ENGL 206 A: Rhetoric in Everyday Life
Location/Time: CMU 226 / TTh 11:30 AM - 1:20 PM
Instructor: Dr. Ben Wirth
Office: Padelford B-410
Office Hours: T/Th 1:30-2:30, or by appointment
Instructor E-mail: jbwirth@uw.edu
Course Description
English 206 is an introductory course on rhetoric that examines the strategic use of and situated means through which images, texts, objects, and symbols inform, persuade, and shape social practices in various contexts. In this class, we will read about histories and theories of rhetoric, from classical rhetoricians up to contemporary versions of rhetorical theory, alongside learning approaches to understanding mass culture that help us to unpack the complex rhetorical systems they represent.
Most of our class will be devoted to studying the field of rhetoric. However, rhetorical theory is rarely interesting in a vacuum, so we will also be looking to a variety of cultural sites for things to think about rhetorically. These "object studies" will allow us to think through, research, and write critically about a variety of contemporary social phenomena that are loaded with deeper rhetorical meaning. As well, we will be watching a variety of films throughout the quarter as we unpack varied meanings of "everyday life." Lastly, this course will require you to complete a significant amount of writing, organized through through the completion of shorter rhetorical analyses.
Texts and Materials (don't buy anything until we talk about this in class)
Books:
- The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction, 6th Edition, by James A. Herrick, ISBN#: 9781138223677
- Society of the Spectacle, by Guy Debord, translated by Ken Knabb, specfically the edition with this ISBN#: 9780946061129
- Simulacra and Simulation, by Jean Baudrillard, translated by Sheila Faria Glaser, specifically the edition with this ISBN#: 9780472065219
Films:
- They Live, dir. John Carpenter (1988)
- Starship Troopers, dir. Paul Verhoeven (1997)
- Playtime, dir. Jacques Tati (1967)
- Black Girl, dir. Ousmane Sembène (1966)
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto (1989)
- Vive l'amour, dir. Tsai Ming-liang (1994)
- Funeral Parade of Roses, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (1969)
- Born in Flames, dir. Lizzie Borden (1983)
- The Matrix, dir. The Wachowskis (1999)
Films will be screened every Wednesday from 5:30 - 7:30 PM in Condon Hall Room 101. While attending the screenings are optional, viewing the films is a required part of the course.
Assessment
Reading Annotations (20%)
In lieu of reading quizzes or discussion boards, for each assigned reading you will have an annotation assignment using Hypothesis in Canvas. The full details of the annotation assignment will be in each assignment page, but essentially you will need to complete a certain amount of annotations for each reading to receive credit. These will be graded for completion only.
Midterm / Final Paper (25% each)
During the quarter, you will compose two independent essays that will ask you to write your own rhetorical analysis on a specific topic. In doing so, you will apply what we have read in Herrick in these essays. Likely, you will produce a rhetorical analysis of a complex object that you feel has a greater rhetorical meaning than it may appear, and you will produce a detailed rhetorical analysis of a similarly complex system, unpacking the rhetorical moves being made by this complex system. These papers will be graded on a contract grading system, to be discussed later.
Participation (30%)
Participation is fundamental to this class, and there are a variety of ways in which participation manifests itself. Here are a few:
- Participation during in-class discussions – Speaking in class is the most important way for you to participate in class. Your willingness to enhance the class discussion with thoughtful questions and comments is as important as anything else in this class—the primary determiner in your participation grade is what you bring to each class every day. Not only is it a way to demonstrate your completion of our readings, but is also an opportunity to try out ideas that can be developed into future papers. While this is the most effective way to earn a participation grade, please also realize that the size of the class means that not everyone can or is expected to participate in every single class. The goal here is to be an active participant in the class, but I am not looking for anyone to attempt to dominate the class discussion.
- On-task communication during group work – Occasionally we will make use of smaller, independent group discussions before our whole-class discussions of material. I encourage non-linear thinking in class, but a failure to achieve assigned tasks in group discussions or a consistent lack of contribution will also be a problem for your participation grade.
