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English 283 Spring 2005
Rhetorical Theory and Applications: The Rhetoric of Fear

Course description

Welcome to English 283, Rhetorical Theory and Applications. This course is designed to introduce you to the field of rhetoric—specifically, its classical origins and its modern-day applications. Whether you know it or not, you are already a skilled rhetorician and a skilled rhetor. You know, as all students do, how to “read” a teacher for what she wants, how to persuade a friend to do something, how to appeal to an audience’s emotions. My primary objective is to help you understand rhetoric as the study of action and effect. What can a knowledge of rhetoric help you do in the world? How can this work help you make better informed decisions? How can it help you make your arguments—both academic and personal—more convincing to specific audiences?

To facilitate this process, I’ve designed this section of the course around the concept of the rhetoric of fear. Whether you’ve noticed it or not, fear has increasingly become the emotion of choice in American public discourse. Think about it: what are you personally most afraid of? What are we as a country most afraid of? Who are we most afraid of, and why?

We will apply rhetorical theory and concepts to everyday documents such as letters to the editor, advertisements, websites. You will also have the opportunity to practice employing these concepts to your own arguments. Thus, you will develop your skills as a rhetorician, one who critically analyzes texts, and you will develop skills as a rhetor, one who applies rhetorical techniques to the texts she produces.

Required texts

• Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Third edition
• Barry Glassner, The Culture of Fear
• a working ilstu.edu email account that you check regularly
• access to newspapers, magazines, advertisements, television, and the Internet.

Course goals

By mid-May, you will

• recognize and name techniques that effective rhetors use to persuade their audiences
• understand how ideology functions in your everyday life, including the ways that commonplaces inform our collective understanding of logic and persuasion
• recognize the importance of rhetorical situation to any argument
• be conversant with rhetorical terms such as kairos, stasis, enthymeme, ethos, pathos, and logos
• have practiced strategizing your own rhetorical arguments and responding to classmates’ arguments
• understand the relationship between the study of rhetoric and other aspects of English studies, including writing and literary study.

Course assignments and grading

Reading responses (RRs) (4) 20%

Reflective essay 15%

Mid-term 20%

Rhetorical analysis of a text 20%

Final paper 25%

A few words on letter grades…

Grade inflation is a real issue, one I take very seriously. In this course, a C is average, which means your writing meets the minimum standards but does not exceed them. A B, then, is writing that goes somewhat above the minimum standards, and an A exceeds those standards. A D is assigned to writing that does not meet the minimum standards but is approaching them. And an F is assigned to writing that does not meet the minimum standards. For each paper that I assign, I will make explicit the standards I am expecting you to meet. If they are unclear, please feel free to talk to me about questions you have.

Reading responses (RRs)

Reading responses create a space for you to explore, apply, and wrestle with the rhetorical concepts introduced in the textbook. There are five reading responses due throughout the semester, and I may give you specific prompts for reading responses. Other times, I will leave it to you to decide on the content of your response. Because these reading responses provide a starting point for class discussion, I expect you to bring your responses to class on the day they’re due. I will not accept late reading responses.

Reading responses are graded on a V , V +, or V - basis. Any V - response must be revised to receive credit. To receive credit, your response must reflect your active, critical engagement with the material. In other words, if your work reads like something you threw together five minutes before class, or if it’s more descriptive than analytical, you will receive a V - . While I understand that some summary is necessary for critical engagement with the material, your reading responses must move beyond summary to critical analysis. I will not seek out your revisions to reading responses. It is your responsibility to revise any reading response that receives a V -. All revised reading responses are due one week from the date you receive it back.

Leading class discussion

Each Friday, three students will be in charge of leading that day’s discussion of a chapter in Glassner’s The Culture of Fear. Your goal is not necessarily to “teach” the chapter, but to engage classmates in a rhetorical discussion of the chapter. You may bring in examples of issues Glassner raises; you may compose discussion questions ahead of time; you may direct our attention to any aspect of the Glassner chapter, as long as, in doing so, you generate discussion.

Reflective essay

This essay is designed to encourage you to reflect on your study of rhetoric in the context of majoring in English. How is this course affecting your understanding of language in everyday life as action and effect? I will provide a detailed assignment sheet as we approach this assignment.

Rhetorical analysis of a text

You will be required to write one substantial rhetorical analysis of a text of your choosing. I will provide a detailed assignment sheet as we approach this assignments.

Final paper

For the final paper of the course, I will ask you to conduct an in-depth exploration of an aspect of the rhetoric of fear.

Special needs and situations

Students who need special consideration because of any sort of disability or situation should make an appointment to come see me. You may also contact the Disability Concerns office at 438-5853.

Plagiarism

Work you submit for this course must have been written by you for this course. You may not submit work in this course and in another, and you may not submit under your name work written entirely or in part by someone else. These are ethical issues whose violation could result in disciplinary action against you.

Course requirements and procedures

• Attendance is a given in this course. Your grade will not be boosted for attendance, but excessive absences (which I define as more than 3) will lower your final grade by one full letter grade. If you must miss a class, you are responsible for work assigned. Please plan to see me outside of class if you’ve fallen behind—I will not come to you.
• Three late arrivals to class will be equal to one absence, and that absence counts toward #1 above.
• All assignments must be handed in on time. Because one week’s work will lead to the next assignment, you cannot afford to fall behind. More than one late assignment will lower your final grade by one full letter grade. I will provide minimal feedback on late assignments, and I will not accept assignments that are more than one week late.
• All formal papers should be typed and proofread. Please use 12-point font size and one-inch margins. I expect you to follow MLA guidelines for all formal papers.
• PLEASE save your computer work frequently, always make back-up copies, and plan your projects with extra time allowed for those inevitable computer glitches.
• In my class, there is no such thing as “extra credit” or “make-up work,” so I urge you not to come to me two weeks before the last class to see if there’s anything you can do to make up the work you missed.
• If your cell phone rings during class, you must leave. I expect cell phones to be turned off unless you are expecting a phone call that classifies as an emergency, in which case you must leave.
• You can email me if you have an easy question that I can respond to quickly. If you want to discuss an idea for a paper or talk about anything in detail, please don’t email me. Instead, come see me during office hours or make an appointment to see me. It is against university policy to discuss grades via email, so please don’t email me about grades. Also, please don’t use email the night before a paper is due to ask me a “panic” question. You will always have ample time for questions prior to assignments’ due dates.
• Your “quality presence” is essential to the success of this course. Please come to class prepared with your book and assignment and plenty of energy, attention, and enthusiasm.

Please come see me during office hours or make an appointment to talk with me about any questions you have about the course. If you have suggestions for improving the course, I welcome them. I take student input seriously, so please share your ideas with me.

Course calendar

ARCS=Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students

Contact me at aerobil@ilstu.edu

Department of English at Illinois State University