RHE 330D Deliberating War
RHE 330D History of Rhetoric 44120 (SWC)
MWF 11:00-12:00, PAR 206
Trish Roberts-Miller
Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30 and T 10-12, and by appointment.
Parlin 21 471-8378 redball@mindspring.com
http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller
To access UT webspace: https://webspace.utexas.edu/xythoswfs/webui
Deliberating War
This course has two main goals: to give students a strong background in the history of rhetorical theory, with emphasis on the classical era; to help students consider rhetoric as the art of community deliberation, and to explore when and how rhetoric helps a community come to reasonable decisions and when it is a hindrance to good deliberation.
We tend to think of rhetoric as the skill than an individual uses to persuade the audience of his/her point of view–that is s/he targets an audience and tries to get that audience to comply with his/her message. But I want to suggest something different: I want to suggest that rhetoric is more productively seen as the art that enables a community to deliberate on issues about which even experts are divided. This course uses the history of rhetoric, especially classical rhetorical theory, in order to consider three basic questions:
1) What are ethical ways to persuade people for or against going to war?
2) How can we make rhetoric a method of community deliberation and not just a set of strategies for gaining compliance?
3) What is the relationship between theory and practice? That is, between how scholars of rhetoric theorize ethical and unethical rhetorical practices and the ways that communities actually argue?
This is a demanding course: the last time I taught it students said they spent about four to five hours per week on the course when no paper was due; more when there was a paper due. If you decide to drop the class, please formally drop the class ASAP, as there are other students waiting to add it. 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). Please note that this is a history of rhetoric class; at the end of the semester, one or two students complain that we spent the whole time on historical texts and not recent ones. If we spent more time on recent texts, then it wouldn’t fulfill the history of rhetoric requirement.
Books, Required: Thucydides, Peloponnesian War
Aristophanes, Lysistrata
Euripides, Trojan Women
Aristotle, Rhetoric and Poetics
Plato, Gorgias
Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
Kershaw, Fateful Choices
Coursepack (at Jenn’s)
[If you have another edition of one of these books, you don’t need to purchase a new one—it’s interesting to have different translations. You do, however, have to have a complete and not abridged version.]
Recommended Kagan, The Peloponnesian War
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Papers. There will be three major paper projects. For each project, you’ll submit two versions, 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.
The goal of every paper is for you to persuade an intelligent and informed opposition reader (who has a specific and intelligent position on the controversy) of the significant merits of your position. This goal means that you are not just announcing and supporting your position, but that you are trying to move someone who disagrees with you. In general, you will rely on the class discussion and readings to find your opposition audience, but there are circumstances when you might need to look elsewhere (if, for instance, you pick a rhetor whom we have not discussed in class, or if people go all polite and won’t disagree in class).
You will submit each paper twice, but the first submission is not a draft. It is graded as though it is the final submission, and the grade counts toward your final grade. Every semester, at least one student misunderstands this, 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.)
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. [A “good faith” submission is at least 1250 words, responds appropriately to the assignment, does not violate the academic honor policy, has a substantial number of quotes from the relevant primary material, and makes an interpretive argument. It does not have asides (e.g., “In the next version, I’ll…”) You should expect that it will take you ten to twelve hours to do a good faith submission, not including the time for reading and research.] If a single paper violates the academic honor policy, you will receive an ‘F’ in the course.
The goal of every paper is for you to persuade an intelligent and informed opposition reader (who has a specific and intelligent position on the controversy) of the significant merits of your position. This goal means that you are not just announcing and supporting your position, but that you are trying to move someone who disagrees with you. In general, you will rely on the class discussion and readings to find your opposition audience, but there are circumstances when you might need to look elsewhere (if, for instance, you pick a rhetor whom we have not discussed in class, or if people go all polite and won’t disagree in class).
Papers will probably range from seven to twelve pages, depending on what you’re trying to do. I don’t really care much about paper length, but it’s unusual for a ‘C’ or better paper to be under or over that length. (“Unusual” means, however, that it does happen.) Make sure to include a Works Cited and Works Consulted on any paper for which you use outside sources. Use MLA or APA citation method (which may not be what you have learned or what you use in other classes).
Thesis Statements. On certain days, you’ll be asked to bring in a one or two sentence summary of your argument. Your thesis statement is not the last sentence of your introduction. It is the main claim you’re making in your argument, and it probably will be too cumbersome to appear anywhere in your paper; please write it out on your Works Cited page. Your thesis statement will change between the day we discuss it and your first submission, and will almost certainly change a few more times between your first and second submission.
