignment functions as a

starting point, preparing us for the work of the larger course project in which we will balance revision and invention,

two important terms in rhetoric and writing. In the way of attuning us to the practices we will engage throughout

the course, this first project asks students to imitate, practice, and analyze within the context of their revisions of a

text at Saint Louis University.

Students will choose some text at SLU and re-imagine it in one of the three following ways: reproducing the text in

a different format so as to persuade its audience differently (a written document becomes a video or a poster, for

instance), targeting the text to a particular audience (rewriting a text meant for students for their parents, for

example), or rewriting the text in the voice of a different author than the original. In addition to reproducing the text,

students will also write a document explaining their choices and writing process.

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ENGL 3850: FOUNDATIONS IN RHETORIC AND WRITING | SPRING 2015


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The Rhetoric Project (due dates follow course-wide production schedule, ongoing)

Modeled after The Alinea Project, students will choose some challenging craftproject or group of similarly-themedprojects to complete and track their progress toward completion. Throughout, students will enact the rhetorical

principles of imitation (crafting what someone else crafts in the way that they craft), practice (making the craft,

revising the method of making to suit students interests and abilities), and reflection. Their completion of the

project(s) will be accompanied by a sustained reflection--in 3 segments--in the form of a blog, podcast or video

series, or other media chosen by the student to track their progress on the project and what they are learning. This

reflection should always connect to course principles. For instance, during the "Rhetoric as Imitation" stage of the

course, your reflections should discuss the principles of imitation as they show up in your project.

Craft Project Proposal with Design Plan (due during the third week of the course)

By the third week of the course, students will create a proposal and design plan for their chosen craft project. In

addition to detailing the project and the student's motivation for pursuing it, the document must also include a

Design Plan that details the process for completing the three segments and combining them as part of the larger

project. The design plan must attend to these elements: materials needed, research required, a detailed

explanation of each segment (focus, angle, production features), a strategy for completion, and statement of goals

detailing what a student wants to accomplish in the project and how s/he will know s/he has accomplished them.

In-Class Project Briefings (due every other Tuesday beginning in third week of the course)

Once we begin working in earnest on The Rhetoric Project, students will be responsible for presenting in-class

project briefings that will coincide with the due dates of the project's individual segments. Students will begin these

briefings by sharing their project segment and updating their colleagues on the progress of the project as a whole.Students will then open their project up to feedback, with each student sharing their questions, encouragement,

and/or suggestions for revision.

Reading Discussion Stories

Students are asked to write three short (600-750 words) discussion essays throughout the semester, one for each

stage of the course. These essays will be posted to Medium on Tuesdays by noonand discussed on Thursdays,

so that all students might read the papers, write responses, and arrive on Thursday ready to discuss them. These

essays will function as in-class discussion starters, tailoring our conversation to students' interests, questions, and

concerns as they emerge from the readings.

Final Reflection

This will be a summative document of 8-10 pages that returns to students' initial proposal and design plans and

reflects upon any changes or additions students made to it. Students will craft an articulation of their

understanding of rhetoric and writing--what these concepts are, how they function--connecting it back to course

readings, discussions, assignments, and their encounters with rhetoric and writing principles in the world.

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COURSE GOALS

In the context of each of the above assignments, students will engage in the following practices, leading to their

growth as writers and professionals.

Project Management

From the very beginning of the course, students are situated as leaders of their own learning process. In

proposing, developing, and completing a sustained work project, students gain skill in consistently managing their

creativity, resources, and time according to the goals they outline for themselves in the Project Proposal and

Design Plan. From seeing this project through from inception to reflection on its culmination students

Document Design

Because this is a course in rhetoric, and especially because it is a course that treats rhetoric and writing as crafts,

special attention must be paid not only to the work we produce but also the style and delivery of that work. In

each assignment we will practice content and visual design, organization, and audience awareness. This will

require learning about the context, audience, and conventions of these documents and producing them with a

keen eye towards all three.

