RHE 330E – Demagoguery Fall 2011
RHE 330E Demagoguery (writing flag)
44083 TTH 1100am-1230pm MEZ 1.120
Trish Roberts-Miller Office Hours: TWTh 1:30-3:00
Parlin 21 471-8378
Email (other than microthemes): redball@mindspring.com
Microthemes should be sent to: trmmicrothemes@gmail.com
http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller
To access UT webspace: https://webspace.utexas.edu/xythoswfs/webui
COURSE GOALS
This course has several goals:
1) to improve your ability to write researched interpretive arguments;
2) to improve your skills in rhetoric analysis;
3) to familiarize you with some of the major controversies regarding demagoguery specifically and the discipline (and practice) of rhetoric more generally;
4) to improve your ability to apply abstract concepts to specific cases in a persuasive argument.
Students will write and substantially revise three researched papers, each one between 1750 and 3000 words. There will be a short answer quiz, peer review, and short writing assignments due for almost every class meeting.
This is a demanding course; make sure you read the advice to students from other students. Also, read the assignment prompts—you may find that you have no interest in the paper topics. And I will say that the reading is very offensive and even enraging. (It’s not uncommon for students to report that they threw the coursepack at a wall.) Students generally recommend that you not take two courses with me in the same semester (since the papers in both classes are due on the same day).
REQUIRED BOOKS
Coursepack at Jenn’s
Eichmann in Jerusalem (not at the Co-op)
Depending on what paper topics you choose, there will be other books that you will need to get. Because that can be difficult, you need to pick your paper topics well ahead of the due date.
COURSE GRADING
PAPER 1.3 = 20%
PAPER 2.1 = 10%
PAPER 2.2 = 20%
PAPER 3.1 = 10%
PAPER 3.2 = 20%
MICROTHEMES = 10% (up to 10.2)
QUIZ =10%
If you do not turn in a good faith first version of a paper (1.1, 2.1, or 3.1) on time, you may not revise the paper. (“Good faith” is defined later in this material—a “good faith” first submission is not the same as a draft.) Furthermore, you will receive a 0 (which is below an ‘F’) on that paper, so 30% of your final grade will be 0. If a single piece of student work violates the academic honor policy, including microthemes or drafts, you will receive an ‘F’ in the course, and there may be additional penalties.
Getting a “No Grade” is not the same as getting a 0. A “No Grade” on a paper does NOT mean ‘F’ or ‘0.’ It’s a grade I use under certain circumstances (especially paper 1.1) to mean that the paper will not count toward the final grade, and the majority of the class usually gets a “No Grade” on 1.1; quite a few get it on 1.2 as well.
Students do badly in my classes for one of two reasons: they just don’t have (or don’t take) the time; they don’t pay attention to the instructions in the course material (particularly the details and warnings in the assignment prompts). You need to read this material carefully, and repeatedly. Make sure, for instance, to give yourself time for the “draft review” that is due with every paper—that is NOT the first submission, so you need to have a completed draft about 24 hours before the first submission is due. If you don’t have time for the course, including time to go to the Writing Center, come to student conferences, and meet with other students, this is a bad section for you to take.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
PAPERS. There will be three major paper projects. For each project, you’ll submit two versions (a third one for the first paper) each of which is graded as though it were the final submission. Hence, don’t look on that first submission as a draft–it isn’t graded as one. Papers are typically between eight and 25 pages, with most of the ones getting a B or better falling in the 8-12 page range. There are 8-12 page papers that get very low grades. Every paper requires research using scholarly sources (and neither general interest encyclopedias nor dictionaries count as scholarly sources.)
You have what rhetorical theorists call a “composite audience” for your papers. You have to write to two sorts of readers—other members of class who are familiar with your primary texts and have an alternative interpretation (an intelligent and informed opposition reader), and other members of class who are not familiar with your primary text. Writing to such an audience (not to me) means that you are not just announcing and supporting your position, but that you are trying to move someone who disagrees with you. You will often be able to rely on the class discussion and readings to find your opposition audience, but you may need to imagine a reasonable opposition to your position. If there is no reasonable opposition, then you don’t really have an argument—you probably just have summary. (You should be able to phrase your argument as “At first glance, it might look like this, but when you look more closely you see that.”)
