Syllabus

ENGL190: Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research

Saint Louis University ///// Spring 2013

ENGL190-S01: MWF, 8:00-8:50 AM

ENGL190-S02: MWF, 9:00-9:50 AM

Mr. David B. Olsen, instructor

Office: Adorjan Hall, Room 209

Office Hours: Monday 10:00-12:00, and by appointment

E-mail: olsendb@slu.edu

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to provide you with the strong foundation in argument, rhetoric, and composition that is necessary to succeed within an academic environment. To this end, the focus of the course will be both the cultivation of effective research strategies and the creative presentation of original thought in writing. This, of course, is no easy task, and you should expect to be challenged with complex questions that involve equal levels of investigation and introspection—to say nothing of plain old hard work. You will find, however, that the persuasive practices fostered in this course will extend beyond your academic needs, as we will also interrogate the ways in which language and writing are at play in the way we conceive and construct our own identities. 


Objectives

To present sophisticated, cohesive, and convincing arguments that are based on both your own ideas and your ability to evaluate the ideas of others.

To understand writing as a process that incorporates planning, shaping, drafting, discussing, and revising. 

To compose within a digital environment and embrace the various media and technologies that are integral to contemporary communication.

To develop a written voice that is not only appropriate for an academic audience, but also demonstrates your capacity for independent and imaginative thought.

To research, explore, and connect ideas that are relevant across the university curriculum and beyond


Required Text

MyLabsPlus online writing platform and textbook (Saint Louis University edition. An access code is available for purchase at the SLU bookstore.)


Writing Assignments

All students will be required to complete five major projects in the class, as well as a number of less formal and/or in-class writing assignments. Papers will be submitted electronically, either via e-mail or as a website. There will also be a final portfolio that collects revised versions of the major papers.

As you are writing, please remember that is very important to always save your work often. Computers sometimes crash despite every available precaution, and being able to have the most recent version of a paper – even if that means saving it in an e-mail or external hard drive – is always preferable to a complete rewrite. 


Reading Assignments 

There will be a specific reading assignment for many of our class periods, and it is your responsibility to both read the text and be prepared to discuss its significance within the scope of the course – preferably with written notes or questions to facilitate this process. I will often seek volunteers to speak up and respond to a text, concept, or question, but you may want to be prepared to be called on as well. In addition, there may be reading quizzes that are designed to help focus our attention and strengthen our recall. 

Some of our readings will come from outside of the required textbook; these will be available as PDF files on our password-protected SLU Global site. All readings will be listed on the “Reading Assignments” page of this course blog.

Portfolios

The final portfolio is the culmination of your work in this class, and will give you an opportunity to both revise and reflect upon your development as a writer. There will be no final exam in the course; instead, the final portfolio will be used to look at your semester in retrospect.The portfolio will consist of several elements that will be outlined in depth closer to the end of the semester, and it will be composed as a website (either private or public) in which your written work is presented along with the same kinds of images, links, media, and other aspects that we have come to expect of digital composition and communication outside of the classroom.


Grading Standards 

Your final grade in the course is contingent upon several factors, which are broken down as follows:

Paper #1 – 10%

Paper #2 – 15% 
Paper #3: Final Project Proposal – 5%

Paper #4 – 15%

Paper #5 – 30%
Final Portfolio – 15%

Class Participation – 10%

Papers in this course will be assigned a letter grade with a value that corresponds to the University’s grade point average scale: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D = 1, F = 0. Please see the grading standards page to see how papers are evaluated and assigned grades based on the objectives of the assignment. 


Peer Review 

In this course, you will occasionally share your writing with your fellow students; this is an unavoidable step in the development of writers at any level. During these sessions, small groups will convene to read and comment upon the rough drafts of your essays. I will establish specific criteria and guidelines before each session. Please use these opportunities to offer pertinent criticism that will ensure a more successful paper as a result. Your comments and suggestions, though, should always be respectful and appropriate, with the idea of helping your fellow classmate with the kind of advice that you would expect. All students are required to participate, and the rough drafts – with student comments – should be saved for inclusion in your final portfolio.

Your work may also be displayed on the monitors during class time, so that we might practice editing and revising strategies. This will only be done with your permission. Furthermore, your work may also be used as an example of student writing in the other section of this course that I am teaching, just as their work will occasionally be used in your class. I will always do this anonymously, and may make changes to the details of the piece in order to further conceal the writer’s identity. 


Academic Integrity and Honesty

Students are expected to be honest in their academic work.  The University reserves the right to penalize any student whose academic conduct at any time is, in its judgment, detrimental to the University.  Such conduct shall include cases of plagiarism, collusion, cheating, giving or receiving or offering or soliciting information in examinations, or the use of previously prepared material in examinations or quizzes.  Violations should be reported to your course instructor, who will investigate and adjudicate them according to the policy on academic honesty of the College of Arts and Sciences.  If the charges are found to be true, the student may be liable for academic or disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion by the University.

