This document provides information about an English 309 course on Rhetorical Style taught in Spring 2017. The course will examine how style is shaped by rhetorical purpose, genre, and audience. Students will write about one topic in different genres, from professional to personal. The goals are for students to understand style as rhetorical, compose effectively in various genres, analyze stylistic devices, conduct advanced research, and give/receive feedback on writing. Required materials include a textbook and readings on the course site. University learning outcomes emphasize skills like learning integration, problem solving, communication, understanding perspectives, and citizenship. Course policies require attendance and submit homework on time.

1.
Rhetorical
Style
1
Spring
2017
MWF
9:30-­‐‑10:20
TLC
248
English
309
Rhetorical
Style
Instructor:
Barbara
Kirchmeier
E-­‐‑Mail:
Barbara@uidaho.edu
Phone:
208.885.6156
(voicemail
only)
Office:
Brink
213
Office
Hours:
MWF
10:30-­‐‑11:30
and
by
appointment
Course
Description
In
this
course,
we
will
work
with
the
notion
of
rhetorical
style.
While
most
people
think
of
“good”
writing
as
some
sort
of
universal
ideal,
the
truth
is
that
“good”
writing
varies
according
to
one’s
rhetorical
purpose,
genre,
and
audience.
We
will
spend
the
semester
investigating
how
style
works
by
writing
about
one
topic
in
various
rhetorical
genres,
from
the
professional
(a
white
paper)
to
the
public
(an
open
letter)
to
the
personal
(a
literary
essay).
As
with
martial
arts,
a
true
facility
with
writing
and
rhetoric
does
not
come
without
practice:
it
requires
deep
attention
and
rigorous
training.
Thus,
I’ll
ask
you
to
write
a
lot
this
semester
and
to
read
with
serious
intent.
At
the
end
of
the
semester
you
will
submit
a
final
portfolio
of
your
revised
work.
Course
Objectives
By
the
end
of
this
course,
a
successful
student
will
be
able
to…
1. Describe
style
as
rhetorical,
a
produce
of
audience,
purpose,
and
genre.
2. Effectively
compose
in
a
wide
range
of
written
genres
using
the
style
appropriate
to
that
genre,
audience,
and
purpose.
3. Thoroughly
analyze
the
stylistic
devices
of
a
given
piece
of
prose,
and
to
imitate
those
devices
in
your
own
writing.
4. Apply
advanced
research
skills
to
advance
your
own
writing
goals.
5. Effectively
give
and
receive
feedback
about
writing
in
small
and
large-­‐‑group
settings,
Required
Materials
Performing
Prose:
The
Study
and
Practice
of
Style
in
Composition.
Chris
Holcomb
and
Jimmie
Killingsworth.
ISBN
978-­‐‑0-­‐‑8093-­‐‑2953-­‐‑3
A
notebook—bring
this
to
class
everyday
for
note-­‐‑
taking
and
in-­‐‑class
writing
Required
readings
on
the
English
309
BbLearn
site
Helpful
Websites
UI
BbLearn:
http://bblearn.uidaho.edu
UI
BbLearn
Student
Help:
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/bblearnhelp/student-­‐‑
help/
The
Purdue
Online
Writing
Lab
(OWL):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
University
Learning
Outcomes
University
level
learning
outcomes
broadly
describe
expected
and
desired
consequences
of
learning
through
integrated
curricular
and
co-­‐‑curricular
experiences.
The
outcomes
become
an
expression
of
the
desired
attributes
of
an
educated
person
and
guide
coherent,
integrated
and
intentional
educational
experiences.
They
provide
us
with
a
basis
for
ongoing
assessment
to
continuously
improve
teaching
and
learning.
The
work
we
do
in
English
309
will
support
all
five
of
the
University
level
learning
outcomes
listed
below:

2.
Rhetorical
Style
2
1. Learn
and
integrate
-­‐‑
Through
independent
learning
and
collaborative
study,
attain,
use,
and
develop
knowledge
in
the
arts,
humanities,
sciences,
and
social
sciences,
with
disciplinary
specialization
and
the
ability
to
integrate
information
across
disciplines.
2. Think
and
create
-­‐‑
Use
multiple
thinking
strategies
to
examine
real-­‐‑world
issues,
explore
creative
avenues
of
expression,
solve
problems,
and
make
consequential
decisions.
