WRT 205 Schedule, Spring 2004

Rebecca Moore Howard
Office: 237 HB Crouse
Office hours: Tuesdays 1:15-2:15; Thursdays 11:15-2:15; and by appointment
Telephone: 443-1620
E-mail: rehoward@syr.edu
Home page http://wrt-howard.syr.edu

Schedule of Assignments
WRT 205, Critical Inquiry and Research:
Engaging Presidential Politics
Spring 2004
Time: TTh 2:30-3:40
Place: 323 HB Crouse
Course website: http://wrt-howard.syr.edu/Syllabi/205S04/Syl205S04.html


Tuesday, January 13

In class:
  1. Syllabus distribution and review
  2. Contact information
  3. Ungraded writing: How might you vote in the upcoming presidential primary election--or how might you vote, if you were eligible to? On what principles would you make a decision? What would motivate you to go to the polls--or to stay away?
  4. Choose a candidate's website to analyze.
  5. Preview: evaluating websites.

Thursday, January 15: Class will meet in 227 HB Crouse.
Begin Unit 1, "Media Coverage of the Presidential Primary"

Preparation for class:
  1. Print out the PDF of Howard, Writing Matters Ch. 18. If your computer doesn't have software to manage PDFs, use a campus workstation. (Computers and printers are available in 009 and 227 HB Crouse when classes aren't using those rooms.) If you haven't received the PDF via email by January 14, send me an email and I'll send you another copy.
  2. Study Howard, Writing Matters Ch. 18, pp. 1-13 (through sect. 18a1, "Developing Evaluative Criteria").
  3. Study Howard, Writing Matters Ch. 18, sect. 18a5, "Evaluating Online Texts," pp. 16-24.
  4. Using the criteria in Howard, Ch. 18, read and evaluate the website of a presidential hopeful.
  5. Using the criteria in Howard, Ch. 18, read and evaluate the website of the political party of this presidential hopeful.
  6. Think about the list of questions about presidential politics that I've put on p. 2 of the syllabus, under the heading "Course Description." What additional questions might we take up this semester?
Bring to class:
  1. Your printout of Howard, Writing Matters, Ch. 18.
  2. URLs for the candidate's website and that of her or his political party.
  3. Notes on your analysis of those websites.
  4. Notes on additional questions that we should ask about the presidential campaign.
In class:
  1. Discussion: criteria for evaluating websites in Howard, Ch. 18. How useful were these criteria, and what additional criteria should we consider?
  2. Give an oral report to the class of your analysis of the websites you've read. This will be a brief, informal, ungraded report, but it needs to be concise and insightful. Don't waste your classmates' time.
  3. Discussion: generate additional questions for inquiry into the presidential primary
  4. Choose an online newspaper to analyze.

Tuesday, January 20: Class will meet in 009 HB Crouse

Preparation for class:
  • Using the criteria in Howard, Ch. 18 (with whatever modifications the class agreed upon in January 15 discussion), read and evaluate the online presidential primary coverage of your assigned newspaper.
    • Bring to class:
    1. Your printout of Howard, Writing Matters, Ch. 18.
    2. URLs for the online presidential primary coverage of your assigned newspaper.
    3. Notes on your analysis of those websites.
    In class:
    1. Give an oral report to the class of your analysis of the websites you've read. This will be a brief, informal, ungraded report, but it needs to be concise and insightful. Don't waste your classmates' time.
    2. Preview choices of newsmagazines for January 22 assignment.
    3. Preview assignment for Paper #1.
    4. Schedule small-group conferences for the week of January 26.