Draft workshops. For draft workshops, you will bring in a full draft of your own paper and comment extensively on someone else’s draft. A draft is the same approximate length of the final version of the paper. The only difference between it and the final version is that there may be some typos, rough spots, places where you make comments to the reader. This will not, therefore, be your first draft, but probably a second or third.
Microthemes. A microtheme is a short piece of writing (usually 200-500 words is plenty) graded purely 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. 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.
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, it is possible that you bring your overall grade up. (Note that you can get more than 100% on the microthemes for doing all of them.)
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 short, I use them for class preparation. 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 √.)
Please, do not send your microthemes to me as email attachments–just cut and paste them into a message. Cutting and pasting them 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). If you get a check-plus on a microtheme, make sure to put it in your folder so you can get the extra credit. You are responsible for keeping track of your own microtheme grade.
COURSE GRADING
PAPER 1.2 = 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%
There will be an opportunity for a third revision of either 1.2 or 2.2, but it’s optional (and you can’t do a third revision of both). If you do take that option, then that revision will replace the earlier grade. 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.
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. Furthermore, you will receive a 0 (which is below an ‘F’) on that paper, so 30% of your final grade will be 0.
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 six 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.
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. Following is the preliminary class calendar–as I learn more about your interests, strengths, and needs, I’ll make some changes to the reading. 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.)
AUG
25
27 Read “Overview of the War” (handout) and the speeches by the Corinthians and Corcyreans in Thucydides (18-24). Also read the section on microthemes in the first day handout. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): which speech seems more effective to you and why? which one seems more reasonable?
SEP
30 Read Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Book I, through Chapter 8 (19-56). Read Thucydides Book I, pages 24-43. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): take any of the various concepts that Aristotle discusses (what makes for a good man, good counsel, what a good rhetor should know) and apply them to any of the speeches in this section of Thucydides. Does the speech exemplify his point? So what if it does or doesn’t?
SEPT 1 Finish Book I of Thucydides (56-71). Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what are some arguments used by both the Spartans and Pericles? What are premises, topoi, or assertions shared by multiple speakers?
3 Read Aristotle’s Rhetoric Book II through Chapter 10 (90-120) and “The Mytilinean Debate” in Thucydides (145-153). Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Do Cleon and Diodotus use some of the topoi that Aristotle discusses? If so, how and to what end?
[in class: hand out sample paper]
6 LABOR DAY
8 Read “My Advice on Writing a Paper” (http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller/handouts/advice-on-writing) and the sample student work handed out 9/3.
Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what questions do you have about the paper assignment?
10 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Thesis statement or thesis question due.
13 Paper 1.1 due. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in.
Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what are the characteristics of a group discussion that, in your experience, leads to a good group decision? What kind of discussion inhibits a group coming to a good decision? What are times that you’ve made bad decisions and why?
15 Read “Pericles’ Funeral Oration” (Book II, 34-46, beginning page 90) and Thucydides on faction (Book III, 80-84, beginning page 167). Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): although Thucydides begins by talking specifically about the Corcyreans, he quickly moves to talking about people in general. How does this passage fit with (or contradict) what Pericles says about people?
[Hand out material from student papers]
17 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): using the information about writing in “Advice on Writing” write about the student material handed out Wednesday. Which of the paragraphs seems strongest to you and why? What are some recurrent problems?
20 Read Aristotle, selections from Nicomachean Ethics and “The Melian Dialogue” (Bk V, 83-116, beginning page 293). Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): write about either the Aristotle or the Thucydides–what’s interesting or confusing to you about either reading? (or both)
22 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): revised introductions from 1.1.
24 Read the deliberations over the Sicilian expedition (Bk VI, 1-26, beginning page 306). Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): how would Aristotle analyze either Nikias’ or Alkibiades’ speech? How would he explain that Alkibiades was more persuasive?
27 Paper 1.2 due. Please turn in the commented version of 1.1 with 1.2. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in. Read selection from Scientific American and handout on procrastination.
29 Read “The Rhetoric of Hitler’s Battle.” Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Burke’s analysis of Hitler’s rhetoric emphasizes that Hitler made everything a “battle” (“kampf” in German)—summarize the basic characteristics that Burke identifies. [hand out sample student material]
OCT
1 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): read the student material and write about it. What seemed effective, ineffective, something you’d like to imitate?
