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The syllabus for the persuasive writing and reading course offered by drexel university's department of english & philosophy during the fall 2012 semester. The course, taught by henry israeli, covers various aspects of persuasive writing and reading, with a focus on developing a writing portfolio and learning to respond to diverse audiences and rhetorical situations. Students are required to read texts such as contemporary & classic arguments and participate in class activities, discussions, and projects.
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Instructor: Henry Israeli Office location: Stratton 314 Class meeting room: Curtis 258 Office hours: MWF 1-1: Class meeting times: MWF 1-1:50 Email: hpi22@drexel.edu Bb Vista site: Phone: n/a REQUIRED TEXTS Barnet, Sylvan & Hugo Bedau, Contemporary & Classic Arguments. New York: Bedford, 2005. Roen, Duane, Gregory R. Glau, and Barry M. Maid. The McGraw Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life. 2nd^ Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. (Abbreviations on syllabus: C& CA: Contemporary & Classic Arguments; MG : The McGraw Hill Guide; BbV : Bb Vista readings ) COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES One of the first things you should keep in mind this term is that you should keep all of your work, as at the end of the term you will be developing a writing portfolio of your writing from 101 and 102 (and perhaps other courses). The Freshman Writing Program at Drexel is a three-course, year-long writing-intensive sequence. During the year you will learn to
Participation 10 points Self-Reflective Analysis 10 points Projects Regardless of how you approach your projects, they should demonstrate the following, in line with the course goals and learning outcomes: A clear understanding of audience and purpose : Your audience members will be expected to ask, “So what? Why am I reading this?” Your projects should answer those questions A well-articulated and clear main point or thesis Research and evidence appropriate for the project, incorporated correctly and cited accurately Clear organization Grammatical and stylistic clarity appropriate for college-level writing Adherence to the conventions and guidelines of the project (due dates, length, format, etc.) Project 1: Informative/persuasive Opinion Piece Task : You will have two key rhetorical goals with this project: to inform and to persuade. Choose a subject that makes you angry, upset, disgruntled, irritated, peeved, or annoyed. It could be something in the world, something specific to Philadelphia, something on campus, something to do with friends or classes or family, or anything else you desire to write about. There is no limitation on subject matter. Explain the subject to its fullest so that your audience understands what you are talking about, then persuade your audience that this is truly a subject worth griping about. Use evidence to aid in your critique, drawing on primary research, and possibly scholarly evidence. Audience, role, genre: You will write a report that addresses your classmates and instructor. Research and evidence: Part of your working through your topic is to think about the kind of evidence you will need. Your project should draw on your own primary research of the topic (see MG 553-58): Steps toward success :
Informal writing (15%) As in English 101, informal writing and minor assignments, taken together, make up a major component of your grade in this course. Each week (typically, but not always, on Friday), you are required to write or type one to two pages in response to the readings and the instructions or prompts on your syllabus. Students who do not do the informal writing will receive zero points. Students who write less than one full page will receive only one point. Students who write over one page will receive 2 points. If you are absent you must show your informal writing and formal documentation excusing you from class to the professor at the start of your next class or you will not receive any points. You may voluntarily hand in up to two informal writings for feedback from your professor if you’d like.
Reread everything you have written this term, including both projects and all of your informal writings. Reflect on your progress this term, how you have grown as a writer. Refer to your own writing and be as specific as possible. 400-600 words.
Participation (10%) You are expected to attend all classes (see Policies, below). Students who participate at a high level in the course conversations, particularly on Fridays during Informal Writing sessions, will be rewarded. Those who are frequently late, text or IM in class, or do not contribute the course conversation may be penalized at the instructor’s discretion. Students who try to “fly under the radar” or students who are inconsiderate or disruptive will also receive low participation grades. If you do not bring at least 75% of the required pages for Project 1 and Project 2 on the assigned dates for Peer Reviews , you will be docked one letter from your participation grade. If you do not come to class on the assigned dates for Peer Reviews, and you do not provide valid documentation excusing your absence, you will lose two letters from your Participation grade. Quizzes There will be no quizzes in this course unless your professor decides that a significant number of students have not been keeping up with class readings. In that case, professor will give a surprise quiz whose grade will be reflected as part of the participation grade. COURSE POLICIES Academic Integrity: All students must abide by Drexel University’s academic integrity policies. If an act of academic dishonesty is determined to have occurred, for a first offense, one of the following sanctions will be imposed, depending on the severity of the offense: 1) 0% for the assignment; 2) Failure for entire course without the possibility to withdraw; this information, based on the decision of the faculty member and the department head shall be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The incident will result in an official disciplinary record for the student(s). Note that plagiarism is not limited to copying a passage from a source word for word. If you acquire specific information from a source, you must acknowledge that source, even if you have used
