ENGLISH COMPOSITION II (Speaking-Intensive)
ENG 102-04Instructor: Ryland Bowman
SPRING 2011Office: 328 McIver (ph: 256.8553)
MHRA 2208Office Hours: 10:30-12:00 MWF
MWF 9:00-9:50Email:
Required Texts
Babb, Benson, Dodson, eds. Technê Rhêtorikê: Techniques of Discourse for Writers and
Speakers. UNCG/Fountainhead Press, 2010. (ISBN: 978-1598713855)
Readings via Blackboard
Course Description
The goal of this course is for students to become more proficient at writing and speaking clearly. We will spend time looking at a variety of levels of discourse on different subjects and you will synthesize your own views based on critical analysis of these texts and sources. Your work this semester will involve written as well as oral communication. This is a speaking-intensive class, so you will be asked to participate in a number of speaking situations, exercises, assignments, etc. While we will focus on the craft and techniques of speaking well and adapting to a variety of different audiences and contexts, we will also employ speaking itself as a primary mode of learning. Be prepared to speak and listen in an active and analytical manner during every class period. Please be aware that ENG 101 is a prerequisite and the ideas about rhetoric and written composition from that course will be a major component of ENG 102.
Student Learning Goals
- To advance and extend students’ knowledge of oral argumentative discourse, and apply this knowledge as a mode of learning how to write, do research, and engage in inquiry.
- To advance and extend students’ appreciation for writing and speaking as public and community-based processes through the activities of drafting, peer-review, and revision, as well as individual and small group oratory exercises.
- To introduce students to the principles of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery in oral presentations.
- To help students to develop the habit of synthesizing, versus reporting on or simply summarizing, source information in both oral and written communication.
Assignments/Evaluation
We will discuss all assignments in class and they will also be posted on Blackboard. All graded work will be returned to you (please keep all drafts of your work) and all grades will be posted on Blackboard’s GradeCenter. You will lose one letter grade for each day any assignment is late. I will not accept emailed work.
Group Projects (2, 7.5% each)
For this assignment, you will work with several classmates to create short in-class presentations that will offer different perspectives on material that is under discussion in class.
Essays (2, 15% each)
Although each essay will use various writing approaches, the first essay will be primarily analytical and research-based, and the second will involve analyzing the rhetorical moves within an argument. We’ll meet for individual conferences and/or peer evaluation to discuss your first draft of each assignment and you will need to make revisions before turning in the final draft. Your grade will be based on completing the initial steps of the assignment and following through on the suggested revisions for the final versions. There will also be an oral component of these essays, in which you give a brief presentation to discuss your overall thesis and direction of your work. The grade breakdown for each essay will be 10% for the written component and 5% for the presentation.
Blackboard Postings (2, 10% total)
These assignments require you to post a response to the readings the day before the class discussion. These postings will serve as the basis for our discussion of the readings, and you will be asked to further clarify and defend your ideas during class.
Final Project (30%)
The final project will combine the essay and presentation assignments. The essay portion will be a combination of the first two essay approaches, and will also involve an interview component in which you find questions to frame preexisting responses from a given source. Another part of the essay requirement will be to analyze your own rhetorical choices and handling of the subject matter. The presentation aspect component will combine aspects of the group and individual presentations from earlier in the semester.
Participation (15%)
Participation is a significant aspect of this course. You will be asked to contribute to class discussions, of course, but you will also be asked to speak about class material in more formal ways, to initiate discussions, and to actively engage and critique other students’ work. Being tardy, inattentive, violating the laptop policy, or being otherwise unprepared will significantly lower this grade.
Attendance Policy
Students may miss three classes without penalty. Missing any additional classes will lower your overall grade by five points, and after missing six classes you will fail the class. This is the official attendance policy of the English Department, so do not expect exceptions to be made. Official University-related absences will be excused; otherwise, an absence is an absence (except in the event of very serious circumstances). Please take this into consideration and use your absences with care. Also, please note that being late to class more than once may result in being counted absent as well, in addition to affecting your participation grade. You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total absences allowed. If you plan to miss class because of religious holidays, you must notify me in advance of your absence.
Laptop/Phone Policy
Laptops may be used in class only by students having a special need for purposes of note-taking or other classroom activities. Students with such a need should make specific arrangements with the instructor. No student may use a laptop in class without a prior arrangement with the instructor. Please turn off all cell phones during class.
Email Policy
I will respond to your emails within forty-eight hours (usually sooner). If I do not, please resend the email.
Academic Integrity
“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy).
Please review the guidelines and list of violations at to ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity (including knowing what your rights are in the event of an accusation). All students are expected to abide by this policy. We will discuss this further in class, but please keep the following in mind.