OU weekend 4 Read section on Perelman and “paired terms” and “dissociation”. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): find some examples of paired terms in the Thucydides you’ve read so far.
6 Read Lysistrata. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): list the major arguments you can imagine that the play is anti-war; list the major arguments you can imagine that the text is pro-war (or, at least, not anti-war).
8 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Revised thesis statement or thesis question due. If you’re keeping the same one you turned in Wednesday, then you need to turn in your first paragraph.
11 Paper 2.1 due. Please turn in the commented versions of papers 1.1 and 1.2. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in.
13 Read (or watch) Trojan Women. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): list the major arguments you can imagine that the play is anti-war; list the major arguments you can imagine that the text is pro-war (or, at least, not anti-war).
15 Read Gorgias. Keep an eye out for discussions about expertise generally and especially military decisions. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what is Socrates’ gripe with rhetoric? If you accept his criticisms, how should communities make deisions about going to war?
18 Read selection from Cicero. Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Pick a speech from Thucydides and apply Cicero’s terms to that speech.
20 Read selection from Keen, Faces of the Enemy. In the past, students have either loved or hated this reading (that is, some students loved it and some hated it). Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Keen is making universal claims—that his method of analysis applies across cultures and time; does it apply to the pro-war arguments you’ve read in Thucydides?[hand out student material]
LAST DAY TO DROP. 22 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): read the student material and write about it. What seemed effective, ineffective, something you’d like to imitate?
25 Paper 2.2 due. Please turn in the marked versions of papers 1.1, 1.2, and 2.1. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in.
27 Read selection from Penguin History of the Second World War. Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what questions do you have about this material?
Read “Berlin, Summer and Autumn 1940” from Fateful Choices. Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what is Kershaw’s argument about whether (and why) Hitler came to a bad decision about the Soviet Union?
29 Read selection from Hitler and His Generals and “Hitler’s Speech at the Berlin Sports Palace” (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler013041.html) Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what is similar and dissimilar in his rhetoric in the two situations?
NOV
1 Read “Rome, Summer and Autumn 1940” from Fateful Choices. Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what is Kershaw’s argument about Mussolini’s deliberation?
[assigned method of analysis for Wednesday]
3 Read (or watch) Henry V’s St. Crispin’s Day Speech” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAvmLDkAgAM; “Once more unto the breach” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikynTH9oJg8; Churchill’s “Blood, Sweat, and Tears”http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churc… “The Lights are going out” http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churc…Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Take one of the methods of analysis (assigned in class Monday) and analyze one of these speeches. Did that method help?
5 Read (or watch) MLKing’s “Beyond Vietnam” http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKapr67.html;E.V. Debs’ “Canton, Ohio” http://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1918/canton.htm; Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Listen” http://www.at7.us/listen/; Mohatma Gandhi’s “Dandi March”http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhicomesalive/speech4.htm Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): These are not just anti-war speeches (that is, speeches against specific intervention) but speeches in favor of peace. Apply one of the methods of analysis we’ve used for pro- and anti-war speeches—does it work?
8 Read All Quiet on the Western Front, and “Dulce et Decorum Est,” “Here Dead We Live,” “Peace,” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth” http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/FWW_index.html Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Using these texts (and the texts from last Friday) can you generate a “rhetoric of peace”—what are consistent topoi, paired terms, or metaphors?
10 Read these various declarations of war: Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_declaration_of_war_on_the_United_S… UShttp://www.hbci.com/~tgort/japan.htm; Germanyhttp://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/germany-declares.htm; France (1792)http://personal.ashland.edu/~jmoser1/declarationofwar.htm; Germany (1914)http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/germandeclarationofwar_france.htm; US (1898)http://www.spanamwar.com/McKinleywardec.htm. Microtheme (due in email,redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): what is the rhetoric of a declaration of war? What are consistent topoi, paired terms, or metaphors?
12 Optional revision of paper 1.2 (or 2.2) due. Please turn in the marked versions of whatever paper you are revising. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in.
15 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): thesis statements due. 17 Microtheme (due in email, redball@mindspring.com, by 8:00 a.m.): Introductions for 3.1
19 Microtheme (due in class): two copies of your full draft of your paper. To get any credit for this microtheme, you need at least five pages of your paper.
22 Paper 3.1 due. Please turn in the marked versions of all previous papers. Please make sure you look over “Paper Checklist” before turning your paper in.