3. Communicate
-­‐‑
Acquire,
articulate,
create
and
convey
intended
meaning
using
verbal
and
non-­‐‑verbal
methods
of
communication
that
demonstrate
respect
and
understanding
in
a
complex
society.
4. Clarify
purpose
and
perspective
-­‐‑
Explore
one’s
life
purpose
and
meaning
through
transformational
experiences
that
foster
an
understanding
of
self,
relationships,
and
diverse
global
perspectives.
5. Practice
citizenship
-­‐‑
Apply
principles
of
ethical
leadership,
collaborative
engagement,
socially
responsible
behavior,
respect
for
diversity
in
an
interdependent
world,
and
a
service-­‐‑oriented
commitment
to
advance
and
sustain
local
and
global
communities.
Course
Policies
Attendance
Attendance
in
English
309
is
mandatory.
More
than
three
unexcused
absences
from
English
401
is
grounds
for
failing
the
course.
Thus,
plan
for
unforeseen
emergencies
or
illnesses
later
in
the
semester.
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).
Being
in
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
will
be
marked
absent
for
the
day.
You
are
responsible
for
being
prepared
for
the
classes
following
your
absences.
Homework
All
of
your
homework
will
be
due
on
or
before
the
exact
time
designated.
I
do
not
accept
late
homework.
Missed
homework
due
to
unexcused
absences
cannot
be
made
up
or
turned
in
later
for
credit.
If
you
miss
class
because
of
an
excused
absence,
please
contact
the
instructor
for
details
about
submitting
missed
work.
Major
Projects
To
pass
this
class,
all
major
projects
must
be
completed.
All
of
your
major
projects
will
be
due
on
or
before
the
exact
time
designated.
Exceptions
to
this
rule
will
be
made
only
for
the
work
submitted
before
finals
week,
and
then
only
if
you
complete
the
following
steps
for
an
extension:
1. Email
me
a
memo
explaining
• Why
your
project
will
not
be
turned
in
on
time
• The
date
your
project
will
be
turned
in
(this
date
must
be
within
one
week
of
the
original
due
date)
2. Complete
the
final
draft
and
post
it
to
BbLearn
on
or
before
the
date
you
designated
in
your
memo
In
all
other
cases
of
late
major
writing
projects
(when
no
extension
is
requested
or
allowed),
10%
will
be
deducted
for
every
business
day
the
project
is
late.
(Please
note
that
a
project
submitted
one
hour
past
the
original
deadline
is
considered
to
be
one
day
late.)
Revisions
Revisions
will
be
due
one
week
after
the
graded
project
is
returned
to
you.

3.
Rhetorical
Style
3
To
submit
a
revision,
you
must
complete
the
following
steps:
1. Review the grade sheet attached to the end of the project you want to revise. Using the feedback from me, create a plan for
revision. Meet with me in my office during office hours to discuss your revision plan.
2. Revise your project.
3. Highlight the revisions you've made. Using the comment feature in the "review" panel in Microsoft Word, leave me comments
explaining why you made each change to your project.
4. Attach a copy of the grade sheet (with my comments on it) to the end of your revised project.
5. Submit your revised project to the appropriate assignment drop box on BbLearn.
Please note that revision grades will replace the original score completely; the final portfolio project cannot be revised due to time
constraints.
Original
Writing
All
writing
for
this
class
must
be
written
for
this
class.
Reusing
a
paper
you
wrote
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.
Naming
and
Formatting
Documents
With
the
exception
of
in-­‐‑class
work,
you
will
submit
your
work
in
an
attachment
of
a
Microsoft
Word
file
to
BbLearn.
You
should
save
your
document
as
.doc,
.or
docx
files.
When
naming
your
documents,
make
sure
you
clearly
indicate
your
last
name
and
what
assignment
you
are
working
on.
Class
Expectations
Technology
In-­‐Class
Since
more
often
than
not
technological
devices
in
college
classrooms
serve
as
distractions
to
you
and
the
people
around
you
rather
than
as
supplements
to
learning,
we
have
a
no-­‐‑tolerance
policy.
All
cell
phones
should
be
turned
off
and
put
away.
Texting
and
taking
calls
is
not
permitted
in
class.
Word
Processing
With
the
exception
of
in-­‐‑class
work,
you
will
submit
your
assignments
for
this
class
using
a
.doc
or.docx,
or
PDF
file
format.
Feedback
will
be
given
using
BbLearn’s
Crocodoc
function,
and
documents
submitted
in
other
file
formats
make
providing
feedback
on
your
work
difficult,
inefficient,
and
sometimes
impossible.
Technology
Help
If
you
require
help
using
BbLearn,
make
use
of
the
BbLearn
help
page:
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/bblearnhelp/student-­‐‑
help/.
If
you
require
help
setting
your
computer
up
for
BbLearn,
sending
and/or
receiving
emails,
etc.,
please
contact
the
Help
Desk:
http://support.uidaho.edu.
The
Public
Nature
of
Class
Writing
and
Discussion
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

4.
Rhetorical
Style
4
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.
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
(885-­‐‑6757),
the
UI
counseling
&
Testing
Center’s
confidential
services
(885-­‐‑6716),
or
the
UI
Office
of
Human
Rights,
Access,
&
Inclusion
(885-­‐‑4285).
Disability
Support
Services
Reasonable
Accommodations
Statement
Reasonable
accommodations
are
available
for
students
who
have
documented
temporary
or
permanent
disabilities.
All
accommodations
must
be
approved
through
Disability
Support
Services
located
in
the
Idaho
Commons
Building,
Room
306
in
order
to
notify
your
instructor(s)
as
soon
as
possible
regarding
accommodation(s)
needed
for
the
course.
• 885-­‐‑6307
• email
at
dss@uidaho.edu
• website
at
http://www.access.uidaho.edu
Work
Requirements
In-­‐Class
Work
Your
daily
participation
in
class,
along
with
active
participation
in
draft
workshops.
Semester
topic
proposal
In
this
assignment,
you
will
write
a
formal
statement
proposing
a
topic
that
you
intend
to
research
and
write
about
this
semester.
This
topic
will
be
the
basis
of
four
assignments:
the
white
paper,
the
imitative
essay,
open
letter,
and
“hermit
crab”
essay
assignments,
so
you
want
a
topic
that
meets
two
criteria:
a)
it’s
something
that
you’re
VERY
interested
in
exploring
deeply;
b)
it’s
flexible
enough
to
be
talked
about
in
professional,
public,
and
personal
contexts.
If
you’re
curious,
you
can
read
through
the
assignment
sheets
for
the
tasks
you’ll
complete
with
this
topic
posted
on
BbLearn.
Drafts
of
Major
Projects
In
this
class,
you
will
be
producing
rough
drafts
of
five
assignments.
You
will
submit
these
drafts
as
we
progress
throughout
the
semester.
Genre
parody
assignment
In
this
assignment,
you
will
choose
a
specific
nonfiction
prose-­‐‑based
genre
and
write
a
parody
or
spoof
of
it
in
that
style.
Note
that
for
this
assignment,
you’re
parodying
a
genre,
and
not
just
an
individual
instance
of
that
genre—think
Weird
Al’s
“Generic
Blues,”
which
is
a
genre
parody
(of
blues,
obviously),
rather
than
“Tacky,”
which
is
a
parody
of
an
individual
song.

5.
Rhetorical
Style
5
White
paper
assignment
The
goal
of
this
assignment
is
to
educate
readers
about
a
complicated
subject
for
the
purpose
of
helping
them
make
a
decision.
In
this
assignment,
we
will
be
focusing
on
defining
a
problem
for
an
audience
of
professional
stakeholders
and
making
recommendations
about
how
they
might
address
this
problem.
Imitative
essay
Using
the
knowledge
of
style
and
genre
that
you’ve
gained
through
deep
stylistic
analysis,
in
this
assignment
you
will
write
an
essay
in
the
style
of
one
of
five
model
essays
(TBA).
Your
imitative
essay
will
be
centered
on
the
question
or
problem
outlined
in
your
semester
topic
proposal.
In
this
assignment,
you
will
probably
incorporate
a
more
personal
point
of
view
along
with
secondary
and
primary
research
of
the
topic.
In
addition
to
the
essay
itself,
you
will
submit
a
memo
explaining
your
process
of
writing
this
imitative
essay.
Open
Letter
An
open
letter
is
a
document
that
allows
the
writer
to
designate
a
specific
audience,
exigence,
and
topic
while
still
presenting
an
argument
for
wider
public
consideration.
You
will
write
an
open
letter
on
your
semester
topic
to
someone
or
something
related
to
the
rhetorical
problem
you’re
investigating.
You
will
use
the
letter
as
an
opportunity
to
respond
to
someone
or
something
specifically
while
also
schooling
your
readers
about
something
related
to
your
topic.
