What is Rhetoric of the Self?!

Writing is a skill that you’ll need the rest of your life. There will be no escaping it—sending emails, texts, writing essay exams, memos, and more. In this course, we will write, write, and rewrite. The major difference in this course is in terms of what we will write. As a student, you will experience how to discover topics of writing that are meaningful to you. You will learn how to make an assigned topic your own. Through learning about the writing process, through multiple drafts, conferences, and readings of your work, you will learn to think deeply about your own writing. You will discover the

inherent power that you, as a writer, posses and learn how to harness it to improve your writing. In this class, you are expected to bring your writing to a level that is polished and publishable. To do this, you will share your writing with the community of writers in this class. You will also receive and give thoughtful critiques about your own work as well as that of your classmates. Through this, You will learn to know the difference between r e v i s i o n , e d i t i n g , a n d proofreading. This is all to help you prepare for the personal and academic writing you will do throughout

college and your own life. Through it all, you will leave this class a better writer. Want more specifics? Here’s the catalog description of this course: Students learn rhetorical strategies to read and write in response to academic texts in various disciplines. Thematically linked to COR 110, the course teaches students to engage with ideas and work through difficult texts by posing meaningful questions and analyzing both what a text says and how it says it. Students learn to think and effectively communicate through critical reading, critical writing, speaking and reflection.

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Rhetoric of in this syllabus >>>

What is Composition? !Grade Breakdown !Writing Resources !Nitty-Gritty Details !Course Calendar

In this class, we’ll learn to write. More importantly, we’ll learn more than how to write. We’ll learn how to use words and ideas to reflect our best selves in college, at work, and in life.

questions?!concerns?!contact me

here:!>>>!

email: bsigurdson@champlain.edu !phone/text: 715.937.0507 !office/office hours: Aiken 100/TBA !Course Website: We’ll use Canvas LMS. Find it under “Current Students.”

An Overview of the Course, Expectations, Assignments, and Objectives

Your Instructor: Brett Sigurdson

Textbook: This I Believe, ed. by Jay Allison and

Dan Gedimen ISBN:9780805086584

Champlain College

the Self

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The Nitty Gritty... Everything that you need to succeed in this course !

Attendance As a student in this class, you are expected to contribute to your fellow students’ edification and growth. As such, a certain level of decorum must be maintained so that we may all benefit from each other’s experiences, opinions, and perspectives.       To that end, repeated absences will negatively affect your grade. You may miss a maximum of six class periods. More than six absences will lead to automatic failure. Keep in mind, I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences—if you miss, you ’re absent . However, i f an emergency will keep you from attending class for multiple days, please reach out to me and let me know. Should you ever miss class, need more information, or need a workshop partner, please reach out to someone in class for help. !

Class Participation We’re going to talk about writing, rhetoric, and ideas. A lot. Because these things largely extend from a personal reaction, I want to know your p e r s p e c t i ve , yo u r t a s t e s , yo u r interpretations, your ideas. You should want the same from your classmates. So, please show up for class ready to talk and discuss. Part of your grade will depend on your participation in class,

which I will note for grade purposes during each session. Each time you share something in class I will note it. Your final participation grade will be determined in points as a percentage of your sharing throughout the semester. Please know our classroom is a safe place. You should feel comfortable sharing your ideas without feeling judged. !

Assignments This class will consist of four medium-sized papers, several short discussion assignments (worth 25 points each), writing workshops, writing notebooks (more on those below) and class participation. In total, we’ll have at least 700 points for this class.

To keep up with things, please check Canvas daily. There you will find information on the class, including digital copies of all assignments, your grades, links to important websites, and postings concerning class discussions and topics of interest to our work. !

Writing Notebook Please bring a notebook solely for fast-writing assignments beginning the second day of class and continuing until the end of the semester. Your notebook will be the place where you explore your ideas, doodle, react to writing prompts, and hopefully plant the seeds of ideas for future writing projects. The type of notebook that you provide is of little significance. What matters is that you’re comfortable writing in it and that you use it only for this class.

I will require you to turn in your writing notebooks an unspecified number of times at least twice throughout the semester, something which will count towards your overall grade. Note: I have a strict deadline for notebooks. If I leave campus without your writing notebook, you will not receive points for the assignment. If you will be away from class, you can send it to class with someone. !

Late Work Writing is about making choices and this is something that will be reflected in my classroom. All assignments are absolutely due on the specified date. However, I will allow you to turn in an assignment up to seven days past the due date without penalty to your grade. If you choose to do this, I will not provide any feedback for your paper, something that may hinder any revision attempts. You must let me know, in writing—through either an email or a note submitted in class—at least 24 hours before the assignment is due that you will submit your assignment under these conditions.

Otherwise, if you do not notify me of your decision to take the extra week, I will not accept late work.

Note: This policy only pertains to the major papers of this course and NOT to group postings, your Writing Notebook, or any other recurring assignments.

