Course Policies and Syllabus

Program ofWriting & Rhetoric: WRTG 3020

Spirituality in Literature & Art

Section 91: TR 3:30-4:45 PM Clare Small 302

CONTACT INFORMATION

Instructor:Esther Quinlan

Office:TemporaryBuilding 1, Room 113. (TB #1 is the red brick building next to

Claire Small, on the north end of the 380 Parking Lot.)

Hours: TR 2:00-3:00 & by appointment

Phone:303/735-0823 (office) and 303/ 443-1405 (home) 9-5:00, M-F

Email:

COURSE MATERIALS

  • They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, Graff and Birkenstein—rhetoric theory and a pragmatic approach to constructing arguments, developing analyses, and writing focused summaries.
  • A Pocket Style Manual,Hacker (Fifth Edition)—provides reference to grammar, style, writing conventions, and access to an interactive website for quizzes and tutorials.
  • Language in Thought and Action, Hayakawa (optional)—rhetoric theory and linguistics based on informal semantics, providing some tools for analyzing texts at a level beyond the visible surface of expression.
  • Course Reader for Spirituality in Literature & Art, ed. Quinlan: an anthology of excerpts from academic texts, poetry, folk fables, personal narrative, sample student essays, and readings on developing style.
  • World’s Religions: Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions, Smith---a specialized discourse text for background readings on the major religions with art illustrations to introduce readers to the highlights of each tradition.
  • Siddhartha, Hesse (translated by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, Shambala, 2000)—fictional classic and case study illustrating the spiritual quest in anancient Hindu/Buddhist setting.
  • Lying Awake, Salzman (optional)—fictional work of a Catholic nun’s spiritual quest set in contemporary America.
  • Access to CULearn: On our site are additional texts, a media library of visual art, links to art databases, video clips, audio lectures, and on-line writing exercises.
  • Access to Microsoft Word version 2000 or newer.

TOPIC AND COURSE OVERVIEW

Students from all religious traditions and those without any religious tradition are all welcome, with the understanding that the course is built on two assumptions: first, that spirituality is an integral dimension of human experience and a valid area of academic study;and, second, that access to spiritual experience and transcendent truth is available through all religious traditions and outside of them. Because both scholars and artists have always recognized that spiritual experience is essentially non-verbal, the translation of spiritual experience into language and art provides a unique topic for the study of rhetoric.We approach the readings not only as literary and visual art texts, but also as rhetoric texts. As a way to explore the larger matter of the relationship of language, thought, and experience, we will employ some of S.I. Hayakawa’s tools to analyze verbal and visual texts about spirituality. The course readings are drawn from various modes of discourse (poetic, discursive, fictional, and the visual)and from various disciplines (Religious Studies, Art, English, and Linguistics) to create a cross-disciplinary study.

The readings, lectures, discussions, and outside research are the basis for the assigned writing assignments that require students to demonstrate a level of proficiency in critical thinking, style, and mechanics appropriate for upper-division composition in the College of Arts & Sciences. One of the assumptions of WRTG 3020 courses is that quality readings illustrate models of truly excellent writing, thereby offering students instruction in voice, organization, syntax, and language. Furthermore, this course provides an opportunity for an in-depth experience of the writing process through small-group workshops, collaborative research, instructor-conferences, an oral presentation, the writing of multiple drafts, and a small number of guided computer-lab sessions. In addition, students will be expected to learn and apply the writing conventions appropriate to a cross-discipline humanities topic.The assignments focus on an understanding and application of ethos, logos, and pathos in a variety of rhetorical situations. Writing is a process, not a product. For this reason, students work on all of the major assignments in this class incrementally by drafting, peer reviewing, and revision. We also have several classes in a computer lab for on-line work with interactive writing resource websites and for research.

This 3020 course topic is in line with a current national trend to bring spirituality into undergraduate liberal arts education. The initial research released in 2004 by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, found that 80% of surveyed students have “an interest in spirituality,” and 75% say they are “searching for meaning or purpose in life” but that these issues are not covered in their classes. The UCLA research is part of a major, multi-year national study of Spirituality in Higher Education being conducted by HERI Furthermore, one of the most notable findings from this survey, administered at 236 campuses nationwide, is that today’s incoming students generally have “high expectations for the role that their college or university should play in their emotional and spiritual development.” The results of this study were a major factor in my decision to create a writing and rhetoric course that would respond to this largely unmet need of the community of spiritualseekers in the academy.