You will submit each paper twice, but the first submission is not a draft. You must turn in a good faith first submission on time in order to have the opportunity to revise the paper. In other words, if you do not turn in a good faith effort at a first submission on time, you will receive a 0 for 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 or 2.1 and 2.2, and so on.
Every semester, at least one student misunderstands why I insist on a full submission and not a draft, so I’ll try to be clear–you learn an extraordinary amount about writing by coming to see how much it is possible to improve a paper that you thought was perfect. Thus, the first submission of the paper should be one that you think is the best that you can do. Every once in a while, students turn in a nearly perfect first submission, in which case, the next two weeks are very sweet for them. For most students and most of the time, however, there is a lot of work between the first and second submission. So, don’t make the mistake of making minimal revisions between versions and expecting major grade changes: minimal changes to the paper will earn minimal changes to the grade. (For the most part, minimal revisions are what are called “lexical”–when the writer changes words and phrases here and there. Major revisions usually require dropping and adding entire sections and often require additional research.)
Make sure to include a Works Cited and Works Consulted on any paper for which you use outside sources (which should be every one). While you should not use a general interest encyclopedia or dictionary for your Works Cited, they’re find in the Works Consulted. Use MLA or APA citation method (which may not be what you have learned or what you use in other classes). For every assertion that is not common knowledge—or, in other words, that you learned in the course of doing the research for the paper—you need to give a citation. That includes information from the introductory material, from class, from google searches, from friends or consultants.
MICROTHEMES. A microtheme is a short piece of writing (usually 200-500 words is plenty) graded primarily on effort. The class calendar gives you prompts, but you should understand those are questions to pursue in addition to your posing questions. That is, you are always welcome to write simply about your reaction to the reading (if you liked or disliked it, agreed or disagreed, would like to read more things like it). Students find the microthemes most productive if you use the microtheme to pose any questions you have–whether for me, or for the other students. They’re crucial for me for class preparation. So, for instance, you might ask what a certain word, phrase, or passage from the reading means, or who some of the names are that the author drops, or what the historical references are. Or, you might pose an abstract question on which you’d like class discussion to focus. I’m using these to try to get a sense whether students understand the rhetorical concepts, so if you don’t, just say so.
A √- is what you get if you send me an email saying you didn’t do the reading; you get some points for that and none for not turning one in at all. So failure to do a bunch of the microthemes will bring your overall grade down. If you do all the microthemes, and do a few of them well, you can bring your overall grade up. (Note that it is mathematically possible to get more than 100% on the microthemes—that’s why I don’t accept late microthemes; you can “make up” a microtheme by doing especially well on another few.)
Microthemes are very useful for letting me know where students stand on the reading–what your thinking is, what is confusing you, and what material might need more explanation in class (that’s why they’re due before class). In addition, students often discover possible paper topics in the course of writing the microthemes. Most important, good microthemes lead to good class discussions. That means that you won’t always get them back (I start to feel really guilty about all the paper I’m using); the default “grade” is √, except for ones in which you say that didn’t do the reading. (So, if you don’t get it back, and it wasn’t one saying you hadn’t done the reading, assume it got a √.)
If you get a plus or check plus (or a check minus because of lack of effort), I’ll send you email back to that effect. (I won’t send email back if it’s a check minus because you said you didn’t do the reading—I assume you know what the microtheme got.) If you’re uncomfortable getting your “grade” back in email, that’s perfectly fine—just let me know. You’ll have to come to office hours to get your microtheme grade.
The microthemes should be sent to trmmicrothemes@gmail.com. If you lose your internet connection and can’t email it, then send a text to that effect by the class time, and bring a hard copy to class. Please put RHE330C and micro or microtheme in the subject line (it reduces the chances of the email getting eaten by my spam filter).