Hermit
crab
piece
Hermit
crab
essays
are
essays
that
take
on
the
form
of
another
style
of
writing.
For
example,
a
personal
essay
presented
in
the
form
of
a
legal
document.
In
this
assignment,
you
will
write
about
your
topic
in
an
unexpected
genre
of
your
choice.
Final
Portfolio
At
the
end
of
the
semester,
you
will
pick
three
documents
to
include
in
a
final
portfolio.
One
of
the
essays
must
be
the
white
paper,
the
second
must
be
the
imitative
essay,
and
the
other
essays
can
be
one
of
your
choice.
These
essays
will
need
to
show
evidence
of
significant
revision
work.
You
will
also
include
a
portfolio
letter
in
which
you
describe
yourself
as
a
writer
and
attempt
to
persuade
your
portfolio
reader
that
you
have
clearly
met
all
of
the
course
objectives
for
English
309.
The
portfolio
determines
your
final
grade
in
English
309—A,
B,
C,
D,
or
F.
Conferences
with
Instructor
You
will
meet
with
the
instructor
six
times
during
the
semester.
During
these
meetings,
you
will
discuss
rough
drafts
of
each
essay,
and
discuss
your
current
standing
in
the
class.
Course
Schedule
Please
note
that
this
schedule
may
change
as
we
progress
through
the
semester;
changes
to
the
schedule
will
be
posted
on
weekly
BbLearn
posts.
Week
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
1
(1/11-­‐‑1/15)
Course
Introductions
Introduction
to
Genre
Parody
assignment
Read
Kerry
Dirk,
“Navigating
Genres”

6.
Rhetorical
Style
6
2
(1/16-­‐‑1/22)
Read
Tom
Connor,
“Writing
the
Well-­‐‑Spun
Spoof”
Genre
Parody
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
Genre
Parody
Draft
Conference
3
(1/23-­‐‑1/29)
Introduction
to
Topic
Proposal
Read
Barbara
Ehrenreich,
“Welcome
to
Cancerland”
Read
Andrea
Barrett,
“The
Sea
of
Information”
4
(1/30-­‐‑2/5)
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
1
Semester
Topic
Proposal
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
Semester
Topic
Proposal
Conference
5
(2/6-­‐‑2/12)
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
2
Introduction
to
White
Paper
Read
Michael
Steizer,
White
Paper
Outlines
Read
sample
white
papers
6
(2/13-­‐‑2/19)
Research
Log
#1
due
Research
Log
#2
due
Research
Log
#3
due
7
(2/20-­‐‑2/26)
Research
Log
#4
due
Read
technical
writing
unit
on
document
design
Research
Log
#5
due
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
3
Research
Log
#6
due
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
4
8
(2/27-­‐‑3/5)
Read
example
white
papers
White
Paper
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
White
Paper
Draft
Conference
9
(3/6-­‐‑3/12)
Introduce
Imitative
Essay
Read
Leslie
Jamison,
“In
Defense
of
Saccharine”
Read
Annie
Dillard,
“Total
Eclipse”
Read
Joy
Williams,
“Save
the
Whales,
Screw
the
Shrimp”
No
Class
3/13-­‐‑
3/19:
Spring
Break
10
(3/20-­‐‑3/26)
Read
Susan
Orlean,
“Lifelike”
Read
David
Foster
Wallace,
“Consider
the
Lobster”
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
5
11
(3/27-­‐‑4/2)
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
6
Start
style
map
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
7
Continue
style
map
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
8
Continue
style
map
12
(4/3-­‐‑4/9)
Read
Performing
Prose
chapter
10
Complete
style
map
Imitative
Essay
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
Imitative
Essay
Draft
Conference
13
(4/10-­‐‑4/16)
Introduce
Open
Letter
Read
Example
Open
Letters
Introduce
Hermit
Crab
14
(4/17-­‐‑4/23)
Read
example
Hermit
Crab
Open
Letter
and
Hermit
Crab
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
Open
Letter
and
Hermit
Crab
Draft
Conference
15
(4/24-­‐‑4/30)
Introduce
final
portfolio
Revision
activity
#1
Revision
activity
#2
Revision
activity
#3
16
(4/31-­‐‑5/7)
Review
introduction
letter
Portfolio
Peer
Review
Class
Canceled:
Portfolio
Conference
17
(5/8)
Final
portfolio
due
Wednesday
at
noon