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
Unit 2: Political Rhetoric
Spring 2004
Time: TTh 2:30-3:40
Place: 323 HB Crouse
Course website: http://wrt-howard.syr.edu/Syllabi/205S04/Syl205S04.html


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

Preparation for class: Read the two sources sent via email:
  • Powell, Colin. "Remarks on Iraq to U.N. Security Council." U.S. Department of State, 5 February 2003.
  • 10 Downing Street. "Iraq--Its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation." n.d. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page7111.asp. The site has been taken down, so you'll need the PDF I sent. If you didn't receive it, email me and ask me to send it again.
    Bring to class:
    1. Your printouts of the two assigned sources.
    2. Your printout of Howard Ch. 18.
    In class:
    1. We'll read the rhetoric of these sources, developing techniques that you can use in your upcoming analysis of the rhetoric of one Presidential campaign. We'll start with the criteria in Howard Ch. 18, section 18a1, and develop additiional criteria that allow us to do a rhetorical analysis.
    2. You'll choose which candidate you want to study in your second paper.

    • Tuesday, February 10

    Preparation for class:
    1. Study the online handout on rhetorical analysis, considering it in light of the template we developed in class on February 5.
    2. Choose two texts that might become part of a synchronic or diachronic analysis of a candidate's rhetoric. Conduct a rhetorical analysis of each. You need to take notes on your analysis, but you don't need to write it up in a formal report.
    3. Prepare a 5-minute informal report to the class on one of the texts you have chosen to analyze. We'll be in our regular classroom, so you'll be able to project from the web. If you're analyzing a hardcopy text, make enough copies (18) for the whole class.
    Bring to class:
    1. The URL for or 18 hard copies of the text you've chosen to present to the class.
    2. Your notes on your analysis.
    In class: Presentations of rhetorical analyses.

    Thursday, February 12

    Preparation for class:
    1. Choose two more texts that might become part of your second paper and analyze their rhetoric, taking notes on each.
    2. Write a 200- 400-word analysis of one of these texts. At the top of the page, be sure to list your name; the date; and source information for the text. If the text is online, include a full URL. If it's in hard copy, attach a copy of the text to your paper. I will grade this analysis, and it will count as 10% of your final grade for paper #2.
    Bring to class:
    1. Your rhetorical analysis of one text.
    2. Your notes for all four texts that you have analyzed so far.
    In class:
    1. Hand in your rhetorical analysis.
    2. Small-group work: Writing a prospectus for your second paper.

    Tuesday, February 17: Class will be small-group conferences in my office, 237 HBC

    Preparation for class:
    1. Compile a list of at least 12 sources that you believe would be useful for your rhetorical analysis.
    2. Prepare to explain to your group the project that you are putting together.
    Bring to your conference: 5 copies of your list of sources.
    In conferences:
    1. You'll share sources with your group and discuss the merits of each.
    2. The group will discuss prospects and possibilities for each member's project.

    Thursday, February 19

    Preparation for class:
    1. Revise your working bibliography.
    2. Overview section 51b of The Longman Companion.
    Bring to class:
    1. 5 copies of your revised working bibliography.
    2. Your copy of The Longman Companion.
    In class: MLA Style workshop; we'll get the entries in everyone's working bibliography in MLA Style.

    Tuesday, February 24

    Preparation for class:
    1. Revise the prospectus that you drafted in class on February 12.
    2. Draft your second paper.
    3. Make a list of your concerns about this paper and/or about your draft.
    4. Compile an interim portfolio of the project. Assemble documents in this order: (1) Your list of concerns; (2) the draft of your second paper; (3) your revised prospectus; (4) the current version of your working bibliography. Make three copies of this interim portfolio.
    Bring to class: three copies of your interim portfolio.
    In class:
    1. One-to-one peer response. Class members will write responses to each other's work in progress. These will be graded responses; I'll make copies of them at the end of class, giving one copy to the author of the paper and keeping the other myself, to count as 5% of your grade for this paper. If you don't come to class with a draft, you won't be able to respond to a classmate's draft, and you will lose 5% of your grade for this paper.
    2. Schedule individual conferences for March 1-3.

    Thursday, February 26

    Preparation for class:
    1. Revise your draft of paper #2; make five copies.
    2. Compile a list of editing issues. Review your graded work for this course and others, and reflect on your own concerns about style, grammar, and punctuation. Write these concerns in a brief, succinct list.
    Bring to class: Five copies of your revised draft of paper #2.
    In class:
    1. Hand in your list of editing issues and one copy of your paper. This is not for a grade but for my consultation with you and my preparation for Tuesday's class.
    2. Small-group response to drafts of paper #2.

    Tuesday, March 2

    Preparation for class: In The Longman Companion, find passages that address the issues you raised in your editing list. Make notes of where these passages are and which of your issues each passage responds to. Bring to class:
    1. Your copy of The Longman Companion.
    2. Your copy of your list of editing issues.
    3. The current draft of your paper.
    In class: Editing workshop.

    Thursday, March 4: Paper 2 due; no class meeting

    Tuesday, March 16
    Begin Unit 3, "Campaign Issues"

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Thursday, March 18

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:
    1. Schedule individual conferences for week of March 29

    Tuesday, March 23

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Thursday, March 25: No class meeting today

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Tuesday, March 30

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Thursday, April 1

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Tuesday, April 6

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

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

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Tuesday, April 13

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Thursday, April 15: No class meeting today

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Tuesday, April 20

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:
    1. Schedule individual conferences for April 26-28

    Thursday, April 22

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    Tuesday, April 27

    Preparation for class:
    Bring to class:
    In class:

    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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