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“You’re a Genius all the time”

Jack Kerouac

In addition to skills and knowledge, Champlain College aims to teach students appropriate Ethical and Professional Standards of Conduct. The Academic Honesty Policy exists to inform students and Faculty of their obligations in upholding the highest standards of professional and ethical integrity. All student work is subject to the A c a d e m i c H o n e s t y Po l i c y. Professional and Academic practice provides guidance about how to properly cite, reference, and attribute the intellectual property of others. Any attempt to deceive a faculty member or to help another student to do so will be considered a violation of this standard.

The penalty for plagiarism in this course may include, but is not limited to, failure of English 112. For questions or concerns, I encourage you to consult a reputable source, the Writing Center, or me.

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The Nitty Gritty... Everything that you need to succeed in this course !

Final Portfolio Writing is a process. You’re not going to sharpen your ability to write by getting one shot at it. Therefore, you will be encouraged to improve the assignments that you submit throughout the semester until the last week of the course. On the final day of classes, you’ll submit to me a portfolio of all the semester’s assignments, edited and sculpted to (I hope) perfection. Here’s how it will work: after you submit an assignment to me, I’ll respond with comments and a grade—the grade you would receive if you didn’t do any more work on it. If you’re satisfied with your work and the grade, then you can leave it. However, if you feel that you can do better, continue to work on the paper throughout the semester through revision, visiting with the Writing Center, and meeting with me. At the end of the semester, you’ll submit your work to me in a portfolio with a cover letter. The work that you submit should be your very best. The portfolio will stand as the bulk of your grade for the class. !

Students Requiring Accommodations

If you believe that you require accommodations in this class, please contact Counseling and Accommodation Services as soon as possible. You will be able to schedule a meeting with Denise Myers and have your documentation reviewed. During that meeting, Denise

will provide you with letters for your faculty, which will detail your needed accommodations. It is the student's responsibility to seek and secure accommodations prior to the start of a test or project.

Contact: Denise Myers, Counseling and Accommodation Services, via phone ( 8 0 2 . 8 6 5 . 5 4 8 4 ) o r e m a i l (dmyers@champlain.edu). Her office is located in Skiff Hall, room 100. !

Class Philosophies This is not a difficult class, though it’s not easy either. The most successful students in my courses aren’t necessarily the best writers; rather, the most successful students simply do the work. To succeed in this class, you simply need to show up, do each assignment, push yourself to create your best work, and revise, revise, revise. While the quality of your work takes precedence over anything else in terms of your grade, the above-mentioned things will lead to quality work.

Here are some other things to keep in mind:

1. No matter what, you each have something to gain from this class. I expect everyone to push themselves. 2. If you tell me before, it’s an explanation. If you tell me after, it’s an excuse. 3. At any po in t dur ing the semester, I will be happy to respond to questions or concerns regarding this course. Please feel free to visit me during my office hours or to make an appointment. 4. I reserve the right to change assignments, due dates, etc. on the syllabus. However, I will attempt to provide you with any pertinent

changes at minimum a week before said change is going to occur. 5. You have a number of ways to contact me. I expect you to work with me if you are having problems with your work or the course. Please don’t wait until the end-of-course evaluations to share your issues or struggles with this class. 6. Finally, let’s face it: technology breaks. servers go down, transfers time out, files become corrupt. The list goes on and on. These are not considered emergencies. They are part of the normal production process. An issue you may have with technology is no excuse for late work. You need to protect yourself by managing your time and backing up

your work.    

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WORKSHOPS One of the most important aspects of this course is

learning that writing isn’t just about you—it’s really about the reader. The best way to find out if your paper is successful is to get feedback from other people. To that end, we’ll spend a number of class sessions doing workshops throughout the semester.

Though you’ll participate in a few kinds of workshops, you’ll always do the same three things:

1. Read and respond to line-level things such as misspellings, inconsistencies, etc. 2. Write a few sentences about at least one thing that is working at the end. Write a few sentences about one thing that could be better. 3. Go over feedback with partner. Ask writer if he/she has questions. We will spend one class period during week three going

through how to workshop effectively.While many of you may be against letting peers read your work, this is a required part of

my class and one that you’ll soon come to see has enormous value to you.

Each workshop will be worth 10 points. If you miss a workshop due to absence, you can still get the points by finding a partner with whom to exchange papers. You must read a paper as well as exchange your own. Each partner must verify he or she workshopped in order to get the points.

If you don’t have a paper to share, don’t come to class. Use the time to work on your paper.

I expect you to take workshops seriously. They aren’t a time to talk or do work for other classes. In order to realize the true value of workshops, you’ve got to come prepared each time ready to talk about your revised work

Ultimately, it’s up to you to take advantage of the workshop experience. You must come to class ready to get good feedback and offer it to your partner. Simply participating in workshops doesn’t guarantee your paper will improve. You’ve got to be an active participant in the workshop process. Ask questions. Listen. Ask more questions. Do this until there are no more questions

‘Get black on white.’

Guy de Maupussant

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Writing Center MIC 218

course calendar...