There are 21 microtheme prompts in the course calendar. There are five possible “grades” for the microthemes:
| “grade” | points | explanation |
| + | 6 | I give this for an extraordinarily good microtheme, one that demonstrates a clear understanding of the concept and applies it in an insightful way. These are very rare. |
| √+ | 5.5 | I give this for a microtheme that demonstrates a strong attempt to connect the concept to the text with some close analysis. This doesn’t mean you were right. |
| √ | 5 | I give this for a good faith effort at the prompt. Getting a √ doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve appropriately described or applied the concept. Note that if you get a √ on every microtheme, you will have 100% for that portion of the grade. |
| √- | 2.5 | I give this for something that was minimal effort, or one that says you didn’t do the reading. If you get a √- on every microtheme, you will get 50% on the microtheme grade. |
| 0 | 0 | No microtheme, or one that is cut and pasted from another source (which might get you an ‘F’ in the class). Note that 0 is below 50%, so a low microtheme grade can bring down your overall grade substantially. |
Please, do not send your microthemes to me as email attachments–just cut and paste them into a message. Cutting and pasting them from Word into the email means that they’ll have weird symbols and look pretty messy, but, as long as I can figure out what you’re saying, I don’t really worry about that on the microthemes. (I do worry about it on the major projects, though.) Also, please make sure to keep a copy for yourself. Either ensure that you save outgoing mail, or that you cc yourself any microtheme you send me (but don’t bcc yourself, or your microtheme will end up in my spam folder). Please put “microtheme” in the subject line. I can’t accept microthemes late (for obvious reasons); if you have computer problems, let me know.
If you get a check-plus or plus on a microtheme, print it up (the email from me saying that it’s a check plus) and make sure to put it in your folder so you can get the credit. You are responsible for keeping track of your microtheme grade. If you get a + or √+, I’ll either pass hard copies out in class or send you email back to that effect (unless you feel that that is sending you grades in email; if you do, just let me know). In addition to using the microthemes for class preparation, I find them really helpful for noticing recurrent issues in your writing, and I also use them for letters of recommendation.
LATE PAPERS. I have a stringent (even Draconian) late paper policy for two reasons. First, our schedule is packed, and getting thrown off even slightly will make both our lives miserable. Second, in my experience, students have trouble completing the work in a writing class because they’ve mis-defined the task. If I get involved, I can help. So, papers and work are due at the beginning of class. They will be dropped one-third grade if they are turned in during class, and a full grade for every day late unless you contact me ahead of time. If you do contact me ahead of time (which includes sending email any time before class starts), then the late paper policy will apply to whatever the extension is.
In addition, if you turn a paper in late (even with an extension), chances are that you will not get it back before the next submission is due, and you may not be able to have a student conference.
ATTENDANCE. When I first started teaching, I distinguished between excused and unexcused absences, and I found myself getting entangled in all sorts of ways. More important, I discovered that, even with the best of intentions, students just couldn’t make up the work–students who missed a lot of class did poorly. Poor attendance and poor grades are probably associated in this kind of class because one cannot “make up” the class work (in the way that one can with a lecture course).
Thus, I don’t distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. It is none of my business why you miss class. It is your business to contact me ahead of time if there is any work due on the day you miss (the late paper policy applies whether or not you are present in class), and also your business to find out from other students what happened in class.
In short, official DRW policy is that if you miss over five classes, you will receive an ‘F’ in the course. If there are medical reasons for your absences, please talk to me so that we can arrange a medical withdrawal. If you miss close to six classes, you can expect that it will negatively affect your grade–not because I will punitively lower your grade, but just because you will have missed the discussions and information that would help you write better papers and exam answers.
In addition, coming to class more than ten minutes late, leaving class more than ten minutes early, or engaging in egregious forms of mental non-attendance (sleeping, not paying attention) constitute absences.
Finally, I don’t want to have a tardy policy, but I will mention that students who continually show up a few minutes late also tend to do poorly in writing courses. My personal crank hypothesis is that students do poorly because important announcements are made in those first few minutes, so those students keep missing important information. It’s also very rude to your classmates to show up late (as there’s always a disruption when someone comes in late). So, please show up on time. If there is some reason that you have trouble getting to class on time (e.g., a physical disability that slows you down, a prof who tends to keep you late), please, please let me know. If you have an issue with getting to class late, or with attendance, I will not write a letter of recommendation for you.