At the very least, anyone who violates this policy by plagiarizing a paper in this course will receive a zero on the assignment, with no possibility for revision. A report will also be filed with the Chair of the Department of English. In some cases, the student may also receive a failing grade for the course.  If a case of plagiarism is identified at any point in the semester, I may also reexamine and reevaluate assignments that have already been turned in for a grade in the class. We will be addressing the proper citation of sources early in the semester, so there should be little confusion regarding the incorporation of research and quotations into your papers. 


Attendance

Attendance in this course is mandatory. You are allowed to miss three class periods (i.e., unexcused absences), after which your final grade will be lowered by one half of a letter grade for each subsequent absence. For instance, if you should receive a B in the course but have missed class four times, you will receive a C+. This is a policy endorsed by both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English. Excused absences include religious holidays, medical illness or emergency (with appropriate documentation), and participation in Saint Louis University athletic events.

In addition, students should arrive to class on time and be prepared to work immediately. If a student is late to class three times, it will be considered an absence.  Likewise, a student who is more than 15 minutes late for class will also be considered absent. I will be taking roll at the beginning of each period, and students who arrive late are responsible for seeing me after class to confirm their attendance.

Finally, although no less importantly: sleeping in class is not acceptable professional behavior, in my opinion. One would not imagine sleeping through a business meeting or a scientific experiment, for example. Nor is sleeping in class actually attending class, as far as I am concerned, and these students will therefore be marked absent for the day.

Smartphones, Tablets, and Computers 

With the increasing presence of personal technology in our classrooms comes a greater risk for distraction and diversion. It is my policy that any student who is observed using their phone will be marked absent for that day. This includes text messaging and using apps. I approve of the use of a computer in the class for note-taking or for classroom activities and projects. However, students observed to be using a computer for other reasons (browsing the internet, e-mail, Facebook, other homework, etc.) will also be marked absent. To not be intellectually present and engaged in a class discussion is to be absent from class.


Late Papers 

Papers should be turned in by the hour and date specified for each assignment. Any paper that is late will be docked one half of a letter grade for each day that it is late. If any of these deadlines should change at any point in the semester, I will make the revision very clear during class time in addition to a written confirmation via e-mail. 


Course Content Disclaimer

In this course, students may be required to read text or view materials that they may consider offensive. The ideas expressed in any given text do not necessarily reflect the views of the instructor, the English Department, the Writing Program, or Saint Louis University. Course materials are selected for their historical and/or cultural relevance, or as an example of stylistic and/or rhetorical strategies and techniques. They are meant to be examined in the context of intellectual inquiry of the sort encountered at the university level. 


Students With Special Needs – Disability Services

In recognition that people learn in a variety of ways and that learning is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., prior experience, study skills, learning disability), resources to support student success are available on campus. Students who think they might benefit from these resources can find out more about:

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

      ·    University-level support (e.g., tutoring/writing services, Disability Services) by visiting the Student Success Center (BSC 331) or by going to www.slu.edu/success.

Students who believe that, due to a disability, they could benefit from academic accommodations are encouraged to contact Disability Services at 977-8885 or visit the Student Success Center. Confidentiality will be observed in all inquiries.

Course instructors support student accommodation requests when an approved letter from Disability Services has been received and when students discuss these accommodations with the instructor after receipt of the approved letter


How We Can Help With Your Writing 
I will provide you with feedback on your writing throughout the semester, but you can also get independent help with your writing. Saint Louis University supports three undergraduate writing services centers:

·     Student Success Center, Busch Student Center, Suite 331

·     Pius XII Library, Room 320-8

·     Student Success Center--Medical Center, Nursing Building, Room 114

The Program Manager for Writing Services is Jessica Perolio: jperolio@slu.edu. Tel: 314-977-2937. She is based in the Busch Student Center, Suite 331.

I encourage you to make use of a writing services center because feedback benefits writers at all skill levels. The center helps with writing projects, multimedia projects, and oral presentations. One-on-one consultations address everything from brainstorming and developing ideas to crafting strong sentences and documenting sources. 


English as a Second Language

Help is also available at the ESL Resource Center, where tutors are specialized to work with second-language concerns.  They work with any international student, undergraduate or graduate, who wishes to seek assistance. In one-on-one consultations and workshops, our ESL writing coaches provide feedback and offer strategies to improve your writing at every stage, from brainstorming for ideas to polishing final drafts. We also offer workshops and individual assistance in other language-related areas, including TOEFL test-taking strategies, multi-media projects, grammar, research, and conversation skills.

For more information, to make or cancel an appointment contact Christian Rayner at 977-3052 or visit http://www.slu.edu/x49411.xml