Schedule

Schedule is subject to revision

Key to Abbreviations

ARCS: Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students (text)
CDA: Compose, Design, Advocate (text)
PCD: Political Communication and Deliberation (text)
Passion: Passion Blog (weekly writing about one topic for entire semester)
CI: Civic Issues Blog (weekly commenting and occasional writing about contemporary topics)
P+P: Papers and Presentations (for homework and reflections about work being designed in the course)

 

Jan 8 (Tu) Unit Five: This I Believe (TIB)
Introduction to RCL II and classmates. Beliefs. Civic Issues Blog.
Jan 10 (Th) TIB examples. Discuss TIB topic ideas. Discuss CI blog ideas and logistics.

  • Due: ARCS, p. 260-278
  • Due:  Listen to at least three TIB broadcasts
  • Due: Write down three TIB topic ideas and be prepared to discuss them in class
  • P+P: Discuss how you plan to pursue your passion blog this semester. If you keep the same topic, how will you keep it fresh? What will you adjust from last semester? If you select a new topic, what are you considering? How might you improve the framing or execution of the blog compared to last semester?
Jan 15 (Tu) TIB Workshop

  • P+P: Post full draft of TIB essay
  • P+P: Identify the civic issue you’ll explore for the CI blog.  Post a 250 word discussion of your current perspective on the issue and why you want to pursue it.
Jan 17 (Th) Garage Band Training – Meet in W140 Knowledge Commons

  • Due: Read NYT commentary on the challenges and joys of reading aloud
Jan 22 (Tu) Unit Six: Deliberating
What is deliberation?

  • Due: PCD, preface and ch 1
  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 1 + 2
Jan 24 (Th) Conversation and Discussion
National Issues Forum Model

  • Due: TIB Podcast (post script and link on your P+P blog)
  • Due: PCD, ch 2
  • P+P: Provide a link and justification for your online deliberation site (moved to next week)
Jan 29 (Tu) Mediated Deliberation and Public Opinion

  • Due: PCD, ch 3
  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 3 + 4
  • P+P: Provide a link and justification for your online deliberation site
Jan 31 (Th) More on Media
Group Work Time

  • Due: Your group’s chapter from PCD (4-9)
Feb 5 (Tu) Blogging
Group Work Time

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 1 + 2
Feb 7 (Th) Presentations on PCD Chapters 4-9

  • Due: Presentation
Feb 12 (Tu) Moderator Training

  • P+P: Reflection on presentations
  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 3 + 4
Feb 14 (Th) Toward a Deliberative Democracy
Moderator Practice

  • PCD, ch 10
  • NEW P+P: Read the Teaching Philosophies posted on ANGEL. Respond to the prompt on the main course website.
Feb 19 (Tu) Class Issues Forum: Personal Stake, Deliberate Approach 1

  • No Blogging this week.  Work on online deliberations instead.
  • 11:15-12:30 class meets in 144 Fenske
  • 4:15-5:30 class meets in 174 Willard
Feb 21 (Th) Class Issues Forum: Deliberate Approach 2, Deliberate Approach 3
Feb 26 (Tu) Class Issues Forum: Concluding Reflections
Discuss Online Deliberation Assignment

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 1
  • P+P: Post draft of Moderating Philosophy
Feb 28 (Th) Discuss Class Issues Forum
Introduce Persuasive Essay Assignment

  • Due by 5pm Friday, March 1: deliberation evaluation and moderating philosophy statement.  Post to ANGEL dropbox as attachment.
Mar 5 & 7 Spring Break!

  • No Blogging due this week
Mar 12 (Tu) Unit Seven: Persuasion and Advocacy
Differences Between Deliberation and Persuasion
Discuss Persuasive Essay

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 2
  • Due by 5pm today: Online deliberation packet: the reflection on the deliberation itself, and copies of the conversation itself.  (This could be pasted into a text file, or could be screen shots, or could be some other visual evidence of your posts and the relevant responses.)  Post to ANGEL dropbox as attachment.
Mar 14 (Th) More on Persuasive Essays
Research Strategies, Stasis, Argument Types and Fallacies

  • Review ARCS ch 5-8 amd CDA p 24-30 with an eye to using them as tools of persuasion rather than tools of analysis
Mar 19 (Tu) Blogging
Argumentative Proofs

  • NEW! Read the sample policy essay on cloning, available on ANGEL.  Print and bring to class for discussion.
  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 3
Mar 21 (Th) Persuasion and Advocacy, The Rhetorical Situation

  • P+P: Persuasive Essay Topic Proposal
  • Due: CDA, p. 283-305
Mar 26 (Tu) Blogging

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 4
Mar 28 (Th) No formal class.  Meet with instructor instead.

  • Schedule to follow.
  • Bring: paragraph-level outline for persuasive essay, and any questions you may have for me.
Apr 2 (Tu) Audience and Modal Choices

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 1
  • P+P: List or describe possible advocacy topic, audience, mode, and/or occasion options.  Feel free to write about whichever of these you’ve selected so far.
Apr 4 (Th) Draft Workshop

  • Bring: Draft of Persuasive Essay
Apr 9 (Tu) Blogging, Group Work Time

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 2
  • P+P: update on advocacy project
  • Due: Final Draft of Persuasive Essay
Apr 11 (Th) No class. Work on Advocacy project.  Optional: Meet with instructor in extra office hours.
Apr 16 (Tu) Unit Eight: Presenting Yourself
ePortfolio Platforms
Blogging

  • Passion
  • CI: Blogger 3
  • Due: review ePortfolio examples (links to come)
Apr 18 (Th) ePortfolio Tips and Possibilities