I’m sorry to have to do it, but I have to ban laptops, iphones, and all such devices. I’ve had too many students who spent their class time facebooking, texting, working on things for other classes, or generally not paying attention who then came to my office hours because they were lost in class (or complained in teaching evaluations that I hadn’t explained things). Also, those technologies distract students behind you (which is one of the ways that teachers know when you’re messing around and not just taking notes). Just as a general piece of advice, don’t underestimate the intelligence of your teachers. If you are really struggling in a class, and you look like you’re paying attention, most teachers will try to work with you as best they can. But you can imagine that it’s a little weird if a student doesn’t pay attention in class and then wants all sorts of extra time outside of class.
RECORDING CLASS. You are not allowed to audio or video record the class without my written permission. I generally don’t give that permission unless it is necessary for an ADA accommodation. Students are more hesitant to participate in class discussion if it’s being recording, so it has a chilling effect on class discussion.
OFFICE HOURS. Office hours are your time–you can come by just to chat about the class, talk about things only minimally related to the class, go over course material that’s especially interesting or confusing, brainstorm your papers, go over paper comments, or even just shoot the breeze. Students sometimes come to me for help on writing statements of purpose, appeal letters, or papers for other courses–that’s fine (and you’re welcome to do that long after you take a course from me). Some students prefer to get help through email, which is perfectly fine by me (and can be especially convenient on weekends), but I can’t guarantee I’ll get back to you immediately.
PLAGIARISM. Plagiarism is the unattributed borrowing of ideas or language. It does not matter if the original source is a published book or article, something from the web, something written (or told to you) by a student, or even work for another course. Changing a few words here and there does not solve the problem–correctly citing the source does. Any plagiarized coursework will receive a 0 (that is below an ‘F’). Even a single instance of plagiarism may result in an ‘F’ in the course.
There’s a handout in the coursepack on plagiarism, and most handbooks have good explanations of what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. But, if you ever have any questions about how to cite, or if you are concerned that you have a borderline situation, just put a note in the margin of your paper saying that you are unsure.
Part of what I hope you will learn in this course is that citation of your sources is not something one does to please obsessive teachers, but a basic ethical responsibility of anyone participating in public discourse. You should always try to be clear where you have gotten your information from, and you should always insist that others tell you where they got their information from. And you should know how to judge the basic credibility of those sources.
DISABILITY STATEMENT Students With Disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TDD. If you have a disability, please let me know immediately, so that we can make appropriate accommodations.
If you have a disability that is temporary, or not quite in the realm of ADA recognized (e.g., you sprain an ankle, and are having trouble getting to class on time, or you need to be near the board to read it), let me know, and we can easily work something out.
EMAIL NOTIFICATION. The official policy of UT is:
Electronic mail (e-mail), like postal mail, is a mechanism for official University communication to students. The University will exercise the right to send e-mail communications to all students, and the University will expect that e-mail communications will be received and read in a timely manner.
UT uses whatever email you have listed on your UT Direct page, so make sure to keep that updated. Blackboard will send notices to that address, so, if your email address is incorrect, you won’t get notices when I clarify or change assignments.
CLASS CALENDAR. You will find here [PDF] the preliminary class calendar–as I learn more about your interests, strengths, and needs, I’ll make some changes to the reading as I get to know what you need. Work is due on the day shown on the calendar. I need you to look over this calendar and compare the due dates of the papers with the due dates of major projects in your other classes. I don’t want to have papers due on days when several students have exams or projects due in other classes, so please let me know ASAP if there are problems with any of the dates. (As time passes, it will become increasingly difficult for us to make changes.) Notice that sometimes the assignment for a particular day goes on to the next page.
If you ever have a question about a prompt (microtheme or paper), email me. Just as it is at work, lack of clarity in instructions means you need to get the instructions clarified; it doesn’t mean you’re free from having to do the assignment.
Also, note the “necessary but not sufficient” requirements at various moments. Don’t let them sneak up on you. If you try to do those at the last minute, you won’t be able to, and that’ll hurt your overall grade.
Papers
Information on Papers, including Assignments and Grading Criteria, is available here [PDF].