fall 2xxx
dr. andrew mara
minard hall 322F-1
office hours: xxxx or by appt.
phone (701) 231-7146
required texts:
Invention in Rhetoric and Composition, Janice M. Lauer ($30 Parlor Press)
The Singer of Tales, Lord, Albert ($21.95 Harvard UP)
The Phaedrus, Plato ($7.70 Penguin)
De Inventione. Cicero, Marcus Tullius ($1.99 Adobe e-book)
Invention as a Social Act, Karen Burke LeFevre ($28.50 SIU Press)
Rhetoric, Innovation, Technology, Stephen Doheny-Farina ($58 MIT Press)
The Economics of Attention: Style and Substance in the Age of Information, Richard Lanham ($18.27 Longman)
Datacloud, Johndan Johnson-Eilola ($18.95 U Chicago Press)
Additional readings on E-reserve
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introduction:
I have two goals for the course: 1. Think hard about the concept of invention 2. Perform invention in three flavors—orally, literately, and electrately.
Our first, and primary goal, will be to explore the rhetorical canon of invention. This ancient and ever-shifting concept (as concepts usually are) will help us frame how one might think about “where ideas come from.” I will try to spur conversation and contemplation through a number of performance avenues. You will be evaluated on how well you perform these concepts in three flavors.
objectives and requirements:
This is a class with a lot of implied responsibilities. We will be focusing on the process of invention, which means we will be doing a lot of group work and depending upon one another to create an atmosphere of collaboration and professionalism. Rhetoric is a team sport that requires you check your ego at the door. This loss of a sense of authority can be scary, but it is what makes this subject absolutely amazing. Surrender to the process and you will take away much more than you imagine.
Like many classes you will take, we will seek to maintain very high standards. Although you will not receive an inordinate amount of work, you will be expected to turn in every assignment on time. Because of our focus on professionalism and excellence, you will not receive a grade until you produce “C quality” work. This means that I may return a project to you that has no grade on it. If this happens, you must rework the paper until you achieve a passing level of quality. You will not pass the course unless all of your assignments have received a grade. In addition, you will be expected to participate in every class actively, which means using the computer equipment responsibly. We will talk more about this during the first week of class.
A few miscellaneous notes:
· Assignments are due at the end of the Wednesday class in any one-week block unless otherwise specified. You will receive individual prompts for assignments.
· Readings are due at the beginning of that class period. I will keep you informed about what you should have read for each class. I encourage reading ahead, but be aware that the class may progress differently than the schedule dictates.
· You will need to turn in a cover memo with each assignment justifying your choices and omissions.
· If there is additional reading on reserve, you will be notified well in advance.
· Participation counts in all of these assignments and classes. Performing is a contact sport, and thus requires more than just lip service to collaboration. Learn how to truly collaborate.
policies
Special Needs: In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act, I would encourage students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course to contact me as soon as possible so that the appropriate arrangements can be made to accommodate particular needs. This syllabus can be made available in alternative formats upon request.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: Work submitted for this course must adhere to the Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct as cited in the Handbook of Student Policies: “The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity, and fair play. Occasionally, this trust is violated when cheating occurs, either inadvertently or deliberately. This code will serve as the guideline for cases where cheating, plagiarism, or other academic improprieties have occurred. . . . Faculty members may fail the student for the particular assignment, test, or course involved, or they may recommend that the student drop the course in question, or these penalties may be varied with the gravity of the offense and the circumstances of the particular case” (65). See also: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm.
Academic Honesty Defined: All written and oral presentations must “respect the intellectual rights of others. Statements lifted verbatim from publications must be cited as quotations. Ideas, summaries or paraphrased material, and other information taken from the literature must be properly referenced” (Guidelines for the Presentation of Disquisitions, NDSU Graduate School, 4).