  • Due: Advocacy Project
Apr 23 (Tu) Final Blogging
ePortfolio Workshop

  • CI: Blogger 4
  • Bring: Materials to work on ePortfolio
Apr 25 (Th) Final Course Notes

  • Due by 5pm Saturday, April 27: copy of ePortfolio introduction, plus the ePortfolio link, posted to P+P blog

LAST SEMESTER – FOR REFERENCE
Key to Abbreviations

ARCS: Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students (text)
CDA: Compose, Design, Advocate (text)
RCL: Rhetoric and Civic Life Blog (weekly writing about course material observed in everyday life)
Passion: Passion Blog (weekly writing about one topic for entire semester)
P+P: Papers and Presentations (your website for reflections about work being designed in the course)

 

Aug 28 (Tu) Introduction to course. Introduction to rhetoric. Set up first blog (RCL).
Aug 30 (Th) Rhetoric

  • Due: ARCS, p. 1-27.
  • Due:  Compose a 300+ word response to one of the Rhetorical Activities on p 25 (Activity 1, 2, 3, or 4). Post the response to your RCL blog.
Sept 4 (Tu) Civic Life, Engagement

  • Due: Read Schudson, “How People Learn to Be Civic”
  • Due: Read Turkle, “The Flight from Conversation.” (Both readings are available on ANGEL.)
  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL only)
Sept 4 (Tu) Evening Attend Evening Plenary Event: Do the Right Thing 7-10pm State Theatre, 130 W College Avenue (alternate showing at 4:30pm, or watch on your own)
Sept 6 (Th) Do the Right Thing Discussion

  • Type and bring a response to DtRT film in light of concepts covered in readings so far (rhetoric, civic life, ideology, networks of interpretation, commonplaces, etc.)
  • Be ready to discuss: Passion blog ideas
Sept 11 (Tu) Oral Presentation Design Process, Presentation Evaluation (CDA 232)

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #1 for P+P)
  • CDA p. 1-30, 186-213, 234-235
Sept 13 (Th) Oral Presentation Delivery Skills

  • Bring for discussion: Civic Life Presentation Design Plan
Sept 18 (Tu) Civic Life Presentations (8 students)

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion)
Sept 20 (Th) Civic Life Presentations (10 students)
Sept 25 (Tu) Civic Life Presentations (6 students)

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #2 for P+P)
Sept 27 (Th) Intro to Rhetorical Analysis

  • CDA p. 313-332
  • Read directions for Rhetorical Analysis Essay on course website
  • Browse through CDA 333-496, considering variety of artifacts that can be analyzed rhetorically
Oct 2 (Tu) More Rhetorical Analysis

  • ARCS p. 118-142, 146-164
  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #3 for P+P)
Oct 4 (Th) Written Communication; Essay Workshop
Oct 9 (Tu) Research, Introduce Paradigm Shift Essay

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion)
  • CDA p. 90-132
  • Bring printed draft of Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Oct 11 (Th) Kairos

  • ARCS p. 37-87
  • Bring final draft of Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Oct 16 (Tu) Library VisitGo directly to 211A Pattee at the beginning of class, rather than the regular Tuesday room.

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #4 for P+P)
Oct 18 (Th) Stasis

  • ARCS p. 56-87
Oct 23 (Tu) More on Paradigm Shift Papers, TED Talk

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion)
Oct 25 (Th) Commonplaces, Draft Workshop

  • ARCS p. 88-117
  • Bring printed draft of Paradigm Shift Essay
Oct 30 (Tu) Memory and Delivery

  • ARCS p. 325-348
  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion)
  • Bring final draft of Paradigm Shift Essay
Nov 1 (Th) TED Talk Genre

  • Read About TED and TED Talks
  • Watch this TED Talk: Joshua Foer’s discussion of memory
  • Watch several other TED talks, focusing especially on those designed to increase understanding (as opposed to those that are merely engaging)
  • Skim CDA p. 217-231, recognizing that your instructor is not thrilled about the design of some slides in the example. (Remember, please bring the book to class.)
  • Read Assignment directions for Public Controversy Videos
Nov 6 (Tu)
TED Talks: Groups 1 + 2. Other groups  work on Public Controversy Topic Selection and Research
  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #5 for P+P)
Nov 8 (Th) TED Talks: Groups 3 + 4. Other groups  work on Public Controversy Topic Selection and Research
Nov 13 (Tu) TED Talks: Groups 5 + 6.  Other groups  work on Public Controversy Topic Selection and Research

  • No regular RCL or Passion blogs this week (unless you want to)
Nov 15 (Th) Group Work Day – No formal class meeting

  • By Friday: Weekly Writing (prompt #6 for P+P) – complete after your TED Talk, but before Thanksgiving Break
  • By Friday: Submit group work plan before leaving for Thanksgiving Break
Nov 19-23 Thanksgiving Break. No Class.
Nov 27 (Tu) Public Controversy Video Examples, Group Work Time

  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion)
Nov 29 (Th) Copyright and Fair Use, Visual Literacy, More Video Examples

If you’re interested in learning more about proposals for fixing copyright policy and law, check out these sources.  (These are optional, and perhaps something you might come back to later on.)
Dec 4 (Tu) “Optics and Sonics,” Multi-modality, Production Values

  • CDA p. 237-282
  • Watch videos and/or read about process of shooting and editing footage (steps 2 and 3) at Vimeo’s Video School
  • Due: Weekly Writing (RCL and Passion, prompt #7 for P+P)
Dec 6 (Th) Groups meet independently to work on video projects. No formal class.
Dec 11 (Tu) Groups meet in class to work on video projects.

  • Due: Weekly Writing (either RCL or Passion)
  • Prompt #8 for P+P (basically selecting your best blog posts for grading.)
Dec 13 (Th) Screening of Public Controversy Videos