Composition & Rhetoric I (WRD 103)

Mondays & Wednesdays @ 11:20am 12:50pm

Instructor: Carolyn Vos
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 773.123.2343

Office: JTR Library 208

Office Hours: 2:30-3:30 MW

You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or
despair ... Come to it any way but lightly. -Stephen King
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they
don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented
by a good teacher. Flannery OConnor

Course Description
The topic of this course is languagewritten, oral, digital and multimodal. Well look at
how we use it (and dont use it), how we are used by it, excited by it or bored by it; how
it bamboozles us, moves us, and informs us. Well explore how we compose writing
and how writing composes us. Well read and well write, working within multiple
contexts and experimenting and learning about style, language conventions, and
features of a range of texts. Well examine how texts work and why they work (or dont).
We will do a lot of reflection on language, especially written language, and how we use
it.

Course Goals & Learning Outcomes

WRD 103 is designed to help students develop rhetorical knowledge both in critical
reading and writing. In your work, you will develop and cultivate written, as well as
multimodal, composing skills to achieve the course outcomes below:

I, the student, will gain experience reading and writing in multiple genres and
modalities, including but not limited to the academic essay.
I, the student, will develop a stance appropriate to the rhetorical circumstances,
the ability to marshal sufficient, plausible support for their assertions and should
become familiar with a variety of structures for presenting such evidence,
including but not limited to narration, exemplification, definition, classification,
comparison, analogy, and cause and effect that depend upon the rhetorical
situation.

I, the student, will develop the ability to shape the language of written discourse
to their audiences and purposes, fostering clarity and emphasis by providing
explicit and appropriate cues to the main purpose and the subsections of their
texts.
I, the student, will develop the ability to read and evaluate the writing of others
and to identify the rhetorical strategies at work in written texts.
For a detailed list of these competencies, please see DePaul FYW Learning Outcomes,
on D2L.

Required Materials
1. Exploring Language, 13h ed. Goshgarian, Gary. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2012
2. St. Martins Handbook, ebook, 7th ed. Lunsford, Andrea. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins,
2011 (purchase ebook access card at DPU bookstore; note that this is good for 4
years). Please note: this handbook is also required for WRD 104.
3. Digication access. All students registered for this class have automatic (and free)
access to Digication, our digital portfolio platform, accessible through Campus
Connect or through http://depaul.digication.com (log in with your Campus Connect
Password). Help on setting up your Digication portfolio can be found at:
https://depaul.digication.com/gethelp/how-to_guides
4. Other materials (course content including syllabi, assignments, extra readings,
discussion board, digital dropbox, etc.) are located on Desire to Learn (D2L),
accessible through http://d2l.depaul.edu.

Classroom Expectations
In this class, participation is necessary. In order to develop as a reader, writer, thinker,
and citizen, it is expected that you will engage with the material and your classmates.
To do this, you must come to class prepared to discuss, read, write, and engage in
classroom activities. Due to the participatory nature of this class, attendance is very
important.

Attendance Policy
It is in your best interest to attend every class, however, sometimes students miss class
for university-sponsored events, religious holidays, illness, etc. In these cases, missing
more than two scheduled class periods will reduce your final grade a step for each
absence (from A to A-).
If you miss more than four (4) scheduled class periods or workshops, it would be in
your best interest to drop the course.
If you do not attend class by the first regular class meeting after the last day to add,
you will not be admitted to the course.

Habitual tardiness or arriving more than ten minutes late will be counted as an
absence. Because this class is built on participation, it is important to treat your
colleagues with respect, which includes being on time and prepared for class at its
scheduled time.

Writing Workshops
Writing is a communal act. Because of this, we will dedicate time during our class to
workshop. Workshops serve multiple purposes:

to see how other students handle writing assignments

to work on developing useful revising skills by helping others revise their work
to get feedback on your own work before it is turned in to me

These workshops may involve a discussion of student working drafts or they may focus
on the work of professional writers to explore how rhetorical situations can be handled.
On workshop days, you must have a complete draft of the assignment. Failure to have
this draft will result in a zero (0) in the grade book, which will impact your final grade.

The Writing Center

One of the goals for this course is that you become more aware of the ways in which
most important writing is for an audience (and not just a teacher). In other words,
writers need readers, and writers shape their writing according to what readers think,
believe, and understand. Periodic visits to the writing center will facilitate this
awareness; on a more pragmatic level, we have seen that writers who visit the center
tend to get better grades than writers who do not.
Students should meet with a Writing Center tutor at least once during the quarter.
Ideally, the first visit should be before the midterm portfolio is due. Be sure that sure
your tutor logs in your visit so you get credit for this part of the course. The Writing
Center is a free service offered to DePaul students DePaul students. Website:
http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/; tel. 773.325.4272; email [email protected]

Writing Requirements
This class will consist of 5 formal writing projects, typically 3-4 pages long. In addition
to these, there will be shorter assignments to complete inside and outside of the
classroom. For each assignment you will turn in notes/pre-writing and all drafts. Final
drafts must be:

Typed in 12 pt font
Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica
Double-spaced
Written in MLA format

Outside sources, as used, should be documented according to the MLA Handbook

format (available in The St. Martins Handbook).

Assignments and Late work

All assignments must be turned in on time. Failure to turn in assignments when they are
due will impede your progress and disrupt course planning and evaluation of other
students' work.
If you need to be absent on the day a project is due, your work must be turned in by
the class period of that date. I do accept emailed work, although you should ask for a
confirmation of receipt. You may turn one paper in late without penalty. Beyond that,
late formal papers will receive a grade deduction for each day it is late.

Other Reading & Writing Activities

Keep all formal and informal writing, preferably in digital format on your computer hard
drive or a key drive. Make back-ups so that in the event of a computer glitch, you still
have your work. If any of your work is handwritten, then youll need to scan it to store it
in a digital file. Informal writing may include:

Write to Discover. When assigned, these should be a page of informal writing

(handwritten or typed), written before you set out to read an assignment.
Reading responses. Write a short 2-3 sentence summary of all readings. In
addition, write 2-3 paragraphs of response to two of the assigned readings per
week. Note that reading from the textbook will not be assigned every week.
In-Class Writing, including fastwrites or directed writing.
Peer Reviews (that youve written for other students in class)
Style notes or exercises

Grading
The bulk of your class grade will be determined by (percentages are approximate):

A graded portfolio, consisting of a revised paper at midterm plus an annotation,

and selection of materials, including essay revisions and a reflective essay or
extended annotation at the end of the quarter. (60%)
Class and peer review participation includes completion of assignments,
keeping up with reading. (15%)
Informal writing (includes reading responses) (20%)
Visits to the Writing Center (5%)

Formal essays, presentations and daybooks will receive either a check (), a check
plus (+), or a check minus (-). A check minus must be revised and resubmitted
within two weeks to get full credit.

A note on the portfolios: A cornerstone of our pedagogy, the student digital writing
portfolio (using the Digication platform) provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate
the degree to which you have tackled or achieved the programs learning outcomes.
Writing portfolios are required of every student in every FYW course and necessitate
that you keep track of all your work (collect), take responsibility for selecting pieces of
your writing that represent your achievements (select), and consider your own work in
light of both course objectives and your own personal writing goals (reflect).