- Coherent attendance – Just showing up for the class is the lowest possible bar for participation, and merely being a presence will not do much for your participation grade. An inability to stay coherent during class (checking your phone, daydreaming, falling asleep, etc.) will adversely impact your participation grade, as you are both inattentive and distracting.
A failure to achieve these roles asked of you in the classroom will negatively impact your overall participation grade. If you are a naturally quiet student, there are other opportunities to buffer the impact on your participation grade, but nothing can replace making your voice heard in class. It’s what I want to hear the most (rather than mine), and I will encourage all of you to use my class as a place to conquer your fears of speaking in a respectful, supportive environment—one which may be difficult to find in other classrooms and other places in your life. More than anything, think of participation as a reward for your contribution, not something that you must compete with other students over to get a good grade.
Course Policies
Attendance
Attendance is a mandatory part of this class--a failure to attend class may result in disqualification from the contract grading system (to be explained later), as well as a forfeiture of your participation grade (as you are not in class and not able to attend). Please note that this class is during typical lunch times, so it's highly recommended that you eat something before class or pack something to eat in class. I take attendance every day, and if you are missing multiple classes you can expect to hear from me. I only ask for 4 hours a week, so it is in your best interest to be here!
Technology
Obviously, there are various technology demands for this class. We will likely make use of technology in class, including the live editing of our writing and composition of certain projects. Because technology is so central to our class, please let me know if you have any technological limitations that may impact your ability to do what this course requires. We can work around these, but it's easiest for everyone if you bring a laptop/tablet/something you can type on to class (a phone will not be enough).
Late Work
All assignments are due on the date specified on Canvas, and I will not accept assignments by email. Use the Canvas assignments page to submit your assignments. Each late assignment will negatively impact your participation grade. I will also not give feedback on any assignments that are turned in late or incomplete. However, late work will still need to be completed, as all major assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade. If you are having trouble and may be unable to turn things in on time, please contact me ASAP—before the assignment is due. Please note that work that does not fulfill word count requirements will be considered incomplete and will not receive feedback. We will discuss the late policy for assignments with the grading contract later in the quarter.
AI Policy
As you might imagine, the topic of generative AI is everywhere in writing classes these days. I have struggled to figure out my own policy, but here is the current working version. In this class, I am not interested even slightly in you producing "perfect" writing of any kind. You are not being graded on your ability to produce perfect writing, and the boring and average writing AI produces will not help your grade. I would absolutely rather read our messy, disjointed drafts that indicate an attempt at learning than the polished, boring prose generated by ChatGPT. As such, my hope is that we will find opportunities to use ChatGPT as a tool (it's quite good at bibliographies, I find), but not as a replacement for human composition. So often in this class I will demand that you write something in your voice. You would be shortchanging yourself to let an AI (which is pretty bad at writing in the first place) replace you. Think of it this way: if you were taking a foreign language (which English courses can sometimes feel like), and you used ChatGPT to do all your translations for you, what did you learn? Let's think of our class the same way. Since this is not a competitive class, there is no grade you have to fight for, and I only ask that you give some of your labor, some of your time, and some of your creativity to the assignments this quarter. So, unless specifically guided to do so, please refrain from using AI on your assignments. I can't think of anything more counterintuitive and unfulfilling than going to college just to use an AI to write for you.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review.
Accommodations
If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability Services Office (DSO) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large print, as are other class materials. More information about accommodation may be found at http://www.washington.edu/admin/dso/.
UW SafeCampus
Preventing violence is everyone's responsibility. If you're concerned, tell someone.
- Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.
- Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.
- Don't walk alone. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255).
- Stay connected in an emergency with UW Alert. Register your mobile number to receive instant notification of campus emergencies via text and voice messaging. Sign up online at www.washington.edu/alert
For more information visit the SafeCampus website at http://www.washington.edu/safecampus.
Religious Accommodations
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).