Preparing to teach RWS100
I’ll send updates over summer as we revise and update the material on the wiki, so keep a look out for messages from me. I’ll also be on campus for most of the summer, so if you want to discuss anything feel free to come to my office. Here are some things you can do to prepare:

  1. You’ll get an invitation to join the RWS100 wiki later today – please accept (and check your junk mail folder if no invitation appears)
  2. Read/view the main texts – They Say/I Say,Praxis, Food Inc., The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
  3. Look at the course wiki, esp. the sample syllabi, assignments, and schedules. Also, look at the “RS100 Course Reader” ( We’ll print a new one over summer, but this will give you a good idea of what the spring reader will look like.
  4. If you wish, you can select short texts to introduce rhetoric, argument, and the course. These are used in the first 2-3 weeks of class. See the handout from today, and the wiki for ideas. There are also some “off-the-shelf” texts and teaching resources on the wiki and Blackboard, as well as in Praxis. Think about the texts you want to use to introduce the course, or how you will use/adapt existing texts and materials.
  5. For the second assignment we will examine the documentary Food Inc. The assignment asks students to consider how outside sources extend, challenge, illustrate, qualify, or complicate claims in the movie. Please try to find outside 2 or 3 texts that relate to Food Inc.We’ll ask you to share what you found in the orientation.
  6. The third assignment will use Skloot’sThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. You will be assigned to do a close reading of 2 -3 chapters, and to identify rhetorical strategies in these chapters. If you find or come up with any teaching materials, please write these down. The book is part of a joint effort by many colleges and universities in San Diego, and teaching materials will be shared on this site:

SECTIONS OF IMMORTAL LIFE FOR TAS TO COVER

Hi folks,
I mentioned that one of the things I'd like you to do over summer is work on a section of the Sklar book (Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks). I've assigned each of you some chapters (see below).
Please do a close reading of the chapters you've been assigned, and write down a) claims, b) persuasive strategies, c) anything else you find noteworthy about the chapters - their organization, the way narrative is used, connections to other things you've read, etc.
Please bring this to the orientation in August and be prepared to briefly discuss what you found. If you happen to get this done early, I invite you to submit it to the web site that teachers of the book in the San Diego area are using to share materials -
If you want to coordinate with the other people assigned the same chapters, I've included email info at the bottom of this message.
Prologue, Deborah's Voice, Chapter 1-5
Trevor Auser
Zachary Cavanaugh
Natalie Cook
Chapters 6-11
Sarah Ferdik
Amanda Fiore
Chapters 12-17
Rachel Gellman
Brittany Hook
Chapters 18-22
Erica Johnson
Leslie Kehrer
Chapters 23-28
Mariam Kushkaki
Scott Pyrz
Chapters 29-34
Joshua Rhome
Ernest M Rimanosky
Chapters 35-38 + "Where Are they Now," "About he Henrietta Lacks Foundation," and "Afterword"
Mariel Romero-Ocaranza
Garrett Stack
Bob Stein

Brittany Hook:
Erica Johnson:
Amanda Fiore:
Mariel Romero-Ocaranza:
Leslie Kehrer:
Mariam Kushkaki:
Zachary Cavanaugh:
Garrett Stack:
Sarah Ferdik:
Ernest M Rimanosky:
Natalie Cook:
Joshua Rhome:
Rachel Gellman:
Trevor Auser:
Scott Pyrz:
Bob