BREAKING THE RULES: THE RHETORIC OF REBELLION
WINTER 2002
PWR 02-13 TTH 2:15-3:30 p.m. Galvez 3.
Instructor: Wendy Goldberg
Office and Office Hours: Building 460, Room 320, TTH: 4:00 –6:00 p.m. and by appointment
Office Phone: 723-1361
E-Mail Address:
I. PWR GOALS AND PRINCIPLES
The goals of PWR courses are simple: to guide you in developing and refining skills in incisive analysis and substantive research-based argument, using well-defined and time-tested rhetorical principles to present your ideas with the intellectual rigor and stylistic force expected of university students.
Those goals generate a few key principles that deeply influence the PWR curriculum:
PWR courses are courses in writing: they focus on argument and its research-based support. This course will help you to recognize, analyze, and use rhetorical elements of argument across a range of academic and professional genres.
The college years are crucial to the development of writing. As you write for PWR,you will build on and improve the wide range of writing abilities you developed during high school. Your improvement will aid you in maturing intellectually during your time in PWR, during your years at Stanford, and as a professional.
Work in this PWR course will include a range of activities: classroom activities, at-home work, exercises addressing specific rhetorical and writing skills, and class discussions--all of which will help you to respond effectively to assignments.
Writing is rewriting. In this class, you will take each major assignment through preparatory exercises and assignments, a full draft, and, after peer reviews, intensive revision of the draft.
You will learn to write best by focusing on topics of interest to you. Well-selected topics are tools to aid instruction in writing and rhetoric. Within this course, you will work with each other and me to develop appropriate topics for research connected to our course theme.
II. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Challenges to authority often originate with a single defiant voice asserting, "I will not!" To prevail against established conventions, the protester must possess an effective rhetorical strategy--a considered argument skillfully crafted to expose the shortcomings of the status quo while engaging the values of the targeted audience. In this course we will read both classic and contemporary models of dissent, along with explorations of the psychology of conformity and rebellion; these will serve as rich source materials for sustained rhetorical analysis and inquiry into the art of protest. During the second quarter of the course, each student's ongoing exploration of Stanford library resources and continuing development of research skills will culminate in a polished research paper rooted in argument and informed by the theme of protest and rebellion. A sequence of four writing assignments will contribute to the evolution of this Research-Based Argument: a Research Proposal; a Critical Review of two or more sources that will play a major role in the research project; a Popular Article that “packages” research for an audience that is unfamiliar with the specifics of the subject, and an Annotated Bibliography. Additionally, all students will make oral/multimedia presentations to the class reviewing their research and reflecting on their research experience.
III. COURSE TEXTS
Lunsford, Andrea, and Robert Connors, The New St. Martin’s Handbook. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. (NSM) Lunsford, Andrea, and John J. Ruszkiewicz, Everything’s An Argument, 2nd edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. (EA) Supplementary Readings for Breaking the Rules: The Rhetoric of Rebellion, a custom course packet.
IV. COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
ATTENDANCE(Standard PWR Policy).Because PWR courses make use of writing activities, in-class workshops, andsmall group discussion, your consistent attendance is crucial to your success. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or valid University-related activities, you must let me know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with me as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed. If you do not take responsibility for communicating with me about absences, I will contact you by phone or email and issue a warning about your standing in the course. Should you miss a second unexcused class, your work in the class will be seriously compromised, and a continued pattern of absences may jeopardize your enrollment in the class. The best policy, therefore, is to be in class, on time, every day!
CLASS PARTICIPATION. Active participation in class discussion and peer workshops is a crucial part of your responsibility for this course. Sharing your ideas with your classmates will not only contribute to their learning experience but enrich your own: expressing your thoughts aloud will help you to clarify your ideas, provide you with valuable practice in oral expression, and reinforce your engagement with the class.
CONFERENCES. Conferences represent a vital, ongoing part of this course.They allowstudent and instructor to share focused, sustained dialogue about both basic writing concerns and issues specific to the work of the individual writer. I will meet with each of you individually for four scheduled conferences this quarter. Attendance is required.
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING WRITTEN WORK. All papers should be neatly typed and double-spaced. Use a standard mid-size font, and make sure that the print is clear and legible. Include--in the top right-hand corner of each essay--your name, the date, the course number and section (PWR 02-13), my name, the assignment name, and, if relevant, the number of the essay question you have chosen. Leave margins of approximately one inch on all sides. Staple the pages together. Do not include a title page. Please make four copies of each essay (two to be handed in to me; one to be presented to each of your peer editors).
