Fall 2019

1. ENGL 102 - 02
Fall 2019
College Writing and Rhetoric
Kendra Waters
kwaters@uidaho.edu | 208-885-6156 | Brink 104
Office Hours: M 9:30 – 11:30; W 10:30 – 11:30
M/W/F 08:30 – TLC 140
COURSE GOALS & LEARNING OUTCOMES
Applied principles of expository and argumentative essay writing, including summaries, critiques,
and syntheses of texts, and the research essay; emphasis on clear, concise, and vigorous prose.
By the end of the course, you should be able to...
1. Demonstrate awareness and application of rhetorical strategies in the writing
produced by others and yourself.
a. How writers use rhetoric:
i. Comprehend college-level and professional prose and analyze how authors present
their ideas in view of their probable purposes, audiences, genres, modalities.
b. Use rhetoric yourself:
i. Accurately assess and effectively respond to a wide variety of audiences and
rhetorical situations and articulate your rhetorical purpose for writing, who you are
writing for, what you are saying, and how you’ve decided to compose it (genre and
modality).
2. Apply effective research skills appropriate for your rhetorical purpose.
a. Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from a variety of sources,
including but not limited to the following:
i. scholarly library databases;
ii. other official databases (e.g., federal government databases);
iii. informal electronic networks and internet sources;
iv. print and online books and journals;
v. and primary sources.
b. Use evidence appropriately according to the rhetorical situation (e.g. paraphrase,
summary, quote, attributive tags, in-text citation, etc.).
c. Correctly cite and document source material according to a current style manual.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking.
a. Productively incorporate a variety of perspectives.
b. Present ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others.
c. Write critical analyses and syntheses of college-level and professional prose.
4. Demonstrate your understanding that writing is a process.
a. Apply a variety of strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
b. Revise your writing using additional invention and re-thinking after initial draft is
produced.
c. Give and receive constructive feedback from peers.
5. Compose arguments that meet college-level expectations for academic compositions.
a. Compose a focused claim supported with logical and clear reasons and evidence.
b. Synthesize arguments made by rhetors to develop and support your own claim.
c. Apply current citation rules in situations like paraphrasing, summarizing, citing, and
documenting borrowed material.

2. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Nicotra, Jodie. Becoming Rhetorical. ISBN 1-305-95677-X
COURSE WEBSITE
All work will be submitted through the course BbLearn site unless otherwise stated. All assignment
sheets and other course materials will also be posted on the BbLearn site. Log on into BbLearn
(http://bblearn.uidaho.edu) using your University of Idaho NetID and password, and locate
English 102.
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance. Attendance in English 102 is mandatory. Being present in class is the key to success in
the course. Compiling more than six unexcused absences (two weeks of class) is grounds for
failure of the course. An excused absence is an official note specifying the days and reasons you
were required to miss class. Excused absences must be in writing from an official such as a doctor
or a university instructor or administrator (in the event of athletic events or field trips). You are
responsible for making up work you miss due to absences.
Attendance means being physically present, awake, coherent, and fully prepared for class, with the
day’s assignments completed. If you do not meet all of these conditions, you can be marked absent
for the day. You are responsible for making up work that you miss.
Classroom citizenship. The classroom is a learning community. Be respectful of your fellow
students and your instructor. If you have a problem with anything in the course, speak to me about
it privately after class or meet me during my office hours. Disruptive behavior during class may
result in expulsion from a class meeting or the entire course.
Technology. Technology will be used respectfully and frequently throughout this course. Bringing
a laptop or tablet to class on a regular basis will be beneficial. Guidelines for technology use will be
set as a class.
Email etiquette. I welcome your emails and questions – if you have questions about the course,
your work, meeting times, etc., please contact me at the address listed above or on the BbLearn
home page. When you contact me, please treat it as a professional correspondence—your message
should have a greeting, be written in complete sentences, and signed with your name at the bottom.
Generally, you can expect a response during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM).
Deadlines. The due dates for all homework assignments and drafts are posted under the
appropriate Unit on the course BbLearn site. Late work will not be accepted without prior
arrangement.
Original Writing. All work for this class must be written for this class. Reusing an assignment you
completed for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
Academic Dishonesty. Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be
tolerated in this course. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing, and any other form of
dishonesty to include suspension or expulsion from the UI. Please read the document labeled
“Statement on Plagiarism” on our BbLearn site for more information on plagiarism.

3. The public nature of class writing and discussion. Please consider every piece of writing you do
for this class to be “public property.” Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the
ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing
community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid
writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things that you
feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This
does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion, but that you adopt positions responsibly,
contemplating the possible effect on others.
Center for Disability Access and Resources Reasonable Accommodations Statement
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or
permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through the Center for
Disability Access and Resources located in the Bruce M. Pitman Center, Suite 127 in order to
notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the
course.
Center for Disability Access and Resources
Phone: 208-885-6307
Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
Web: http://www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO CLASSROOM LEARNING CIVILITY CLAUSE
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 (208-885-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (208-885-6716),
or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (208-885-4285).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Unit Writing Projects. There will be four writing projects, plus a final portfolio.
• Unit 1: Review: Rhetorical Analysis
• Unit 2: Rhetorically Researching
• Unit 3: Rhetorical Arguments
• Unit 4: Remix
• Unit 5: Final Reflection and Portfolio
Daily Assignments/Homework. There will be shorter (what we call “invention” or “prep work”)
assignments due regularly. These assignments are specifically designed to help you generate
material to write the major assignments and may be completed as homework or in class. In
addition, for each major assignment, you will also be asked to read and comment on the papers of
other students.
Revision. A lot of focus will be spent on revision of your written work. Revision is a key component
to growing as a writer.

4. Discussion. You will have weekly discussion board postings on BBLearn. You will be required to
post and respond each week.
GRADING
For grading details, please see the grading contract. Each assignment will have its own set of
guidelines. Letter grades will, for the most part, be only assigned to final drafts and/or the final
portfolio. Many assignments will simply be marked Complete/Incomplete in accordance to the
requirements described on the grading contract. In addition to this, you will receive a large amount
of written feedback on all work.