Welcome to Rhetoric and Composition 120, the second course in US.docx

Welcome to Rhetoric and Composition 120, the second course
in USF’s first-year college writing sequence! In this class you
will further develop practices of critical reading and academic
writing introduced in RHET 110 by writing essays of greater
length in response to readings and discussions of greater
complexity. You will gain further practice in developing ideas
for your writing, drafting and revising, editing and
proofreading, academic research, and scholarly documentation.
You will do so by engaging in writing projects that require you
to respond to a variety of challenging texts from a range of
traditions, historical periods, and fields of study.
Texts:
Austin, Reading the World, 3rd edition (Norton)
Clines and Cobb, Research Writing Simplified, 8th edition
(Pearson/Longman)
Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, 4th edition (Pearson)
Obtain these texts as soon as possible if you have not already
(making sure to get correct editions). Supplementary texts and
resources will be added on Canvas (look under “Pages” for
“Supplementary Resources”).
Course Description: With a firm basis in the elements of
rhetoric, critical reading, written argumentation, and library
research established in RC 110, students in RC 120 learn to
compose more ambitious arguments responding to and
incorporating sources of greater number, length, complexity,
and variety. In order to meet the demands of advanced
academic discourse, students also (a) develop skills in critical
analysis of challenging non-fiction prose texts from a range of
disciplinary perspectives and subjects, with a particular focus

on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed in these
texts, and (b) conduct extensive library research in the process
of planning and composing sophisticated academic papers.
Students will also gain practice editing for stylistic fluency in
accordance with conventions of advanced academic prose.
Finally, students develop greater independence in formulating
strategies for revision and expansion of written arguments.
Learning Outcomes:
Over the course of the term, you will develop capability in the
following areas:
1) Critical analysis of academic discourse: Students critically
analyze linguistic and rhetorical strategies used in long and
complex texts from a variety of genres, subjects, and fields.
[met primarily in essays #1 and #2, and in reading responses]
2) Integrating multiple academic sources: Students incorporate
multiple texts of length and complexity within a unified
argumentative essay, addressing connections and differences
among them. [met primarily in essays #2 and #3]
3) Academic research: Students develop sophisticated research
questions and compose substantial arguments in response to
those questions, incorporating extensive independent library
research and demonstrating mastery of standard academic
documentation modes. [met in essay #3 and annotated
bibliography]
4) Style: Students edit their own prose to achieve a clear and
mature writing style in keeping with the conventions of
academic and/or professional discourse. [met in all three major
essays and in in-class exercises focusing on style issues]
5) Revision: Students develop their own revision strategies for
extending and enriching early drafts and for producing polished
advanced academic writing. [met in all three major essays]
Work for the Course:

Reading: This course requires writing in response to often
challenging texts from varying historical periods, cultural
traditions, and fields of inquiry. In order to write substantive
essays, you will need to read and think about these texts
carefully. These texts are not easy reading. Therefore, we will
spend a fair amount of time in class preparing for your essays
by discussing assigned texts. Your goals will be to understand
the arguments made in the texts, evaluate those arguments, and
often form arguments of your own in turn. In addition to class
discussions, short informal writing assignments will aid you in
understanding and responding to assigned readings (see
“reading responses” below).
Writing: This course requires two kinds of writing assignments:
formal and informal. Formal assignments include three major
essays. Essay #1 (5+pages) requires a critical response to one
or two texts read and discussed in class. Essay #2 (6+pages)
similarly requires a critical response, though you will need to
address arguments in two or more texts. Essay #3 (9+pages)
requires a research-based argument that addresses issues raised
in class reading and discussion and that incorporates at least
seven sources. For essay #3, you will compose a brief
annotated bibliography. Instructions for the essay and
annotated bibliography assignments will be posted on Canvas,
where you will also submit completed versions of them.
There are two kinds of informal writing assignments. First, you
will complete eight (8) reading responses, in which you will
respond to questions regarding assigned readings from our main
textbook (Austin’s Reading the World). These questions will
help you develop your understanding of the texts and begin
framing responses to them (thereby laying groundwork for
formal essays). Questions for these responses will be posted on
Canvas (under “Assignments/Reading Responses”), where you
will also submit your completed assignments. Also, roughly

fifteen (15) unannounced in-class exercises will be required
over the course of the term. These will serve a range of
purposes, including but not limited to thesis generation, editing
and proofreading exercises, responses to sample essays, and
practice in documenting sources.
Course Policies:
E-mail and Canvas Access: Please be sure to check your USF e-
mail account and our Canvas page regularly. I will frequently
send messages (e. g., assignment reminders, notices of schedule
changes, etc.) to the class via Canvas e-mail. Be sure you are
able to access the course’s Canvas site, which will allow you to
obtain crucial course documents (all reading response prompts,
essay assignments, useful web links, etc.).
Attendance: Since much of our learning this semester will take
place in classroom discussions and exercises, attendance is
essential. Of course, situations arise that may make attending a
particular day difficult or impossible. Therefore, you may miss
up to four (4) class periods (equal to two weeks of class) with
no penalty to your grade. In-class work missed due to such
absences may NOT be made up. Each such unexcused absence
beyond the fourth will result in the loss of one third of a letter
from your final course grade. Exception: When representing the
University of San Francisco in intercollegiate competition (e.g.,
athletics, debate), students shall be excused from classes on the
hours or days such competition takes them away from classes.
However, such students shall be responsible for advising their
professors regarding anticipated absences and for arranging to
complete course work for classes, laboratories, and/or
examinations missed. A limited number of absences due to
medical reasons or personal emergencies may also be excused.
Absence due to religious observation will also be excused.
Also, please be on time to class. Three instances of tardiness
will count as one absence.

Academic Integrity: As a Jesuit institution committed to cura
personalis--the care and education of the whole person--USF
has an obligation to embody and foster the values of honesty
and integrity. USF upholds the standards of honesty and
integrity from all members of the academic community. All
students are expected to know and adhere to the University’s
Honor Code. You can find the full text of the code online at
www.usfca.edu/fogcutter. As it particularly pertains to the
Program in Rhetoric and Composition, the policy covers:
1. Plagiarism—intentionally or unintentionally representing the
words or ideas of another person as your own; failure to
properly cite references; manufacturing references
1. Working with another person when independent work is
required
1. Submission of the same paper in more than one course
without the specific permission of each instructor
1. Submitting a paper written by another person or obtained
from the internet.
The penalties for violation of the policy may include a failing
grade on the assignment, a failing grade in the course, and/or a
referral to the Dean and the Committee on Student Academic
Honesty. In addition, a letter will be sent to the Associate Dean
for Student Academic Services; the letter will remain in your
file for two years after you graduate, after which you may
petition for its removal.
Students with Disabilities:
f you are a student with a disability or disabling condition, or if
you think you may have a disability, please contact USF Student
Disability Services (SDS) at 415 422-2613 within the first week
of class, or immediately upon onset of disability, to speak with
a disability specialist. If you are determined eligible for
reasonable accommodations, please meet with your disability

specialist so they can arrange to have your accommodation
letter sent to me, and we will discuss your needs for this course.
For more information, please visit: http://www.usfca.edu/sds
The Writing/Speaking Center and other resources: The Writing
Center is located in 215 Cowell Hall. Their appointment
number is 422-6713. A Writing Center Consultant is also
available for drop-in hours in the library from 1-4 pm, Monday
through Thursday. Writing Center Consultants are there to give
you feedback on any part of the writing process from generating
ideas to organizing to editing. Writing Center Consultants will
help you with drafts-in-progress. The best time to use the
Writing Center is well before the final draft is due. There is
also a Speaking Center (limited hours at the present time) for
assistance with oral presentations in any class, including Public
Speaking and Oral Skills. The center is located in Malloy 106.
Various workshops in reading and writing are available to assist
students with academic writing, reading, and speaking: See the
schedule of classes for times and days for RHET 100, 101, 105,
107. Various student success workshops are offered by CASA.
Confidentiality, Mandatory Reporting, and Sexual Assault
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a
safe learning environment on our campus. I also have a
mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role as a
faculty member. I am required to share information regarding
sexual misconduct or information about a crime that may have
occurred on USFs campus with the University. Here are other
resources:
· To report any sexual misconduct, students may visit Anna
Bartkowski (UC 5th floor) or see many other options by visiting
our website: www.usfca.edu/student_life/safer
· Students may speak to someone confidentially, or report a
sexual assault confidentially by contacting Counseling and
Psychological Services at 415-422-6352.
· To find out more about reporting a sexual assault at USF, visit

USFs Callisto website at: www.usfca.callistocampus.org.
· For an off-campus resource, contact San Francisco Women
Against Rape (SFWAR) (415) 647-7273 (www.sfwar.org).
Evaluation and Grading:
Evaluating Major Essays and Informal Writing. The three major
essays will each be graded according to the five following
criteria:
· Clear articulation of and focus on an arguable and insightful
claim/thesis about the texts, ideas, and issues discussed in the
essay;
· Thorough development and support of the essay’s claim/thesis
with sufficient, relevant, and well integrated evidence from
appropriate sources (e. g., class texts, library and internet
research, and perhaps observations and experiences);
· Acknowledgement of and response to questions or
perspectives that challenge or complicate the main claim/thesis
of the essay;
· Clear and logical organization of the main argument or
analysis conducted in the essay, including effective use of
transitions between main points and establishment of paragraph
focus using clear topic sentences;
· Careful editing for grammatical correctness, minimal
mechanical errors, clarity and academic maturity of style, and
proper documentation of sources.
To receive a grade of “A,” essays must be very strong or
exceptional in all five areas, going beyond the basic
expectations of the assignment in depth and rigor. “B” papers
will be strong in most areas, perhaps exceptional in two or three
and with lapses in one or two others. Papers receiving a grade
of “C” will be roughly adequate in most or all areas, perhaps
showing signs of haste or lack of focus. “D” papers will
perform poorly in several or all areas, showing evidence of

some effort but not meeting the basic requirements of the
assignment. Grades of “F” will be assigned to papers that
clearly fail to meet most or all criteria or to address the
essential task of the assignment. An “F” will also be assigned
when a paper is determined to be plagiarized and when a paper
is not turned in. Letter grades will correspond to a traditional
four-point scale (see below).
Reading responses and in-class exercises will be graded on a
two-point system based on effort and completeness. A grade of
two points will be assigned for reports that show a strong
attempt to understand and respond to assigned reading and for
exercises that fully address the task assigned. A grade of one
point will be assigned for those that exhibit less effort or for
reading reports completed late. (Note: In-class writings may
not be made up except in the case of excused absence). A grade
of zero will be assigned if the exercise is not completed. The
total numerical scores for all responses and for all ices will be
converted to proportional four-point scores and assigned the
corresponding letter grades (see letter grade four-point scale
below).
Computing Final Grades: Each student’s final letter grade will
be computed according to the following percentage breakdown:
· Essay #1 25%
· Essay #2 25%
· Essay #3 30%
· Annotated Bibliography (for essay #3) 10%
· Reading Responses 5%
· In-Class Exercises 5%
Final grades will be based on the following four-point scale:
A=4.0, A-=3.75, B+=3.25, B=3.0, B-=2.75, C+=2.25, C=2.0, C-
=1.75, D+=1.25, D=1.0, D-=0.75, F=0.0
Late Work: Formal essay assignments (including the annotated

bibliography) turned in after official due dates will lose one
third of a letter grade for each day that they are late. Late
reading responses will receive half credit (see above). In-class
exercises may not be made up, except in the case of excused
absences (see “Attendance” above).
Extensions: Each student will be granted a one-day (one
weekday) extension to be used for a draft or final version of a
major essay assignment at any point in the semester each time
he or she volunteers to share an essay with the class when
instructor requests volunteers to share sample work.
Assignment Schedule:
Below is a schedule of class sessions, including all reading and
major writing assignments. Note that reading must be
completed before the class period for which it is assigned (e. g.,
you should come to class on Thursday, January 28 having read
Mo Tzu, Boethius, and Shikibu, with reading response #1
completed). Reading assignments are indicated by abbreviated
title and page numbers. Readings from Austin’s Reading the
World are indicated by “RW,” those from Strunk and White’s
Elements ofStyle by “ES,” and those from Clines and Cobb’s
Research Writing Simplified by “RWS.” This schedule is
subject to revision by the instructor at any time during the
semester. (Note: Assigned textbook readings may contain
questions or exercises. You do NOT need to complete these,
though you may feel free to read them. We may refer to or
discuss some in class, but they need NOT be completed with the
assigned reading.)
Students are expected to spend a minimum of 2 hours outside of
class in study and preparation of assignments for each hour in
class. In a 4 unit class, assignments have been created with the
expectation that students will engage in approximately 8 hours
of out-of-class work per week; in a 2 unit class, students should

expect to spend approximately 4 hours per week outside of class
in study and preparation.
1/26 T Introductions; overview of course structure and
policies; introductory reading and writing exercise; read Plato
handout (from Republic, Book X).
1/28 Th Begin reading and discussion for essay #1 assignment
(Topic: Arts, Value, and Society); read Mo Tzu, “Against
Music” (RW 236-41), Boethius, “from Of Music” (RW 242-47)
and Shikibu, “On the Art of the Novel” (RW 248-52); reading
response #1 due. [Friday 1/29 is the last day to add classes]
2/2 T Continue reading and discussion for essay #1
assignment; read Tolstoy, “from What Is Art?” (RW
265-70), Burke, “from The Sublime and the Beautiful” (RW
256-61), and Scarry, “from On Beauty and
Being Just” (RW 279-85); reading response #2 due; essay #1
assignment posted.
2/4 Th Develop content for essay #1 draft; drafting theses
and summaries; read Austin on summary,
thesis development, and introductions (RW 617, 628-41).
Developing textual and other support for
essay #1; developing body paragraphs; bring RW to class.
2/9 T Review and develop drafts of essays; bring drafts of
essay #1 in progress to class for work session; draft of essay #1
due by midnight on Canvas.
2/11 Th Workshop: Discussion of writing samples and
revision strategies; read Austin on revision (RW 702-5). [Friday
2/12 is the census date—last day to drop class with tuition
refund and without “W” on transcript.]
2/16 T Drafts of essay #1 returned; editing and proofreading