Collegiality

Our course will function like a workshop, with much of our work being shared: through in-class briefings, in reading

and responding to one another's reading discussion papers, and in the public nature of our craft projects (that is,

their taking shape as blogs, videos, podcasts, etc.). The shared nature of our work provides an opportunity to

practice collegiality, engaging with our colleagues and their work with the same care, enthusiasm, and generositywith which we engage our own. Students will model collegiality by offering constructive feedback and

encouragement in response to others' in-class briefings, gracefully receive feedback and use it to improve one's

own project, and by contributing consistently and thoughtfully to our conversations in class.

Research

Course projects required sustained and thorough research. Students will practice analyzing course texts as well as

discovering sources relevant for their projects. With these sources, students will practice incorporating information

about their project from others, exhibiting their growing knowledge of the craft they are crafting -- it is this

knowledge that distinguishes a craft from a knack, after all.

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COURSE EXPECTATIONS

Grading Feedback2

You will not receive a letter grade on your work in this course. You will, however, receive my extensive and

continual feedback on all required assignments and the revisions you make to them. You will be graded on the

labor--how much and what quality--you do in this course. My reasoning for this is simple: the learning in this

course is best measured by attending to yourmaking of the thing, rather than the thing you made. It may be that

you choose to build a complicated piece of furniture, a chair, for instance. At the end of the course you will have a

chair, but what will have had more impact on your growth as a builder and a writer: your building of the chair and

reflections on that process, or the chair itself? And if by the end of the course you end up with something that

looks like a chair but that would collapse if someone sat in it, I assure you: you will not have failed. The learning

occurred in the building.

I understand grades to work in a similar way. They have little value within the building or writing process. What we

need as part of that process instead is more comprehensive feedback than a letter can provide. If I assign you a C,

but do not tell you why, what do you learn about your writing? If I provide you with specific feedback and

suggestions for revision, then what need is there to know I would assign you a C? I trust that you will revise all of

your assignments according to my feedback and that of your peers, and an assignment that does this work would

not warrant a grade of C.

It is my promise to you that I will provide consistent and plentiful feedback on all of your work so that--contingent

on your responses to that feedback and the feedback of your colleagues--you will succeed in this course.

On that note, earning a grade of A requires an exceptional amount and quality of labor on the part of the student.

In the early weeks of the course, we will create together a course rubric that definesamountand

qualityof labor within the context of this course, and discuss our method for communicating about

your individual progress.

How do I labor?

There are many ways in which you will labor in this class. The minimum requirements* are listed here:

Attendance and active participation

Collegiality and punctuality

Completing all work on deadline

Significant revisions to The Rhetoric Project(These should respond to my and your colleagues' feedback. If itdoes not, you should articulate your reasoning for not incorporating our suggestions)

*Note: each of these requirements equally constitute your labor; each is as important as all the others

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I have adapted this labor-based learning contract from Asao Inoue's chapter "A Grade-less Writing Course that Focuses on Labor and2

Assessing." In Teague, D. and Lunsford, R., eds. First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice. West Lafayette: Parlor Press, 2014. Print.


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COURSE POLICIES

Absence PolicyYou are allowed only 3 absences without penalty. Any absences beyond these 3 absences will result in a full-letter

drop in your final grade (i.e. if you earn a B in the course but miss four classes, your final grade will be a C; miss

five classes and the final grade will be a D, and so on).

TardinessPlease do not arrive late to class. Punctuality will be both expected and respected in your professional life as it is

also in this course. Consistent tardiness will be reflected in your final grade.

Late WorkNo late work will be accepted. *

Deadlines are a constant reality of professional life, and your commitment to meeting them is a reflection of you

and the value you place in your work. Practicing this timeliness is as central to this course as the content we

produce in that time.*Should you encounter any circumstance that prevents you from meeting a deadline(s), please speak with

me in advance. It may be that we have to make special arrangements. I cannot, however, excuse late

work if you do not speak with me first.