Plagiarism
When you knowingly submit someone elses ideas or words as your own, you commit
plagiarism, an act of intentional deception that not only marks you as dishonest, but
inhibits your own learning. Sometimes students plagiarize out of ignorance of the
conventions, carelessness or laziness. We will make every effort to ensure that you are
aware of conventions for proper attribution of your sources. But be advised that in the
real world, ignorance doesnt count for much. If it is discovered that you have
misappropriated or stolen someone elses ideas without crediting them, there are
serious penalties, levied by the University, which may follow you long after the action
was committed. Its not worth it. For more information, check
http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/FAQ/index.html.
Ultimately, your grade depends upon responsible behavior as a writer in a community
of writersproviding drafts to group members on time, giving peers oral and written
responses, and demonstrating an ongoing commitment to reading, responding,
drafting, and revising.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who feel they may need specific accommodations should
contact me within the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential.
Students should also contact the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) for
additional support and services: CSD Lincoln Park: Student Center 370, 773-325-1677;
CSD Loop: Lewis 1420, 312-362-8002 or SCD @depaul.edu.
The Dean of Students Office (DOS) helps students in navigating the university,
particularly during difficult situations, such as personal, financial, medical and/or family
crises. Absence Notification to faculty, Late Withdrawals, and Community Resource
Referrals support students both in and outside of the classroom. Additionally there are
resources and programs to support health and wellness, violence prevention,
substance abuse and drug preventions, and LGBTQ student services. Contact them at
http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/dos.

Course Outline
The following is tentative and subject to change.
Exploring Language (EL)
Week

Date

In-Class

Complete
Questionnaire

Wed,
9/7

Distribute
Syllabus
Assign Project
#1 (Rhetorical
Analysis)
Video: Who is
a writer?

Mon,
9/12

Classroom
Introductions
Write to
Discover: What
is propaganda?
How and where
is it used?

Diagnostic
Essay
(dropbox)
W2D Essay (23 short
paragraphs)

Week 1:
Introduction

Week 2:
Rhetorical
Analysis

Week 3:
Reading and
Invention

Readings

How to Detect
Propaganda (EL,
427)
Doubts about
Doublespeak
(EL, 423)
Deconstructing
Obamas
Oratorical Skills
(EL, 448)

Wed,
9/14

Assignments

Write reading
summaries for
all articles
Write reading
responses for
2 articles of
your choice
Bring text of
the speech or
political
statement you
intend to
analyze for
Project #1

Mon,
9/19

Project #1
workshop

Project #1
Rough Draft
Final Draft of
Project #1

Wed,
9/21

The composing
process
Joining the
Conversation
Assign Project
#2 (Editorial)

 Genre Analysis
Mon,
9/26

Week 4:
Editorial

Project #2
workshop

Project #2
rough draft

Mon,
10/3

Assign midterm
portfolio

Project #2 final
draft

Wed,
10/5

Reflection,
revision,
editing, and
proofreading
workshop

Portfolio
annotation
draft

Women Talk Too

Much (EL, 257)
Sex Differences
(EL, 263)
What Language
Barrier? (EL,
269)
No Detail is Too
Small (EL, 278)

Mon,
10/10

Week 7:
Joining the
Conversation

Week 8:
Multimodal
Essay

Write one
paragraph
summaries of
all articles
Write
responses to
two of the
articles

Wed,
9/28

Week 5:
Editorial and
Portfolio Prep

Week 6:
Joining the
Conversation

Rosen (EL, 203)

Keller (EL, 209)
Lincoln (Norvig)
(EL, 218-224)

Project #3
proposal
Write one
paragraph
summaries of
all articles
Write
responses to
two of the
articles

Wed,
10/12

Midterm
portfolio

Mon,
10/17

Project #3
field work
descriptions
and notes

Wed,
10/19

Project #3
workshop

Project #3
rough draft

Mon,
10/24

Multimodality
Introduction to
Audacity

Project #3 final
draft

Wed,
10/26

Deutscher (EL,
479)
Carr (EL, 509)
Naughton (EL,
518)
Pinker (EL, 525)

Project #3
proposal
Write one
paragraph
summaries of
all articles

 Write
responses to
two of the
articles
Mon,
10/31
Week 9:
Multimodal
Essay

Week 10:
Portfolios and
Conferences

In class: Digital
Essay

Wed,
11/2

Bring
recordings to
class
Project #4
rough draft

Mon,
11/7

Creating the
best portfolio

Wed,
11/9

Peer review
workshop

Mon,
11/14

Reflective
Essay
Workshop

Project #4 final
draft

Reflective
Essay Due

Final Exam - Portfolios are due by the end of the examination period, 2:00pm.