MATERIALS. Purchase a three-ring binder in which to collect and save class handouts. Handouts become cumbersome and get lost when thrown into a folder. You will need a separate notebook in which to write journal entries.
SUBMISSION OF WORK. Papers should be turned in on time. If you are absent when an assignment is due, you are still required to pass in the assignment by 5:00 p.m. on that day unless you have arranged for an extension with me beforehand. On those occasions when assignments are due on Monday or Friday (days when we don’t have class), please leave your essay in the plastic mail slot to the left of my office door (Building 460; Room 320.) Whenever you pass in a final draft of your essay, please place it in a folder along with your earlier drafts--including drafts with my comments on them--and the review sheets you received from your peer editors.
REVISING.The process of revising lies at the heart of this course. You will revise eachmajor essay at least once. The grade you receive on the final draft of your essay will be your grade for that assignment.
DUAL SUBMISSION. The same paper may not be submitted for a grade in more than one course. However, in your writing for PWR, you are welcome to explore areas of interest that grow out of your participation in other courses.
INCOMPLETES. An Incomplete is granted only when exceptional circumstances dictate and when a substantial amount of the term’s work has been completed.
GRADE DISPUTES (Standard PWR Policy). If you have a complaint about this PWR course or wish to question a grade on an assignment, please write me a memo explaining the problems you are having with the course, the reasons for your dispute, and so on. Then meet with me to discuss your dispute. You may want, for example, to ask me to read an assignment again, reconsidering your work in light of points you have made about it. Many misunderstandings or problems can be worked out in such a meeting. If you wish to pursue a complaint or dispute, make an appointment to see the Associate Director of PWR. He will advise you on any further course of action.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, COPYRIGHT, AND PLAGIARISM (Standard PWR policy).
Appropriate Use of Sources: Acceptance of all written work for Program in Writing and Rhetoric courses is subject to an agreement granting PWR instructors the right to transfer a copy of the written work to one of several databases for the noncommercial purpose of checking appropriate use of sources.
Plagiarism: Students are responsible for living by the Honor Code and for maintaining honesty in scholarship. Work submitted for a course must be the student's own (or a group's work, if students have collaborated on an assignment). The use of someone else's words or ideas without acknowledgement and as your own contradicts PWR goals and principles. As such, PWR will take reasonable precautions to prevent it and all measures prescribed by the Stanford Judicial Affairs Office for remedy and redress.
HONOR CODE/FUNDAMENTAL STANDARD (University Policy). Violating the HonorCode is a seriousoffense, even when the violation is unintentional. The Honor Code is included in the Stanford Bulletin (pp.670-671), and you are responsible for understanding the university’s rules regarding academic integrity. You should familiarize yourself with the code if you haven’t already done so. In brief, conduct prohibited by the Honor Code includes all forms of academic dishonesty, among them copying from another’s exam, unpermitted collaboration, representing as one’s own work the work of another, revising and submitting work for regarding without the instructor’s knowledge and consent, and plagiarism. See Chapter 20 of Everything’s An Argument for a discussion of issues related to intellectual property and copyright, and for good advice on how to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. If you have any questions about these matters, please see me during office hours.
V. ESSAYS AND MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
1. A Research proposal, in which you will establish a rough plan for your research essay that argues for the significance of the topic you’ll be discussing, offers a tentative narrowing of the topic into an argumentative or analytical claim, and provides a timeline for completion of the work.
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2. A Source Analysis, in which you will analyze two or more key sources that offer contrasting perspectives on your research topic.
3. A Popular Article, which will give you an opportunity to present your topic and research to a popular audience, one unfamiliar with the nuances and specifics of the subject.
4. An Annotated Bibliography, in which you will annotate the central sources for your research work.
5. A Research-Based Argument, informed by our course theme, which will help you to build and refine your skills in generating and supporting arguments. You will write a sustained argumentative essay, drawing on a range of judiciously selected sources that are carefully integrated into your text. This final assignment will include a memo, addressed to the instructor and the class, offering a thoughtful analysis of the argument’s strategies and effectiveness.
6. An Oral and/or Multimedia Presentation, in which you will discuss your research experience and present your research findings to the class.