English Department Policy on Plagiarism. Instructors in the English department try to distinguish between inadvertent and deliberate plagiarism. Initial instances of inadvertent plagiarism will be pointed out and revision will be expected; deliberate plagiarism may result in zero for an assignment, possible F for the course. See the English department guidelines for more details: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/english/view.php?ArtID=165
Code of Student Behavior: All interactions in this course will be civil and show respect for others. Student conduct at NDSU is governed by the Code of Student Behavior: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/vpsa/code/
class etiquette:
You are all aware of what constitutes good classroom etiquette. Unless it is explicitly stated, do not engage in any electronic or body multitasking beyond what the classroom community dictates. Stay with the class—if the class is online, then be virtually present. If the class is engaged in RL (real life), then disengage your electronic tethers and be fully present in meatspace. It destroys community to deposit our bodies in chairs, engage our tapping fingers and mouse clicks, while our minds are far away in other matters. Our presence is formally requested for these 40 in-class hours. You will get one warning. Any repeated violations, and you will be asked to leave the class.
attendance:
Of course, you must come to every class in order to participate in the collaborative atmosphere of science writing. You may miss two classes without penalty. Your third absence will cost you a grade (from A to B, or C+ to D+, for example). After your third absence, any further absence will earn you a failing grade unless you make other prior arrangements directly with me. Don’t make this an issue by taking your “freebies” early in the semester. Avoid taking them altogether if you can. Arriving late and/or leaving early will count for an absence. If you absolutely must miss a class, please contact me before the class. Assignments must still be turned in on time, unless you make prior arrangements with me. You won’t regret the time spent on what we do in class.
assignment points
Class Presentation 250
Podcast 250
Seminar Project/Paper 500
Total 1000
grading
Personally, I’m not very fond of grading. In my mind, a good grade is not a judgment about whether you are a good person or whether you are smart. It is merely a rating of your work in comparison to the work of others in and out of the class (yes, it isn’t enough to “beat” the people around you). If you want a good grade in a course, work as hard as you can—grades have a way of taking care of themselves.
At all costs, I try to be fair when I put a grade on a paper. I don't even look at your name on a paper until I'm completely finished reviewing it. Nevertheless, if you think I have misjudged or misinterpreted your work, don't get angry. Come to my office and talk to me about it. I will not talk to you about a grade in the classroom, but I don't mind if you come to my office and talk to me about your paper.
Here's the meaning behind the numbers I put on your work (you can use these statements as clues about how you might work toward a higher grade):
70 to 79 (C- to C+)—You did what the assignment asked of you. Work in this range tends to need some revision, but it is complete in content and the organization is logical. The style, verbal and visual, is straightforward but unremarkable.
80 to 89 (B- to B+)—You did what the assignment asked of you at a high quality level. Work in this range needs little revision, is complete in content, is organized well, and shows special attention to style and visual design.
90-100 (A- to A)—You did what the assignment asked for at a high quality level, and your work shows originality and creativity. Work in this range shows all the qualities listed above for a B; but it also demonstrates that the author took extra steps to be original or creative in developing content, solving a problem, or developing a verbal or visual style.
Above 95 (an A, no questions asked).
60-69 (D to D+)—You did what the assignment asked for at a poor quality level. Work in this range tends to need significant revision. The content is often incomplete and the organization is hard to discern. Verbal and visual style is often non-existent or chaotic.
Below 60 (F)—Don't go here. I usually reserve the F for people who don't show up or don't do the work. If you give an assignment an honest try, I doubt you would receive an F. If you feel you put in your best effort and still received an F, you might consider dropping from the class.
schedule
/ Readings / class activities / assignmentsweek 1 / TikiBar TV
Introduction to Syllabus
Discussion on Rhetoric
Introduction to Posthumanism
week 2 / Lauer, Invention
week 3 / Lauer, Invention /
week 4 / Lord, The Singer of Tales / Orality /
week 5 / Plato, Phaedrus / Transition /
week 6 / Sophistic Fragments / Introduction to Sophists and Aristotle /
week 7 / Aristotle, The Rhetoric (e-reserve) / Literacy /
week 8 / De Inventione, Marcus Tullius Cicero /
week 9 / Invention as a Social Act, LeFevre / Posthumanism
Six Million Dollar Man
week 10 / Invention as a Social Act, LeFevre
Remediation handout
week 11 / Rhetoric, Innovation, Technology, Stephen Doheny-Farina
week 12 / Rhetoric, Innovation, Technology, Stephen Doheny-Farina
Ulmer handout / Electracy
week 13 / The Economics of Attention, Richard Lanham /
week 14 / The Economics of Attention, Richard Lanham
Vannevar Bush e-reserves /
Podcast due
week 15 / Johnson-Eilola, datacloudweek 16 / Johnson-Eilola, datacloud
Hawk e-reserves
final / Seminar Project/Paper Due