review; bring RWS and ES to class.
2/18 Th Continue editing and proofreading; bring ES and at
least two pages of draft of essay #1 in progress to class.
2/23 T Begin reading and discussion for essay #2 assignment
(Topic: Human Nature and Human Society); read Mencius,
“Man’s Nature is Good” (RW 78-83) and Hsun Tzu, “Man’s
Nature is Evil” (RW 84-93); reading response #3 due.
2/25 Th Continue reading and discussion for essay #2
assignment; read Hobbes, “from Leviathan” (RW 94-99) and
Locke, “Of Ideas” (RW 100-103); reading response #4 due.
Final version of essay #1 due Friday, 2/26 on Canvas.
assignment; read de Pizan, “from The Treasure of the City of
Ladies” (RW 397-404) and Machiavelli, “from The Prince” (RW
405-13); reading response #5 due.
assignment; read Benedict, “The Individual and the Pattern of
Culture” (RW 112-22) and Mead, “Warfare: An Invention – Not
a Biological Necessity” (RW 500-507); reading response #6
due.
assignment; read Carr, “A Thing Like Me” (RW 123-133);
reading response #7 due; essay #2 assignment posted. Develop
ideas for essay #2 draft; read Austin on synthesizing ideas (RW
668-680).
3/10 Th Developing content for essay #2; bring RW to
class; work on draft of essay #2.

3/11 FridayEssay #2 draft due by midnight on Canvas.
3/14 to 3/18 – Spring Break (no class)
3/22 T Workshop: Discussion of writing samples and
revision strategies.
3/24 Th Draft of essay #2 returned; stylistic editing;
bring ES to class.
3/29 T Continue stylistic editing; bring ES. Revision
workshop; bring draft of essay #2 and RW to class.
Select topic groups for next unit.
3/31 Th Begin reading and discussion for essay #3
assignment; group A (Topic: Environment and Ethics)
attends and reads Carson, “The Obligation to Endure” (RW 328-
335) and Maathai, “Foresters without Diplomas” (RW 363-73);
reading response #8a due for group A; groups B and C do not
attend.
assignment; group B (Topic: Economics, Equality, and Justice)
attends and reads Po-Chu-I, “The Flower Market” (RW 545-47),
Gandhi, “Economic and Moral Progress” (RW 560-67), and
Weil, “Equality” (RW 571-74); reading response #8b due for
group B; groups A and C do not attend.
Wednesday, 4/6: Final version of essay #2 due on Canvas by
midnight.
assignment; group C (topic: War, Conflict, and Justice) attends
and reads Aquinas, “from Summa Theologica” (RW 484-87),
Tutu, “Nuremberg or National Amnesia: A Third Way” (RW
450-59), and Karman, “Nobel Lecture” (RW 524-32); reading
response #8c due for group C; groups A and B do not attend.

4/12 T Whole class meets again; generating ideas for
essay #3; bring RW to class; essay #3 assignment
posted.
4/14 Th Library research session; class meets in library
electronic classroom; last day to drop classes.
4/19 T Review end-of-text documentation; bring RWS
to class. Identifying and reading scholarly sources; bring one
scholarly source to class.
4/21 Th Annotated bibliography for essay #3 due; in-text
documentation and academic honesty review; read Clines and
Cobb on plagiarism (RWS 20-23). Planning and drafting essay
#3; bring sources and notes to class.
4/26 T Draft of essay #3 due.
4/28 Th Discussion of revision strategies and writing
samples.
5/3 T Drafts of essay #3 returned; stylistic editing;
bring ES to class.
5/5 Th Revision jumpstart; bring copy of essay #3 in
progress to class.
5/10 T Second academic honesty review; bring RWS to
class
5/12 Th Documentation check for essay #3; bring at least
two pages of essay #3 in progress, draft of works
cited/references list, and RWS to class; last day of class.
Final version of essay #3 due Thursday, May 19.

Welcome to Rhetoric and Composition 120, the second course in US.docx

Welcome to Rhetoric and Composition 120, the second course in US.docx

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