    Thursday, January 22

    Preparation for class:
    1. Purchase copies of three current newsmagazines that offer coverage of the presidential primary. Some possible choices are The American Prospect, The Economist, Mother Jones, The Nation, National Review, New Republic, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Wall Street Journal, and Z Magazine.
    2. Using the criteria in Howard, Ch. 18 (with whatever modifications the class agreed upon in January 15 discussion), read and evaluate the presidential primary coverage in the three newsmagazines you have chosen.
    3. In the Longman Companion, study sections 4b on thesis and 10c-d on evidence.
    Bring to class:
    1. Your printout of Howard, Writing Matters, Ch. 18.
    2. The three newsmagazines you have analyzed.
    3. Notes on your analysis of those magazines.
    In class:
    1. Give an oral report to the class of your analysis of the websites you've read. This will be a brief, informal, ungraded report, but it needs to be concise and insightful. Don't waste your classmates' time.
    2. Small-group work generating theses and evidence for Paper #1.
    3. Volunteers for whole-group review of thesis and evidence for Paper #1.

    Small-group conferences, week of January 26, 237 HBC (my office):

    When you come to your conference, bring your copies of the PDFs; your copy of the Longman Companion; and the work you've done so far on Paper #1. The purpose of these conferences is for me to answer whatever questions you have so far and to give you advice on how you might proceed with your work. Monday, January 26
    1-1:20: Joe, Ryan, Betsy
    1:20-1:40: Rachel, Ashley, David
    Tuesday, January 27
    1:15-1:35: Matt Adams, Justine, Pat
    Wednesday, January 28
    11-11:20: Philip, Jon, Missy, Ben
    Thursday, January 29
    12:15-12:35: Brendan, Dale, Chris
    12:35-12:55: Matt Reid
    Friday, January 30
    1-1:20: Mollie

    Tuesday, January 27

    Preparation for class:
    1. Write a preliminary thesis for your Paper #1.
    2. Write a list of useful evidence for your Paper #1.
    3. By 5:00 p.m. Monday, January 26, send me your thesis + evidence electronically. This should be a single page, and if you send it as an attached file, don't put your name on the page. Also print out 5 copies of your thesis + evidence.
    4. Study Howard Chapter 5 (especially 5e), sent to the class as a PDF on January 23. If you didn't receive it, send me an email asking me to transmit it again.
    Bring to class:
    1. Five copies of your preliminary thesis and evidence for Paper #1. In class I said you wouldn't need to bring these copies, but as I reconsidered it, I realized it would be useful for small-group work. So please send me electronic copy and print out 5 copies.
    2. Your copy of the Longman Companion.
    3. Your printed-out copies of Howard chs. 5 & 18.
    In class:
    1. Whole-group review of sample lists of thesis and evidence.
    2. Small-group workshop, revising thesis and evidence and working on possible methods of organizing Paper #1.

    Thursday, January 29

    Preparation for class:
  • Draft your Paper #1.
    • Bring to class:
    1. Your copy of the Longman Companion.
    2. Five copies of your current draft of Paper #1.
    In class:
    1. Whole-group review of sample Paper #1 drafts.
    2. Small-group workshop, reviewing and revising drafts of Paper #1.

    Tuesday, February 3: No class meeting today

    Wednesday, February 4: Paper #1 due

    Thursday, February 5:
    Begin Unit 2, "Political Rhetoric"

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    Tuesday, February 10

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    Thursday, February 12

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    Tuesday, February 17

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    Thursday, February 19

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    Tuesday, February 24

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    1. Schedule individual conferences for March 1-3

    Thursday, February 26

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    Tuesday, March 2

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    Thursday, March 4: Paper 2 due
    Begin Unit 3, "Campaign Issues"

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    Tuesday, March 16

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    Thursday, March 18

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    1. Schedule individual conferences for week of March 29

    Tuesday, March 23

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    Thursday, March 25: No class meeting today

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    Tuesday, March 30

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    Thursday, April 1

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    Tuesday, April 6

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    Thursday, April 8: Paper 3 due
    Begin Unit 4, "Arguing for an Issue"

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    Tuesday, April 13

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    Thursday, April 15: No class meeting today

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    Tuesday, April 20

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    1. Schedule individual conferences for April 26-28

    Thursday, April 22

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    Tuesday, April 27

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    Thursday, May 6, 12:15 p.m.: Final research paper due

    Submit your paper both electronically, as an attached email, and in hard copy.



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