PORTFOLIO
I am asking all students to maintain a Portfolio of work done during the quarter. Copies of each essay (including successive drafts) should be filed.
VI. GRADE BREAKDOWN
1) Class participation = 10%
2) Research Proposal =10%
3) Critical Review =15%
4) Popular Source Article =15%
5) Annotated Bibliography =10%
6) Research-Based Argumentwith Memo =30%
7) Oral/Multimedia Presentation =10%
VII. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES
The general evaluation criteria of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric are described below.
Successful writers carefully take into account the rhetorical situation(purpose, audience,persona) in which their writing will function, developing the compositional elements(content, organization, style, and form) in response to the demands and boundaries set by the particular writing task.
A—Excellent:Writing is of consistently outstanding quality, addressing a complex and significant topic and successfully handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
Topic--a clearly defined and significantsubject, carefully introduced and consistently explored in informative ways
Audience--asophisticated understandingof the readers' values, assumptions, and expectations
Purpose--a carefully articulated,achievable aimor aims
Persona--a rhetorical stance and voice that serve the purpose and appeal effectively to the audience Content--sustained argumentsthat arewell-supported with multiple forms of evidenceand "good reasons,"fully developed with appropriate strategies(and in research-based writingdemonstrating a sophisticated understanding of andability to use, evaluate, and integrate a wide range of source materials)
Organization--aclear and imaginative structureor pattern that provides coherence, leads theaudience from idea to idea, clarifying relationships and connections, andshows a mature awareness of genre
Style--varied and forceful sentences,purposeful and apt diction, and appropriate and carefully-nuanced tone that expresses the personality (ethos) of the writer and engages the audience
Form--strong control of the conventions of academic discourse: format, syntax, paragraph structure, punctuation, mechanics, diction, documentation;the control is strong enough to allow the writer to push the boundaries of the conventions in imaginative and effective ways
B--Good. Writing is of consistently good quality, addressing an appropriate and significant topic and competentlyhandling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
C --Adequate. Writing is of satisfactory quality, addressing an acceptable topic and adequately handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
D--Weak. Writing is of poor quality, addressing a vague or unwieldy subject and inadequately handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
NP--Failing. Writing does not respond to the assignment.
VIII. PWR RESOURCES
THE STANFORD WRITING CENTER. The Stanford Writing Center will assist students with writing in all academic contexts. In its first year, the Center will emphasize support for first-year students writing for PWR, IHUM, and Stanford Introductory Seminars. Ultimately, the Writing Center will serve all Stanford undergraduates through one-to-one and group tutorials, workshops, and seminars. The Stanford Writing Center will be located in Building 460 (Margaret Jacks Hall), Room 020. For further information about the opening of the Stanford Writing Center, visit the PWR website.
THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING. The Center for Teaching and Learning can help students interested in improving oral presentation skills. Visit the 4th floor of Sweet Hall, email , or browse the website at
PWR DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR. The PWR Director and Associate Director are available to meet with students about any issues of concern - or just to talk about writing. Students can contact the Director, Andrea Lunsford, at 723-0631 or ; they can contact the Associate Director, Marvin Diogenes, at 723-4642 or at .
THE PWR UNDERGRADUATE ADVISORY BOARD (UAB). This group, which meets once each term, provides advice to the Director and Associate Director of PWR. Students are invited to bring concerns or ideas about PWR to the Undergraduate Advisory Board. Contact the UAB through the PWR website.
IX. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
DISABILITIES RESOURCE CENTER.The Disabilities Resource Center is theprimaryresource for students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class. Students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class must initiate the request with the Disability Resource Center. The DRC will evaluate student requests along with the required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the request is being made. Students should contact the DRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The DRC is located at 123 Meyer Library (MC 3094). Call 723-1066 (or 725-1067 TTY) and/or consult the website at
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OFFICE. The Sexual Harassment Office is located in Building 310, Room 201. Call 723-1583, email , or see the website for further information: Students concerned about harassment, whether to themselves or to others, should contact the SHO at once.
STANFORD LIBRARIES AND OTHER RESOURCES. The Stanford Libraries and Archives will be crucial to student success in PWR courses, so students should attend the library tour offered during the first few weeks of class to begin familiarizing themselves with these resources. They can use the Library Research site for an overview of library resources: