1. ENGL 309 | Rhetorical Style
SYLLABUS
Fall 2019 (face to face)
This course is grounded in the premise that style is not simply a formal
quality of writing and other forms of composition, but that it is always
rhetorical: that is, it is deeply associated with audience, purpose, and genre.
We will spend the semester investigating the rhetorical nature of style. We’ll
begin by gaining an understanding of genre through analysis and play. Then
we’ll practice different kinds of styles by writing about one topic across
various genres, including the professional (a white paper solving a problem
for a professional audience) to the literary (an essay written in the style of
another writer) to the public (an open letter). As with dancing and other
skills, a true facility with style will not come without practice: it requires
attention and practice. Becoming aware of and practiced with style in this
way will prepare you to write in a lot of different situations, for a lot of
different audiences – something that will help you no matter what your
career plans.
At the end of the semester you will submit a final portfolio of your revised
work and an extensive reflective statement about how you have met the
learning outcomes for the course. Ideally, you’ll leave the course with
2. several beautifully polished pieces of writing that you’ll be able to use as
writing samples for professional or graduate school purposes.
By the end of the course, you should be able to...
1. Explain why style is rhetorical, a product of audience, purpose, and
genre.
2. Effectively compose in a wide range of written genres using the style
appropriate to that genre, audience, and purpose.
3. Thoroughly analyze the stylistic devices of a given piece of prose, and
be able to imitate those devices in your own writing.
4. Use advanced research skills and understand how to use that research
to advance your own writing goals.
5. Effectively give and receive feedback about writing in small and large-
group settings.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Chris Holcomb and Jimmie Killingsworth, Performing Prose: The Study
and Practice of Style in Composition. This is available through Amazon
for about $30.
Hilton Als and Robert Atwan, eds. The Best American Essays 2018.
This is available through Amazon for about $11.
Required readings on the English 309 BbLearn site.
Course Website
If you are reading this, then you have already introduced yourself to our
course BbLearn site. In the interests of saving paper and maintaining a
dynamic course schedule, all of the course materials—including the syllabus,
course calendar, electronic readings, and assignment sheets—will be
contained on this site. For the most part, I will not provide printed copies of
materials, though you can feel free to print them out if you like. Though I
will try to notify you of changes in class and by email, YOU ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR REGULARLY CHECKING THE CALENDAR FOR CHANGES
TO THE SCHEDULE. “I didn’t know” is not an excuse.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Come to class. We won’t meet every class period, especially when you’re
working on major projects. However, when we do meet, we’ll be sharing
ideas and critiquing each other’s work, so it’s vital that you are here and
ready to participate. Excessive absences (any more than 5) will lead to an
overall grade reduction of half a letter grade per class missed.
Complete homework assignments. For each project, there will be one or
more assignments designed to help “scaffold” the project. There is no “busy
3. work” in this course – every assignment I give you is meaningful, and is
designed to help you develop some important skill that will help you
complete the project.
Complete all major assignments. As per English department policy, you must
complete every major assignment in order to pass the course. Not
completing a major assignment leads automatically to a grade of F in the
course. Late assignments will be docked 1 letter grade per day.
Participate in draft workshops. Before each paper is due, we will also have
at least one draft exchange/writing workshop to aid in your revision and
writing process. Attendance and participation in these workshops
is mandatory. If you miss a workshop or are unprepared for it, you will lose
participation points from your final grade.
Be civil. In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential
that all members feel as free and safe as possible in their participation. To
this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with
mutual respect and civility, with an understanding that all of us (students,
instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be respectful
and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of
civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with your instructor during
office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of
concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students office and staff
(5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-
6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285)
Cell phones must be turned off and stowed for the entirety of class.
Complete a final portfolio. At the end of the semester, you will submit a final
portfolio that includes a substantial revision of either the white paper or
imitative essay, reflects on your work during the semester, makes
substantive arguments about how you met the course objectives.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
I will not tolerate academic dishonesty (cheating) of any
sort. Consequences for academic dishonesty will certainly include failing the
assignment; students who plagiarize may also receive an F in the course. If
you’re not sure what plagiarism is, you can read the University of Idaho’s
Academic Honesty Policy online at
http://www.if.uidaho.edu/docs/academic_honesty.pdf.
4. ACCOMMODATIONS
Reasonable accommodations are available for you if you have a
documented disability. Please notify me during the first week of class
regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course. All accommodations
must be approved through Disability Support Services located in the Idaho
Commons Building, Room 312 (885-7200; email at dss@uidaho.edu; see
also www.access.uidaho.edu orwww.webs.uidaho.edu/aap).
GRADING POLICY
Each project includes a Drop Box for assignments. Homework assignments
are due before class; Typically major assignments are due at end-of-day
(11:59 p.m.) the day they are due.
Unless you have gotten permission from me at least 24 hours ahead of time,
late assignments will be docked a half-letter grade per day they are late. I
will make exceptions if you have serious extenuating circumstances (severe
illness, death in the family, etc.), but you must tell me about these
circumstances before the paper is due, and you must provide the
appropriate documentation upon your return.
GRADING POLICY
Each project includes a Drop Box for assignments. Homework assignments
are due before class; typically, major assignments are due at end-of-day
(11:59 p.m.) the day they are due.
Unless you have gotten permission from me at least 24 hours ahead of time,
late assignments will be docked one letter grade per day they are late. I will
make exceptions if you have serious extenuating circumstances (severe
illness, death in the family, etc.), but you must tell me about these
circumstances before the paper is due, and you must provide the
appropriate documentation upon your return.
I will grade your work based on the following general criteria, though I’ll
provide you with more specific criteria for each assignment:
A: superior; the work is of near-professional quality. The assignment
meets or exceeds all objectives. The content is mature, thorough, and
well suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful;
the information is well organized and formatted so that it is accessible
and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct.
B: good; the paper meets the objectives of the assignment, but it
needs improvement in style, or some of its content is superficial, or it
contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content.
5. C: adequate; the paper needs significant improvement in concept,
details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be
formally correct but superficial in content.
D: marginally acceptable; the paper meets some of the objectives but
ignores others; the content is inadequately developed; or it contains
numerous or major errors.
F: unacceptable; the paper does not have enough information, does
something other than the assignment required, or it contains major
errors or excessive errors.
Your final grade will be determined by the grades you receive on written and
in-class assignments, based on the following weighting:
Draft Workshops 100
Homework Assignments & Quizzes (these
will be graded on thoroughness and
completeness).
200
Genre Parody Assignment 100
Semester Topic Proposal 50
Annotated Bibliography 50
White Paper Assignment (Solving a Problem
for a Professional Audience)
150
Imitative Essay 150
Open Letter 100
Final Portfolio 200
TOTAL POINTS 1100