Class Cancellation PolicyShould class need to be cancelled for any reason, I will send an email to each of you as soon as possible. Class

cancellation will NOT be announced by a note left in the classroom, or by any other method.

DecorumBecause we will be writing, reading, and working with our digital files during most class meetings, students are

encouraged to bring laptops, tablets, or other mobile devices with them each day. It is not a requirement that every

student own one of these devices. Laptops are available for checkout in the Computer Assisted Instruction Lab in

Des Peres Hall Room 216. While we will work with these technologies often, it is important that we be mindful of

our focus and attention. Please work with these devices wisely, and for class purposes only. When we are not

using our computers or other mobile devices such as during class discussion or presentations - please close thelids or power down.

Academic IntegrityThe University is a community of learning whose effectiveness requires an environment of mutual trust and

integrity, such as would be expected at a Jesuit, Catholic institution. As members of this community, students,

faculty, and staff members share the responsibility to maintain this environment. Academic dishonesty violates it.

Although not all forms of academic dishonesty can be listed here, it can be said in general that soliciting, receiving,

or providing any unauthorized assistance in the completion of any work submitted toward academic credit is

dishonest. It not only violates the mutual trust necessary between faculty and students but also undermines the

validity of the Universitys evaluation of students and takes unfair advantage of fellow students. Further, it is the

responsibility of any student who observes dishonest conduct to call it to the attention of a faculty member or

administrator.

Several Internet sites offer students access to the essays of other students for research purposes. These sitesrequire a student to upload a paper of their own to gain access. All students should know that if another student

plagiarizes using their essay, the original author is liable for a Class B offense: collusion. Such an offense can result

in expulsion from the University.

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COURSE RESOURCES

Writing Help

I am always available to discuss your writing and your progress in the course with you. I encourage you to email

me with any questions or concerns and meet with me during office hours or a time that works for you. I will do all

that I can to meet with you when your schedule permits.

I will provide you with feedback on your writing throughout the course, but you are welcome and encouraged to

seek independent help by way of one-on-one consultations with Writing Services.

Saint Louis University supports three undergraduate Writing Services centers:

Student Success Center, BSC 331

Pius XII Library, Room 320-8Student Success Center-Medical Center, Nursing Building, Room 114

International Student Resources

Writing help is also available at the English Language Center, where tutors are specialized to work with second-

language concerns. For more information please visit www.slu.edu/x49411.xml.

Student Success Center:

In recognition that people learn in a variety of ways and that learning is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., prior

experience, study skills or learning disability), resources to support student success are available on campus. The

Student Success Center, a one-stop shop, which assists students with academic and career related services, is

located in suite 331 in Busch Student Center and in suite 114 of the School of Nursing Building. Students whothink they might benefit from these resources can find out more about:

Course-level support (e.g., faculty member, departmental resources, etc.) by asking their course instructor.

University-level support (e.g., tutoring services, university writing services, disability services, academic coaching,

career services, and/or facets of curriculum planning) by visiting the Student Success Center or by going to

slu.edu/success.

Disability Services Academic Accommodations

Students with a documented disability who wish to request academic accommodations are encouraged to

contact Disability Services to discuss accommodation requests and eligibility requirements. Please contact

Disability Services, located within the Student Success Center, at [email protected] or 314-977-3484 to

schedule an appointment. Confidentiality will be observed in all inquiries. Once approved, information about

academic accommodations will be shared with course instructors via email from Disability Services and viewed

within Banner via the instructor's course roster.

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mailto:[email protected]://slu.edu/successhttp://www.slu.edu/x49411.xml


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Course Schedule

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The above information, policies, and schedule are subject to change due to extenuating circumstances, or at the

discretion of the instructor.

*Reading Discussion Papers should be posted as stories in our course Medium collection.

**These assignments should be posted as responses to your colleagues' Medium stories.

***These assignments should be posted to your blog/website AND shared as a story in our course Medium

collection.

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Documents

Engl 3850 Syllabus SPR15