your own words and paraphrased that information. Review The Brief Wadsworth Handbook Parts 3 and 4 for acceptable ways of acknowledging the work of other writers. Any academic honesty infraction beyond a first offense is subject to the sanctions described above, as well as to disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed through the University judicial process, administered through the Division for Student Life and Administrative Services/Office of Judicial Affairs. These sanctions may include suspension or expulsion from the University (Drexel University Student Handbook, 2005-2006 ed. [http://www.drexel.edu/studentlife/images/0506Handbook.pdf]). Attendance policy: Your success in this course depends on your interaction with the instructor and the other students. You are permitted 3 unexcused absences. Students who miss 4 classes due to unexcused absences will have their grades penalized by one-third of a grade. A fifth absence will cost you a full grade. Students with six absences will have their grade reduced by two full letters. A student who misses more than 20% (7 or more) of scheduled class time as a result of unexcused OR excused absences will fail the course. Note that an excused absence is defined as one that is the result of a condition or circumstance beyond the student’s control, such as illness, a family crisis or emergency, or essential travel. Normally, an absence will be excused only if there is some documentation verifying the circumstances that caused the absence. If the professor decides that you are perpetually late, causing disruption to the class, he will give you one warning, after which each late will count as ½ of an unexcused absence. Disability : Students with disabilities who request accommodations and services at Drexel need to present a current accommodation verification letter (AVL) to faculty before accommodations can be made. AVLs are issued by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). For additional information, contact the ODS at http://www.drexel.edu/ods/, 3201 Arch St., Ste. 210, Philadelphia, PA 19104, V 215-895-1401 or TTY 215-895-2299. Drop/Withdraw: Students have until the end of the 2nd week of the term to drop a course without financial responsibility. Undergraduates have until the end of the 6th week of the term to withdraw with financial responsibility, according to the University's sliding scale. See http://www.drexel.edu/bursar/ for details on the sliding scale. Late assignments: The learning in this course requires in-depth reading, reflection, writing, discussion, independent work, and team work. To achieve our goals, you must complete your work in a timely manner. Projects and other assignments that are late will be penalized one grade per class late. If you do not have a rough draft of your paper on the peer review date, then you will be penalized according to the Participation section above. If you require an extension on the final draft, you must make your request (you do not need to give a reason) a minimum of 24 hours prior to the due date. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GIVEN ON THE DUE DATE. Library skills: You must know how to use the library resources. Be sure to go to the library’s New Students’ Guide to the Libraries: http://www.library.drexel.edu/about/studentguide.html. Technology : You need access to Bb Vista, and you also must have an active Drexel email account. (It is easy to set up your Drexel account to forward mail to another account.) DREXEL UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER The Writing Center is located in 0032 MacAlister (x6633). Qualified tutors will help you work through any writing assignment you are having trouble completing successfully. Call or visit the Writing Center or go online (http://www.drexel.edu/coas/engphil/writctr.asp) to make an appointment with a tutor. Writing Center’s Webpage has more details: Stop by the Center; you may find it’s one of the best places on campus to help you enhance your writing (and thinking). After handing in your first project, your professor may decide that you need to visit the Writing Center before handing in your second project. It will then be your responsibility to provide documentation of a visit. CLASS SCHEDULE
MG: Chapter 14, “Using Strategies for Argument,” 457-478 & BbVista: “Rogerian Argument” Review Project 2 topics. Discuss Proposal & Annotated Bibliography C&CA: 179- Come prepared to debate the topic. IW 5 : Read any chapter in C&CA that you have not previously read or written about (or you may choose your Project 2 topic) and write a 2-page long Rogerian argument to convince those with the opposite view to meet you in the middle. NOTE: This informal writing is worth three (3) points. Week 6 10/ 10/ 11/ Proposals for Project 2 due BbV: Read “The Throwaways.” MG, Chapter 11, 358-367, “Writing to Solve Problems” Annotated Bibliography Due IW 6: Read C&CA , 312-324. Singer wrestles with the notions put forth in the book Animals, Men, and Morals. Write a strong argument for the side that you do not believe in (i.e., the opposite side). Week 7 11/ 11/ 11/ MG, Chapter 7 , 180-187, 199-200 (Irony as a Disguise) Assign Advertising Analysis. In-class Peer Review of Project 2. Conference Sign up. Advertising Analysis Sign up. IW7: Read C&CA: 337-343 , “Active and Passive Euthanasia.” Is Rachels’ argument sound? Take a position on the topic and argue for or against his position. Week 8 11/ 11/ 11/ Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Week 9 11/ 11/ 11/ 11/ Individual Conferences Individual Conferences Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving Break Week 11/ 11/ Present Advertising Analyses Present Advertising Analyses
11/30 Present Advertising Analyses Final Draft of Project 2 due. Week 12/ 12/ 12/ Present Advertising Analyses Present Advertising Analyses Course Evaluations