A minor offense of the policy (inadvertent failure to cite a source, for example) will be handled at my discretion. If I suspect you of violating a more serious policy (such as cheating or plagiarism) I will schedule a conference to discuss it with you; if, after the conference, I believe you have violated the policy, you will, at the minimum, receive a zero on the assignment; keep in mind that harsher penalties, including failing the course, may be enacted. A second violation (or an egregious first one) will be referred to the English Department and University for further discipline (including possible suspension).
Writing Center/Speaking Center
The UniversityWritingCenter and SpeakingCenter are located in 3211 MHRA and are both excellent resources if you need additional feedback during any stage of the writing process.
Office of Disability Services
Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday.334-5440; e-mail: .
ENG 102-04 Course Calendar
The following is an overview of the readings, main ideas we’ll be discussing in class, and the schedule of assignments. Please have all readings done by the day on which they’re listed. Assignments will be discussed in class and will also be posted on Blackboard.You’ll also be responsible for short supplemental readings which will occasionally be added to Blackboard. Any new reading assignments (or changes) will be discussed in class as well as announced on Blackboard. If you miss class, remember to check Blackboard. Unless otherwise specified, please bring hard copies of all readings on Blackboard (anything that’s listed under E-Reserves or Course Documents) to class.
M(1/10) Introduction to Course/Discuss Syllabus
W (1/12) Rhetoricand Speech (in-class/no readings)
F (1/16) “This I Believe” Readings (Course Documents)
1st Group Presentation Assignment
M (1/17) Class Cancelled (MLK, Jr. Day)
W (1/19)“Introduction to Rhetorical Concepts,” Dodson, pp. 26-37, TR
In-class work on presentations
F (1/23)Project Presentations
M (1/24)Project Presentations
W (1/26) “Rhetoric of Voice,” Bufter, pp. 38-46,TR
F (1/28) Excerpt from Hard Times (E-reserve)
1st Essay Assigned (Analyzing and Discussing Sources)
M (1/31“Academic Integrity,” Tedder, pp. 69-75, TR
“The Art of Annotation,” Dodson (pp. 124-128, TR)
W (2/2) Research Class: Meet in Jackson Library
F (2/4) Annotations Due; Read excerpts from They Say/I Say (Part I, E-Reserve)
M (2/7) “The Genre of Academic Discourse,” Morehead, pp. 33-39, TR
W (2/9) Peer-Review Workshop
F (2/11) Essays Due; Discuss Presentations, “Oral Presentations in the Composition Classroom,”
Richard, pp. 176-179, TR
M (2/14) Individual Conferences/Classes Cancelled
W (2/16) Individual Conferences/Classes Cancelled
F (2/18) Individual Conferences/Classes Cancelled
M (2/21)Final Draft of Essay Due
Essay Presentations
W (2/23) Essay Presentations
F (2/25)Essay Presentations
ENG 102-04 Course Calendar
M (2/28) Watch excerpts from Harlan County, U.S.A.
2nd Blackboard Post Assigned (Due 3/4)
W (3/2)HarlanCounty, U.S.A.
F (3/4) Discuss Blackboard Posts
M (3/7), W (3/9), F (3/11) Classes Cancelled (Spring Break)
M (3/14) “Rhetoric and the Creative Writer,” Welden (pp. 138-147, TR)
2nd Group Project Assigned
W (3/16) Project Presentations
F (3/18) Project Presentations
M (3/21) 2nd Essay Assigned (Argument Analysis)
W (3/23) “Analyzing Visual Media,” Laminack, pp. 148-156, TR
F (3/25) “Hidden Intellectualism,” Graff (E-Reserve)
M (3/28) Essay Due (1st Draft)
W (3/30) No Class/Individual Conferences
F (4/1) No Class/Individual Conferences
M (4/4) No Class/Individual Conferences
W (4/6) Essay Due (Final Draft)
Essay Discussion Groups
Discuss Final Project (Interview/Analysis)
F (4/8) Read excerpt from Blood Done Sign My Name (Tyson) and Nickel and Dimed
(Ehrenreich)(E-Reserve)
M (4/11) “Stepping In and Out of Cultures,” Chiseri-Strater (E-reserve)
W (4/13)1st Draft of Project Due; Peer-Editing Workshop
F (4/15)2nd Draft of Project Due; In-class work (meet with advisory groups to discuss
presentation strategy)
M (4/18) Final Presentations
W (4/20) Final Presentations
F (4/22) Class Cancelled (Spring Holiday)
M (4/25) Final Presentations
T (4/26) Final Presentations
M (5/2) (8:00) Final Exam Meeting