Given that the prefix for this course is WRTG, you may not realize that the course is offered through the Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) and that the course differs in a significant way from other writing courses you may have had before. “Rhetoric,” broadly defined, is the study of different strategies for shaping writing in order to meet the needs and expectations of different audiences, given that no one approach will appeal to all readers. In a rhetoric class, we learn to shape analyses and arguments so that they appeal to specific academic and non-academic audiences on a number of levels: intellectual, emotional, moral, professional, and personal. In rhetoric, thoseappeals which draw on logic and evidence, we call appeals to logos, and thoseappeals which draw on examples, vivid language, and human interest, we call appeals to pathos.

You will also learn how to create an appeal to ethos, the rhetorical term we use to describe the writer’s credibility, which is perhaps the most important element of writing to communicate (as opposed to writing to learn). Unless your readers trust you, they will have little reason to take your ideas seriously. Building your ethos (or credibility) with readers requires that you use sound logic, sources of evidence your readers will trust, concrete examples and details readers can relate to, and fair and accurate analyses of opposing views, all in the service of showing your target readers that you’ve done your research, you are fair-minded, and you can be trusted. The reading and writing assignments serve as the means for developing rhetorical awareness, critical thinking skills, and reflective writing practices.

We will also, of course, pay some attention to writing-related issues such as processes for planning and drafting, strategies for substantial revision, techniques for improving clarity and paragraph structure, and the correct use of academic conventions, but you are expected to already have a strong foundation in these areas from your experience in WRTG 1150 or its equivalent. So the focus of your self-evaluations and peer reviews will be on meeting the rhetorical awareness and critical thinking objectives outlined above rather than on editing and proofreading.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Rhetorical Awareness:

  • Identify academic, non-academic, and advocacy discourse communities engaged in conversations about the issues that interest you
  • Analyze the values, academic background, theoretical perspectives, trusted research methods, and other relevant aspects of the communities whose conversations you participate in through your reading and writing
  • Build credibility (or ethos) with your readers by demonstrating that you have studied the issue from a variety of perspectives, by being fair in your treatment of opposing views, and by connecting your ideas to the values and concerns of your readers
  • Appeal to logos by using reasoning that is logically sound and evidence that is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy to your readers
  • Gain support for your perspective by making appeals to pathos, such as concrete examples and details, vivid language, real or hypothetical stories, metaphors, analogies, your own personal experience, the personal experience of those impacted by the issue, and so on, as a way of putting the issue into its human context

Critical Thinking

  • Identify the questions, problems, arguments, and key players that arise within relevant discourse communities
  • Develop intellectual curiosity about the issues that interest you and take the initiative to inquire into these issues in order to understand them more fully
  • Challenge and test your own beliefs against those of others and develop your own standards for credibility
  • Critically evaluate analytical and argumentative texts, paying special attention to underlying assumptions, credibility of the source, the nature and quality of evidence, and rhetorical strategies the writer uses to persuade his or her audience
  • Distinguish between flawed and sound reasoning and recognize logical fallacies and unethical use of persuasive strategies
  • Apply persuasive strategies in your own writing in an effective but ethical manner
  • Approach differing perspectives with an open mind and represent them in writing in a manner that those who hold these perspectives would consider fair, accurate, and reasonably comprehensive
  • Defend your own perspective against likely objections with valid reasons and evidence
  • Apply critical evaluation skills to your own writing and to your analysis of your classmates' writing

Writing and Research

  • Use advanced research strategies from multiple disciplines to learn about different perspectives on the issues that interest you, draw reasonable inferences from current research, identify communities who have a stake in the issue, and develop and support your claims
  • Develop ideas by making use of a variety of exploratory writing strategies such as freewriting, brainstorming, peer dialogue, audience role-playing, sketch outlining, dialectical journal entries, and so on
  • Draw on evidence using properly integrated direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries
  • Revise early drafts in response to your emerging understanding of the issue, and revise and restructure later drafts using reader-friendly strategies
  • Use the conventions and genres of academic writing as a means of establishing your ethos and entering the current conversation about an issue
  • Use strategies for self-analysis of your own drafts and your classmates’ drafts to identify areas in need of significant revision, starting with higher level concerns such as rhetorical strategies and critical thinking and then moving to issues like paragraph structure, language use, and citation and integration of sources.
  • Substantially revise/rewrite your work in response to feedback from your classmates and from me
  • Correctly use discipline-specific guidelines for citing sources
  • Develop competence in editing for clarity, conciseness, structure, and style