24 TBA
26 THANKSGIVING
29 QUIZ
DEC
1 QUIZ REVIEW
3 Paper 3.2 due. Please turn in the marked versions of all previous papers. Turn in your grade sheet, check-plus microthemes, and make sure I have a phone number for you.
PAPER TOPICS
Students typically spend 10-12 hours on the first version of a paper, not including the time spent reading the material the first time. Students who do well typically spend another 10-12 revising the paper.
Your papers will be mostly close analysis of primary material, with secondary used to give context. A good paper will have a lot of quotes from the primary material—more than one quote per paragraph.
Paper Topics, Units I and II (Papers #1 and #2)
For these papers, you will need to read more of Thucydides than was required for the class. If you write about Aristotle, you will need to read a lot more Aristotle. You will need to read some secondary on the Peloponnesian War (Kagan or Hale). Don’t leave it till the night before, or you’ll have trouble understanding that reading. The recurrent problem with the papers is that students don’t really have an interpretive argument–a “so what?” that has to do with rhetorical analysis. Remember that you want to set out a paradox, puzzle, or gap that other students in the class would find interesting to consider.
1) How do various speakers use paired terms and dissociation? What is the significance of their use of those strategies?
2) It’s clear that Cleon expects that Diodotus will make an ethical argument against exterminating Mytilene, but Diodotus instead argues from expediency. Write an imaginary speech for that debate which is ethical in both method and content. Also write a rhetorical analysis of your speech in which you show how and why it was an ethical argument, and why it would have been effective. (You might choose to do that rhetorical analysis in footnotes of your speech.)
3) Pick some specific assertion about rhetoric and deliberation that Aristotle makes in the Books I or II of Rhetoric (not his discussion of ethos, pathos, or logos). Pick a specific rhetor (or two) from Thucydides—do their rhetorical strategies (and the rhetorical and political outomes) confirm, contradict, or complicate Aristotle’s assertion? [The tricky part of this paper, students have found, is the “so what” issue. If you simply show that speaker A fits Aristotle’s definition of a good rhetor (Bk I, Ch 4, 1359b), for instance, so what? Does that rhetor actually help his community come to a good decision? Is he effective? What does it mean about Aristotle’s theory?]
4) Look at Aristotle’s list of the lines of argument (Bk II Ch 23, 1397a). Taking at least two speeches, identify which lines of argument people use. Can you make useful generalizations about the speakers on the basis of which lines they use? (As with the previous topic, the “so what” part of this is tricky–don’t write an essay in which you make a list with no argument about significance.)
5) Is Lysistrata pro- or anti-war?
6) Is Trojan Women pro- or anti-war?
7) Apply Cicero’s notion of stases to a debate from Thucydides. Where is the stasis? Is it the same for every speaker? Does something about the use of stases explain something interesting or puzzling about the speeches or debate (or decision)?
8) Neither Alcibiades nor Nicias argue particularly ethically for their position; Alcibiades is successful, and Nicias is not. Take either side and write an argument that is rhetorically ethical and effective. Half of your paper will be that speech; the other half will be your argument why your speech is rhetorically ethical and effective.
9) Look at what Cicero has to say about audiences and exordia. Does his discussion help understand how various speakers in Thucydides viewed their rhetorical situations?
10) It’s generally accepted that the Athenians should have followed Pericles’ advice, and that their most disastrous decisions (such as those regarding Sicily) show why his advice was so good. Such an explanation emphasizes the political and military issues–do you think an argument could be made that their major errors were rhetorical?
11) Sam Keen (this reading is assigned at the end of the class, but, obviously, if you did this paper, you’d read it now) argues that pro-war rhetoric functions through projection of one’s own dark side. He uses visual rhetoric to make this argument–is that also the case with verbal argument? Take one pair of pro-war arguments (e.g., Spartan and Athenian) and look at whether they are engaged in projection. (You’ll have to read enough about Athens and Sparta to know what their “dark side” would be.)
Paper Topics, Unit III (Paper #3)
All of these paper prompts require considerable outside reading and research. It may take you a while just to find the sources. For every one of them, you’ll have to read a book not assigned in (or ordered for) class, so you need to pick the topic early enough in the semester in order to get hold of the book. Ever semester, some student gets burned by starting the paper at the last minute, and then having trouble finding sources. Don’t let this be you!
1) George Lakoff, in Moral Politics, argues that there is a cognitive frame of “strict father” and another one of “nurturing father.” Does pro-war rhetoric always appeal to the “strict father” morality when it is aggressive war (that is, arguing for starting a war, rather than rousing people to defend themselves)?
2) Pro-war rhetoric tends to have certain recurrent topoi: our hands are forced; because it’s war, all the normal rules of human relations (or civil rights, or process) are off and any behavior on our part is justified; because it’s war we not only can, but must, respond with violence; the “other side” is responsible for the violence of our response; deliberation, diplomacy, and careful thinking are inappropriate responses; and the only solution is extermination. Does that kind of rhetoric continue when it is a metaphorical war (such as the “War on Drugs” or “War on Poverty”)? [This is a harder prompt than it might initially seem—you need a really good set of primary texts. In the past, students have had no trouble finding texts with analyses about the rhetoric of the “war on drugs” or “war on terror,” but not primary texts that use the term “war.”]
3) Using the Keen, Perelman, or Burke, does a metaphorical war (e.g., the “War on Poverty” or the “War on Drugs”) have the same rhetorical appeals as calls for military engagement?
4) Read the section from Pentagon Papers, or a memoir from someone involved in the deliberations over Vietnam, or a history that describes decision-making processes in detail written by someone who argues that they made an inexpedient and unethical decision (e.g., McNamara’s In Retrospect, or Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest). Does some concept in rhetorical theory help us understand why they came to a bad decision? [This prompt only works if you write about someone who believes they made a bad decision, and you have to take them at face value. In other words, I’m not asking you to write a paper about what we should have done in regard to Vietnam—that’s much too hard for the time you have—but about how people have assessed the own decision-making in retrospect. The purpose of this prompt is to ask you to explore the relationship of rhetoric and ethics in deliberation.]
5) Which theorist of rhetoric better explains the outcome (in terms of rhetorical or deliberative effectiveness) of a specific debate in Peloponnesian War? For this paper, you need to write about at least two theorists who should apply. You may not write about a debate about which you’ve already written in another paper.
6) In In Retrospect, Robert McNamara argues that he was part of making a series of unethical decisions about Vietnam—that is, decisions he would later evaluate as morally wrong—because they were premised on a misunderstanding of the fundamental situation. But, if McNamara had been able to see the Vietnam situation as he later did, could he have persuaded his fellow advisors? Write a speech he could have made to persuade them to see the conflict as about Vietnamese nationalism rather than a move in the Cold War. Also write a rhetorical analysis of your speech in which you show how and why it was an ethical argument, and why it would have been effective. (You might choose to do that rhetorical analysis in footnotes of your speech.) [As with the earlier prompt, you need to take his self-assessment at face value or the paper becomes impossible to write in the time you have.]
7) Aristotle spends a considerable section of Rhetoric describing what “goodness” is. Scholars of rhetoric debate whether he is describing ethos in rhetorical or ethical terms—that is, is he simply describing what you have to look like in order to seem to be a good person? Or is he describing the sorts of values that enable a person to make better choices? Picking a specific incident in The Peloponnesian War, argue that had people enacted Aristotle’s understanding of goodness they would have come to a better decision.
8) It is conventional for political figures and theorists of rhetoric to use military metaphors for rhetoric—we gain and lose ground, undermine one another’s arguments, knock down the opposition—is there a strong connection between how someone theorizes rhetoric and war? That is, does someone like Hitler, Alcibiades, Hitler, or LBJ behave the same in war as he does in discourse?
9) Burke’s “Rhetoric of Hitler’s Battle” makes claims that the rhetoric could be applied elsewhere. Does it apply to the rhetoric that Hitler used deliberating with his generals? For this prompt, you’ll need to read a lot more of those deliberations, as well as background material on whatever specific incident you choose.
Quiz
On November 29, you’ll get a quiz with the following terms. You will receive two points for every good definition (which can be a quote) and two points for an apt example (which should be your own).
bargaining v. deliberating (total of eight possible points)
the “canons” of rhetoric (all five, with examples of at least one, for a total of four possible points)
charismatic leadership
doxa
enthymeme
epideictic
epistemology
figures of speech
phronesis
skepticism
topos
paired terms
cunning projection
syllogism
intended audience
actual audience
ultimate terms
“bastardization of religious forms of thought” (at least four characteristics, for a total of 16 possible points)
exordium
stasis
lines of argument
PAPER CHECKLIST
When you’ve got your final draft, make sure you’ve run through the following questions before turning in your submission. (Note that this list does not apply to other classes, but it’s a good idea for you to have a similar list for those situations. You almost always have to make it yourself–what are the things the teacher has told you s/he wants in papers?)
