Schedule

Week 1: Th, Aug 28
In-Class Activities:

  • Introduction to the course and to each other
  • In-class writing: Your Best Writing Self and Audience

Assignment for Tues:
Week 2: Tues, Sept 2
In-Class Activities:

  • Discuss reading
  • Introduce first major writing assignment: Writer’s Story
  • Invention work for essay 1

Assignment for Th:
Th, Sept 4
In-Class Activities:

  • Discussion and application of readings

Assignment for Tues:
Week 3: Tues, Sept 9
In-Class Activities:

  • Meet in computer lab (Newman Vertical Campus 7-205) to set up your course blog site
  • Work on draft of Writer’s Story

Assignment for Th:

  • Read “Responding to Other Students’ Writing,” Richard Straub; write down a thought from it or a passage that stands out to you, your response to it, a question you have about the ideas in it (bring hard copy of your response), and be ready to discuss and write about it in class.
  • Finish draft of Writer’s Story and bring 2 copies to class for peer review
Th, Sept 11
In-Class Activities:

  • Writer’s Story peer review in Writer’s Groups

Assignment for Tues:
Week 4: Tues, Sept 16
In-Class Activities:

  • Discuss readings and model rhetorical analysis
  • Ferguson from 2 very different perspectives: Fox News and Democracy Now!
  • Introduce Paper #2: Rhetorical Analysis
  • Writer’s groups: choose a hot/relevant issue in the news from 2 very different sites/perspectives; put your cultural critic/rhetorician hat on and tell us (in class Thursday):
  • the main argument [not easy]; the purpose [different than the argument]; the intended and secondary audiences; the exigence for the piece; brief cultural context; the constraints; which Aristotelian appeals are used and for what purposes/ends; significance of photos/graphics
Th, Sept 18
In-Class Activities:

  • More practice with rhetorical analysis
  • Invention work on possible areas of inquiry for rhetorical analysis

Assignment for Tues, Sept 30:

  • Finish revisions on paper 1: Writer’s Story, revise your Writer’s Letter (see assignment for details); turn hard copy in to Lisa’s mailbox in the English department by 5pm Monday, 9/22
  • Choose 2 possible topics and 2 possible sources for each (from very different perspectives) for your rhetorical analysis project and post to your blog (Go to Dashboard > Create new post > Title it “Ideas for rhetorical analysis project, Sept 30”). See Rhetorical Analysis project assignment for ideas.
  • Read “The Rhetorical Situation,” Bitzer; write a one paragraph summary of its main arguments, a one paragraph response, and one question it raises for you that you should be ready to pose to us in class Tues, 9/30. Post to your blog in an entry titled “The Rhetorical Situation.” Finally, in the post discuss the exigence, audience, and constraints of Emma Watson’s speech about feminism at the UN this weekend.
  • NOTE: No class Tues, Sept 23 (classes follow a Friday schedule) and Th, Sept 25 (Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year Holiday)
Week 5: Tues, Sept 30
In-Class Activities:

  • Respond to at least 2 other people’s posts for today on “The Rhetorical Situation”
  • Discuss Bitzer and guides for rhetorical analysis
  • Discuss choices for rhetorical analysis in writing groups

Assignment for Th:

  • Submit formal proposal for project 2/Rhetorical Analysis by end of day Wednesday (11:59pm so I can look over them before class Thursday): On your blog create a post title “Rhetorical Analysis Formal Proposal”: in approximately 300 words, write about the topic you want to pursue, what motivates you to learn more about it or why you’re invested in it; and let me know any questions you have about the assignment
Th, Oct 2
In-Class Activities

  • Discuss your project topic, direction, and questions with your writing group and Lisa
  • Begin research for rhetorical analysis for your annotated bibliography of 4 possible sources for your rhetorical analysis project (which you’ll need to narrow down to 2 for your paper). Post an annotated bibliography entry for 1 of your sources by the end of class, titled “Notes on <title of article>.”

Assignment for Tues:

  • Bring hard copy of annotated bibliography (with at least 4 possible sources) to turn in during class
Week 6: Tues, Oct 7
In-Class Activities

  • Look at example zero draft notes working toward a rhetorical analysis of 2 perspectives on the same event/topic
  • Discuss annotated bibs

Assignment for Th:

  • Work on your draft of your rhetorical analysis
  • Sign up for conferences with Lisa on Th in lieu of class
Th, Oct 9
In-Class Activities

  • No class; individual conferences with Lisa on your rhetorical analysis project (counts as class attendance)

Assignment for Tues:

  • Zero draft due by class time (bring hard copies for your group members)
Week 7: Tues, Oct 14
In-Class Activities

  • Peer review Zero draft with your writer’s group. First, though, post to your blog: Title your post “Writer’s Notes: Rhetorical Analysis.” Discuss where you’re at with this assignment–how much time you’ve spent on it, how much you’ve written, whether you have an outline, any insights you have so far on the rhetoric of the 2 articles you’ve chosen, what you understand the purpose of the assignment to be, and what questions you have.
  • Sample zero draft
  • Project assignment with grading rubric

Assignment for Th:

    • Post your draft #1 of your rhetorical analysis (of at least 1,400 words or approximately 2 single-spaced pages) for review.
      • Page 1 should be your writer’s letter that includes your reflections on your writing process so far: how much time you’ve spent on the invention and drafting process, how “finished” the draft is, and what you still need to work on and what you’re happy with, using the grading criteria on page 3 of the project assignment as your guide. In other words, knowing your paper will be graded using the grading criteria, how well have you addressed each one of them? Also include specific questions you have for your reviewers. Your draft is incomplete with your writer’s letter (and will not be reviewed by Lisa without it).
      • Post your draft in 2 places on our course Blackboard site: 1 for peer feedback that will be “public” and viewable to the class, and 1 that will be private viewable only to you and Lisa.
        • For feedback from your writer’s group, post your draft to the Discussion Board in Blackboard (go to the “Discussions” tab on the left).
        • For feedback from Lisa, post your draft to the “Rhetorical Analysis for Lisa’s Review” section/tab on the left side just under the “Discussions” tab.
Th, Oct 16
In-Class Activities

Assignment for Tues:

  • Read “Revising Attitudes,” Dethier and respond on your blog to the following: (save your post as “Revising Attitudes”) What do you think of when you imagine “revising” your writing? Write about a time you revised something you wrote: what was your process like and what did you gain (if anything) from the process? What’s the difference between revising, editing, and proofreading? (Hint: think of these as “layers” of the writing process.) What’s your response to Brock Dethier’s piece on revision? Describe your response to the resistances to revision he discusses on pages 2 and 3, especially specific ones you may agree with and why you agree with them.
Week 8: Tues, Oct 21
In-Class Activities

  • Bring hard copy and have available to yourself (ideally saved in Google Drive or otherwise available) a digital version of your draft for revision work.
  • Complete the “Descriptive Outline” on page 12 of Deither’s “Revising Attitudes” for your draft.
  • Work on revisions to your draft (hard copy or digitally).

Assignment for Th:

  • Rhetorical Analysis paper due by class time. To submit your work, please follow the directions below carefully:
    • Post a digital version to Blackboard [in “Final Rhetorical Analysis Paper” tab] of your revised paper with revised Writer’s Letter as page 1. Save it as “YourLastNameYourFirstName_RhetoricalAnalysisFinal_grade”
    • Bring hard copy to class as well of the following, in a manilla folder with your name on the tab [in this order please]:
      • Your formal proposal
      • A printed version of the 2 articles you’re analyzing
      • Your zero draft
      • Your first draft with Lisa’s feedback
      • Feedback from your writer’s group
      • Your “Descriptive Outline” work
      • Your final, revised paper with revised Writer’s Letter as page 1. Make sure you include a title for your paper–the more creative the better–and page numbers on your document + a final word count after the last line of your paper. Include a Works Cited page as a separate page with citation info for your sources.
      • On the final page of your final draft, copy and paste the grading rubric. I’ll put comments on this page and use the rubric grade your work.
  • Take a breather: read the first few chapters of Gary Shteyngart’s novel Little Failure. You can download the first 75 pages free on NoiseTrade; read as much as you can but at least the first few chapters to get the most out of his talk/interview Thursday.
  • We’ll attend an interview with Shteyngart during class time on Th, Oct 23. Yes, I’ll take roll so humor me and be there. You never know what you’ll learn, plus it’s a chance to hear about the writing process of an acclaimed writer. Please meet at the Newman Library, Seventh Fl, rooms 750 and 760, at 2:55 on Thursday instead of in our classroom.
  • This event is sponsored by the Jewish Studies Center at Baruch and the interview with Shteyngart will be conducted by Dr. Sasha Senderovich, University of Colorado, Boulder, Asst. Professor of Russian and Jewish Studies. Read these first chapters of his book and come ready to hear a writer talk about his craft and this acclaimed memoir.
Th, Oct 23
In-Class Activities

  • Shteyngart Event in Newman Library 3:00-4:30pm in lieu of meeting in our classroom [see above]

Assignment for Tues:

  • Read They Say, I Say, “Introduction: Entering the Conversation,” and Chp 1: “’They Say’: Starting with What Others Are Saying” and respond on your blog in an entry titled: “They Say/I Say Intro & Chp 1.” For intro do exercise #2 at the end of the chapter; for chapter 1 write what you think their main point/claim is, write 3 important direct quotes from the chapter, and 1 question you have after this reading.
Week 9: Tues, Oct 28
In-Class Activities

Assignment for Th:

      • Read They Say, I Say, chp 2: “’Her Point Is’: The Art of Summarizing” and be ready to discuss and practice with the concepts in class
      • Read and use How to Write a Summary
      • Read Emily Martin’s “The Egg and the Sperm” and begin your own RefAnnBib for it: complete 1) Bib entry 2) Tip sheet on author and source 3) Key terms 4) Précis
Th, Oct 30
In-Class Activities:

  • Discuss key terms and summarizing
  • Share work on Martin
  • Introduce assignment for public issue research project

Assignment for Tues:

    • Read They Say, I Say, Chp 3: “As He Himself Puts It’: The Art of Quoting,” and complete the 5) Reflection and 6) Quotables section of your Martin RefAnnBib and bring a printed copy to turn in
Week 10: Tues, Nov 4
In-Class Activities:

  • Library Research Orientation day. Meet in our regular classroom in the VC rather than the library as originally planned; we’ll be joined by a research librarian to help you get started on your final project.

Assignment for Th:

    • Find 2 sources about your topic that interest you, 1 popular and 1 academic
    • For your popular source complete a RefAnnBib with all 5 sections: 1) Bib entry 2) Tip sheet on author and source 3) Key terms 4) Précis 5) Reflection and 6) Quotables
Th, Nov 6
In-Class Activities:

  • Working with sources: Integrating the words and ideas of others through summary, paraphrase and direct quotes [download presentation and today’s assignment here]
  • Practice with your source
  • Developing a research question

Assignment for Tues:

    • Read “Finding the Good Argument,” Jones; “How Many Rhetorics,” Booth; They Say, I Say, Chp 5: “’And Yet’: Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say,” and Chp 6: “’Skeptics May Object’: Planting a Naysayer in Your Text,” take notes, and be ready to discuss and apply in class.
    • Complete a RefAnnBib for an academic source related to your topic and research question
Week 11: Tues, Nov 11
In-Class Activities:

Assignment for Th:
Th, Nov 13
In-Class Activities:

  • Discuss reading

Assignment for Tues:

    • Read They Say, I Say, Chp 7: “’So What? Who Cares’: Saying Why It Matters” and Chp 8: “’As a Result’: Connecting the Parts”
    • Formal proposal for Public Argument Essay due on your blog no later than 11:59pm Sunday, 11/16
 Week 12: Tues, Nov 18
In-Class Activities:

  • No class; individual conferences with Lisa on your paper proposal

Assignment for Th:

  • Read They Say, I Say, Chp 9: “’Ain’t So / Is Not’: Academic Writing Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice” and respond to prompts
  • Bring hard copy of your Rhetorical Analysis for a discussion of your writing style and practice on editing for concision
Th, Nov 20
In-Class Activities:

Assignment for Tues:

  • Zero draft of Public Issue Argument due (bring 3 hard copies of an outline form of your paper)
Week 13: Tues, Nov 25
In-Class Activities:

  • Writing group workshopping zero draft

Assignment for Th:

  • Continue working on project
  • Essay 3 draft #1 due (bring hard copies to class for your writer’s group + writer’s letter)
No class Th, Nov 27: Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 14: Tues, Dec 2
In-Class Activities:

  • Peer review draft #1 of Public Issue Argument paper
Th, Dec 4
In-Class Activities:
Week 15: Tues, Dec 9
In-Class Activities:

Assignment for Th:

  • Public argument paper revisions
  • Prepare to present your research findings and Public Issue Argument to class
Th, Dec 11
In-Class Activities:

  • No formal class meeting; conference with Lisa on your final paper(s) as needed. If you’d like to talk through your paper with me, please email me no later than end of day Wednesday to set up a 20-30 minute appointment between 10:30am-3:30pm Thursday).
Week 16
Assignment:

  • Your final draft of your public argument paper due during finals time (Th, 12/18, 3:30pm via email to Lisa with revised cover letter describing your revisions in detail)
  • Meet during finals time for this class: Th, 12/18, 3:30-5:30 for your 5-minute presentation of your public argument paper (5% of total course grade)
  • Essay 4: Reflecting on Your Writing due via email to Lisa no later than your final exam time (3:30pm Th, Dec 18)