Technology and Information Literacy

  • Use library databases and advanced research strategies to locate relevant information
  • Evaluate information for accuracy, currency, relevance, authority, and credibility
  • Identify the degrees of credibility of information available in different genres and publications, ranging from blogs and web sites to popular and public affairs magazines to academic journals
  • Recognize the importance of intellectual honesty, the difference between ethical and unethical uses of information for academic purposes, and the nature and purpose of copyright laws, all of which will help you learn to avoid plagiarism
  • Develop proficiency at using computer-based learning spaces (CULearn ) to access course materials, post assignments, and interact with other students
  • Gain experience using the reviewing tools in Microsoft Word to make comments on your own and your classmates’ drafts
  • Further develop your skills at using multimedia presentation technology in the oral presentation

All these objectives may seem like a lot to learn in one semester. And, in truth, they are. However, extra help is available. The Program of Writing & Rhetoric’s WritingCenter is an excellent resource for extra help with critical thinking about assignments and for assistance with punctuation and grammar issues, should you need some extra brushing up on those areas. Be aware though that the WritingCenter does not “edit papers.” For assistance outside of class, I am available and hope you will communicate regularly with me. Email is not a substitute for a traditional office visit in which we can get to know one another and have a cup of tea, so please stop by.

OUR GAME RULES

ATTENDANCE is mandatory. Participation in a workshop class includes classroom discussion, in-class exercises, group work, and so forth. Because much of the writing instruction occurs in class, it cannot be “made up.” You have 2 free cuts. Absences beyond those two cuts lower the final grade proportionately, as follows: a final grade of A reduces to an A- with 3 unexcused absences, to a B+ with 4 unexcused absences, and so forth. Eight or more absences will result in a failing grade. Excused absences require written documentation specifying dates and time from the appropriate party and incur no penalty. If you will be absent because of a religious holiday, required military service, or university athletic obligations notify me at least two weeks in advance so that I can make accommodations. Special arrangements are possible for students who encounter extreme circumstances, e.g., death in the family, long-term illness, etc. However, it is the student's responsibility to notify me of these circumstances immediately.No after-the-fact explanations of serial absences will be accepted under any circumstances.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: two significantly late arrivals or departures equal an absence. Pack up your belongings in preparation for leaving class only when the class has ended, not before.

EMAIL POLICY: emails sent to me after 3:00 PM on a Friday will be answered after 9:00 AM the following Monday. Use only CULearn for emailing me. I do not discuss or send grades via email. Check CU-Learn regularly for email messages from your instructor or peers. Emailing me after an absence to ask, “What did I miss?” isn’t a good option. Teachers don’t have the time to summarize an entire class period in an email. Check the syllabus, or contact a classmate for information when you have been absent.

PARTICIPATION: I expect you to dedicate your attention during class time only to WRTG 3020 matters. Use the lavatory and get a drink of water before class so that you will not have to leave the room during class. Full and active participation includes having the textbooks and other materials scheduled for use in that class period.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM. Cell phones must be turned off before class. The use of laptops or palm pilots in class is not permitted, except for students with a documented learning disability that requires them to use such technology.

 HOMEWORK is due either at class time, or at a time specified in the assignment. If you won’t be in class, turn in your work to the appropriate assignment drop box by the deadlinefor credit. Late homework is not accepted. If you miss class, you are still responsible for work due for the next class.

LATE ESSAYS will be docked 2 points for each hour they are late: a 90 becomes an 80 when 5 hours late, and so forth.

EXTENSIONS for final papers may be granted—but only if you make the request at least 48 hours before the due date and have what is in my judgment a valid reason.

PHOTOCOPIES of some drafts and peer reviews will be an additional, but minimal expense. You are responsible for getting these copies to the right people at the right time.

“TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES” Most instructors do not accept “technical difficulties” as an excuse for late work; you can save yourself a lot of stress if you can recover files instead of starting over from scratch. I suggest one of these options: a USB memory stick, updated regularly,an external hard drive, or an online data storage service. Save copies of important documents (like papers in progress) by emailing them to a web-based email account that gives you plenty of storage, like Gmail or by emailing them to yourself on CULearn.

GRADING

Assignments are weighted. Sixty percent of the course grade is determined from paper grades and 40% from the cumulative Class Participation grades. Short writing assignments, homework, quizzes, and peer reviews, are all part of the Class Participation points grade. Final grades will be calculated by adding together all points earned for class participation and combing those points proportionately with the grades earned for papers.(For example, hypothetically, if a studentearned 420 points out of a possible total of 550, the class participation grade would be a 76%. That 76% would make up 40% of the course grade. If a student earned an average of 84% on the papers, that 84% would make up 60% of the course grade. The final grade would be 80.8%)