1) Is there a Works Cited list, and is it in MLA or APA format?
Do not rely on what you think correct format is, or the format you’ve always used. Rely on a handbook or “noodlebib” (available off the UT library webpage).
2) Is there a Works Consulted list, and is it in MLA or APA format?
Very few instructors ask for a Works Consulted list, but it helps me when I’m giving you research advice. It’s a list of the things you looked at, but did not actually cite.
2) Does the first page have your name, course name, semester (or date), paper version (i.e., 1.1, 1.2), and my name?
This is something you should do for every class. Some instructors want a separate title page; I don’t, but do make sure to have all that information on the paper.
3) Are the pages numbered and stapled together?
When you do peer reviews, you’ll come to see how much easier it is to comment on a paper when the pages are numbered. If the author hasn’t numbered them, then you have to. Similarly, if the author hasn’t stapled the paper together, the reader has to–you don’t want to put your reader to extra work on things like that. (You want any work on the part of the reader to involve how smart and subtle your argument is.)
4) Is the thesis marked (or written on the Works Cited page)? Is it in the introduction or early in the paper? Then you have major structural problems–if it isn’t too late, move it, and rewrite the introduction so that it sets up a question.
5) Do you have your folder with your other papers and your checkplus microthemes?
6) Go through your paper and highlight evidence (probably quotes). How many paragraphs have one quote? If you have one quote per paragraph, you almost certainly have major issues with adequate evidence and analysis. If it isn’t too late, you need to go back and find more evidence.
A note about facebook: I won’t “friend” a student till you’re done taking classes with me, but then I’m very happy to do so.
ADVICE FROM STUDENTS WHO TOOK A CLASS WITH ME PREVIOUSLY
“She’s hard, but fair.” “I never had a class where I felt so free to express my own opinion.” “She has high expectations, but the class is very manageable if the student works hard.” “Don’t be afraid to throw out a first sub that got a bad grade. If you find it hard to make changes on that one, it might be easier to start over on your second submission.” “If Trish doesn’t like your thesis, don’t give up–just get more evidence.” “Trish expects a lot out of her students, but at the same time is very fair. Talk to her if you need help. Also, get to know some of the other students, if not all. This might be the most beneficial thing because you can really help each other do better on assignments. It also makes the class more enjoyable, and you get more out of it.” “Come to class every day. It helps keep you informed as to what’s going on.” “Work hard, relax, if you have a problem, go to her, tell her, she will help you and work with you.” “Never hesitate to talk to Trish about any problem you are having. She really cares and wants her students to learn. There are no stupid questions with her.” “Do not wait until the last minute to write your paper; it is a long process; if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask. This is a hard class and takes up a lot of time (because of researching and actually writing the paper), so be prepared to spend a lot of time for this class. ” “Don’t be afraid to express opinions different than Trish’s. She grades papers, not beliefs.””1) Ask for help if you need it–your paper will benefit from it. Trish is very good about working with her students. 2) Don’t stress if you do badly on paper 1.1–you have plenty of time to improve by paper 1.2, and if you work with Trish you will improve. 3) NEVER WRITE A SUMMARY INTRODUCTION–EVER!!!” “Go to her office hours and understand exactly what she means by her comments on your papers.” “Go to class and pay attention.” “Speak up, you learn more if you ask questions.” “She wants you to do well so give her every opportunity to see you learning and working.” “Don’t put off your papers or reading the text, because you will get stuck on what to write.” “Take it! But be prepared to read a lot, the microthemes seem annoying but they keep you on top of the reading and make you think about what you just read. Don’t hesitate to go to Trish with problems on papers, even if you think it is too late!” “When entering the class keep in mind everything you read and hear in class will be used throughout the whole semester. I recommend that you read thoroughly and take good notes (taking good notes does not require a ton of writing). ” “Give these writing techniques she talks about (example–introduction techniques) a chance. It may be hard at first, but you will benefit from them and become better writers with much better papers.” “Keep up with the readings! Try not to start your papers the night before, they will come out better if you spend more time on it. If you are ever stuck on a topic, organization of your paper, Trish will always be willing to help you out! Talk to her!” “This class seems only to work with active participation by the individual.” “Do your microthemes! Doing them is the best way to be a full participant and to keep yourself on track with the readings. Also, come to class on time, don’t be absent, and turn your essays in on time. Start essays a week and a half early so you can go in and talk to Trish when you have a bunch of crap on paper and she can help you turn it into a decent essay.” “Come to class, ask questions (lots of them), and keep up with assignments.” “Start thinking of your paper topics really far in advance, because sometimes your first idea is useless if you cannot find a text to support it.” “Take the course. Do the readings, they are interesting and it’s worth it to be able to follow class discussions. Don’t (EVER) be afraid to contribute in class or talk to Trish. She genuinely wants to hear what you have to say and she’s there to help you.” “Be prepared to change your writing habits and style. Be prepared to change your views on what you know.” “This course is rewarding because you walk away with knowledge of writing effective arguments and a good understanding of the material. Even though it’s a challenge, you gain more than just a grade.” “Spend the time reading the material. Spend the time researching. Spend the time writing. Spend the time going to see Trish. Time! Time! Time!” “Do it. It’ll be fun.” “Come to class with an open mind to any side of a disagreement. This will allow you to better judge a piece’s effectiveness more accurately.” “Read the readings! Seriously! They’re useful.” “The class requires a lot of work, and you get back what you put in. Trish is very willing to help with papers and concerns if you go to her, but don’t expect her to come and find you with advice. This is a great class if you want to work hard and become a better writer.” “Trish is an excellent teacher. The course was hard as hell. The class had an amazing way of making us actually think for ourselves–which seems to be rare lately. Anyhow, this may be the best class I’ve ever taken.” “This class introduced me to a whole new way of thinking, writing, and communicating. Although I wasn’t able to do as well as I had hoped, I learned more in this class than any of the others I took all year long.” “I thought this teacher was great, and I actually learned lessons that could be used towards life; not just random facts. I loved this class!” “Trish is an absolutely wonderful professor. This class is not easy and she definitely makes you work hard if you’re willing to put forth the effort. She always makes time to meet with her students after class even though it may be during her lunch ☺.” “Great professor and very interesting class. Heavy workload but I had fair warning. Highly recommended especially for someone w/ a LA major.” “Don’t put off any of the reading. You’ll want a lot longer than you think to write your papers, and the readings can take a while too. Even if the readings don’t make complete sense, write an email to Trish about it, and she will always answer your questions in class the next day. Besides, everyone else is probably confused too. Hmmm…find good evidence for all of your claims. BS doesn’t work so well in this class; Trish is a real teacher that actually sees through your tricks!” “Do it. Be aware of the time commitment involved, and plan accordingly, but take it or another course with Roberts-Miller. She is an excellent teacher. She cares if you learn she cares if you pass. Talk to her when you have a problem with a paper. She will work with you.” “Ask Trish for help and clarification when you need it. Listen. Learn and enjoy her teaching style.” “Focus on turning in the best product possible. (Avoid settling for procrastination at all costs.) The better writing you hand in from the beginning, the more constructive results you get back.” “Take your work seriously. Use email. Spend time with Trish. Talk to other students in the class. Read the readings and take notes. 7:45 a.m. is not a good time to write microthemes, especially if they are due at 8 a.m.” “Make sure your material is enough to write on before you run out of time.” “Plan ahead on assignments and pace yourself. Each paper is very important to your grade so put a lot of effort into each one. The class is not the easiest but it never seemed to matter because I was constantly trying harder and wanting to improve more each time.” “Do not procrastinate. Also, when writing a paper use TONS of evidence, if it is relevant.” “Prepare for a fairly arduous workload, but one which pays off with much improved writing, insight into the subject, and a good amount of fun in the process. Trish is tough not to be tough, but to make a much stronger writer out of you.” “Complete the microthemes. It will really help when it comes time to write a paper or even choose a paper topic.” “Use, use, abuse even the Writing Center.” “Be persistent. Your ability to compose essays is likely flawed before beginning the class, so your first essay will be flawed as well. But keep writing, go to office hours. You will be rewarded in the end.” “Be prepared to spend a lot of time on the papers, the reward is not only a good grade, but you will be astounded by what you can learn about your writing. Talk to Trish! If you are concerned about your writing, your paper topic, or your grade, she is happy to help.” “Go to office hours, start readings early.” “Take all that you can from Trish; she is full of knowledge and eager to share it with you. Everyone deserves to have a teacher like Trish while in college.” “Be prepared to think differently! I almost cried when Trish said don’t put the thesis in the first paragraph. It took me until the second paper (2.2) to really get into the swing of things. Also go talk to Trish! She’s so nice and helpful. She wants you to do well. Go to her office hours. She’s always willing to help.” “Do the microthemes. For the love of God, do them!” “Ignore grades and concentrate on learning. The grades will follow once you figure out how to stop restricting yourself to the familiar. Don’t be afraid!! You will struggle like the rest of us, but enjoy the freedom!” “DO MICROTHEMES! GO SEE TRISH/EMAIL HER–she responds quickly. PREPARE & do your RESEARCH EARLY so that the writing process is easier. Go to the Writing Center. Speak up in class; it’s okay to have a different point of view. Don’t feel discouraged about your first few papers. Go to class–it’s fun, you’ll stay awake (especially when Trish plays with the lights) and you learn a lot. Finally, go talk to Trish in her office hours. She is a fantastic and a wonderful person to get to know.” “Be open to writing differently from what you were taught. Keep an open mind, and enjoy the class, it’s so fun and you’ll learn a lot. Use the prof, she’s a great resource.” “Keep up with the reading and talk to Trish about your ideas. She’s fair with her advice and her grading style. She’s very knowledgeable on the subject, so it will be helpful to keep in touch with her.” “Do the microthemes because they help to comprehend the lectures and are easy to do and can really improve your grade. Don’t panic if you don’t get your first essays right, just continue and try to improve them. Things do become easier as you rewrite an essay. You improve without even noticing it. Dedication and consistency in this class really does pay off.” “I can’t emphasize how early you need to get started on a paper. I spent all of college waiting till the last minute to do papers, and pulling As on them. Unless you are superhuman, this won’t work.” “Participate in class and let your ideas slosh around for a while. This is the kind of class where the point is to connect disparate threads and form coherent arguments from them–an excellent skill to practice, so don’t let yourself stop thinking about the subject matter.” “I would say that there is no right or wrong on any essay. As long as you can give evidence, it is okay.” “Don’t be afraid to defend your own opinions even if they aren’t held by the teacher. As long as you provide a decent argument for your beliefs there won’t be any problems.” “If for some reason you do not know how to search the library databases, get help from a librarian or from Trish. In many cases, the databases can be a much more efficient way to search for data than Google.” “It’s okay to disagree as long as you can construct a good argument and give evidence for your case.” “This isn’t a class that tells you what to think–you’ll have to struggle with that yourself.” “Read and do the microthemes! Talk to Trish if you’re confused about your paper; she is more than willing to help. She also points you toward the research you need to do.” “Don’t be afraid to speak your mind in class. This will open up the discussion and enhance your understanding of the subject.” “Do not hesitate to try to find a way to write a paper you are really interested in. Trish is flexible (within reason) and you’ll write a better paper.” “Go to office hours, early and often. There, I learned the most about how to write. Trish is also great to just shoot the shit with, rant to, bounce ideas off of, etc.” “Don’t skip class. Pay attention in class. Have your reading done on time. It’s very important in this class to do a good job on your microthemes, which requires you do your reading and think about the reading. Do not get discouraged when you get low grades initially–your writing will improve. Use the Writing Center. Talk to Trish. Eat a healthy breakfast.” “TIME MANAGEMENT! There is no possible way to turn in a paper that you didn’t start at least 7 days prior to the due date. Pick your topics early and see Trish if none of the topics appeal to you. She helped me find a more suitable topic for paper #2 that fits my strengths. Learn quickly what is a good source and what is not. Spend a lot of time learning how to separate thoughts and support them with tons of evidence. Each paragraph should theoretically be a small essay. Talk to Trish a lot! She wants you to succeed.” “Start readings early! Start studying for the quiz early and make sure to take notes of all examples she gives in class. It helps come time for the quiz. Trish seems crazy hard at the beginning of the semester, but everything she says makes sense about halfway through the semester. This class will consume your life. Be prepared for that. But everything you suffer through is so worth it. You’ll see.” “Abandon all shortcuts, ye who enter here.” “Start your papers early, have a regular (if short) sleep schedule, get a bigger bookshelf, and learn to love coffee.” “Thesis goes at the end. Rewrite your paper thoroughly twice before turning it in the first time. Read anything and everything. Speak up in class and disagree with Trish and other classmates. Care. Be engaged. This is the most rewarding class at UT, if you apply yourself.” “Show up on time. Do the readings. As soon as something goes over your head, ask about it. Don’t be intimidated to show up in her office.”