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Week One [8/25–8/29] M: Bring Writing Notebook, Buy Books W: Read Syllabus; My Life Sounds Like This !Week Two [9/1–9/5] M: This I Believe W: Workshop !Week Three [9/8–9/12] M: Workshop; My Life Sounds Like This Due W: Personal Essay !Week Four [9/15–9/19] M: This I Believe W: This I Believe !Week Five [9/22–9/26] M: This I Believe W: Workshop !Week Six [9/29–10/3] M: Workshop; Personal Essay Due; Exploratory Essay W: Library Workshop !Week Seven [10/6–10/10] M: Conferences/Library Research Day W: Conferences/Library Research Day !Week Eight [10/13–10/17] M: No Class [Fall Break] W: No Class [Fall Break]

Week Nine [10/20–10/24] M: Research and Documentation W: Research and Documentation !Week Ten [10/27–10/31] M: Workshop W: Workshop !Week Eleven [11/3–11/7] M: Exploratory Essay Due; Blended Response W: Ethos/Pathos/Logos !Week Twelve [11/10–11/14] M: Summaries W: Research Responses !Week Thirteen [11/17–11/21] M: Reflective Responses W: Grammar/Punctuation !Week Fourteen [11/24–11/28] M: Writing/Research Day W: No Class [Thanksgiving Break] !Week Fifteen [12/1–12/5] M: Workshop W: Workshop; Blended Response Due !Final Portfolio Due Friday, Dec. 12

This is a broad overview of this course’s trajectory. This will most likely evolve and change as we progress and figure out where we need to spend more or less time. Homework will be given each day in class and on the class blog. You should read each chapter before the day it is listed on the schedule.

Though the plethora of portable devices (laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc.) available to us can make our lives easier and more enjoyable, they are of limited application in the classroom.

I have no patience for cell phones in my classroom.This is disrespectful to me and your classmates. If I see you using a cell phone for use other than recording homework or an appointment, you will be given an absence. If you must text or call someone during class, simply let me know and step outside the classroom.

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The Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations with peer tutors who assist students with writing assignments of any type. Consultants will help you develop and structure your ideas and thing through what you’re trying to say. Please note, they will not dictate content, edit, proofread, or co-author student papers, and they won’t predict the kind of grade you might earn on an assignment might earn.

You can find all kinds of helpful resources in the Writing Center on a walk-in basis. For a one-on-one consultation with tutors, you should make an appointment. To get further information on all that the Writing Center offers, visit its website.

The Writing Center is located on the second floor of Mil ler Information Commons, room 228, and is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Champlain College is taking precautionary measures to ensure that this class can continue in a "virtual environment" even during an extended emergency such as severe weather, contagious disease, physical infrastructure failure, campus closure, or similar incident. This course will continue either online through a college-provided learning management system (Canvas), or through some other process unless cancelled.

In the event of such an emergency, students are expected to continue instructor-designated class activities, as directed by the instructor. Due to the nature of the "virtual environment" learning activities may differ slightly from the on-campus course. In order for this emergency preparedness plan to be effective, you are asked to ensure that you will have a computer and internet access at the location in which you will reside during an extended campus closure, prepare yourself with the basic skills of logging into Canvas via the dashboard, finding your course(s) and entering them, and participate in a "warm up" online activity in the "virtual environment" when directed to do so by your instructor.

Business Continuity

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and analyze how a text makes a specific point to an audience with a specific purpose.

√ Develop meaningful arguments for a variety of purposes and audiences by synthesizing multiple sources of evidence.

√ Establish authorial voice through control of tone, style and an awareness of their political, philosophical and social values.

√ Work in small groups. √ Effectively and appropriately

engage in discussion.

Course Objectives...

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Submitting Assignments

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“A good writer is basically a story-teller, not a scholar or a redeemer of mankind.”

—Isaac Bashevis Singer

“Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of a style.”

—Jonathan Swift

Major!Assignments

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!Paper Two:Personal Essay. Following the lead of writers from This I

Believe, you’ll write a personal essay about an experience that speaks to some universal truth about the human condition. 100 points !

Paper Three: Exploratory Research Paper. This isn’t the typical research paper. You’ll write a first-person narrative of your research process. What did you discover? How did your understanding of the topic change as you encountered new sources? To explain all of this, you’ll consider various organizational strategies for moving from one source or grouping to another. The paper will lead to a tentative, considered thesis or claim based on all the evidence you’ve examined and carefully demonstrate the complexity of the research issue. 100 Points !

Paper Four:Blended Response. You’ll be introduced to strategies for reading and summarizing difficult material and responding to it as a way to enter the scholarly conversation. You’ll learn standard research methods as you prepare this paper, and you’ll be encouraged to explore academic arguments in areas of your own personal or professional interest. 100 Points !

Final Portfolio: This isn’t so much an assignment as a second chance for you to improve upon all of the assignments above—both in terms of quality and in terms of your overall grade. For more on how the portfolio will work, turn to page two of the syllabus.

Paper One: My Life Sounds Like This. We’ll start with something fun, something to give you a different perspective on your favorite music, your life, and writing. 100 points.

You will submit all assignments to me via Canvas, where I will grade them and return them to you via the same manner with feedback and a rubric. If you’re unsure how this works, don’t worry—check out the video on our Canvas course page. We’ll go over it in class, too. !

IMPORTANT COR 115 is offered in partial fulfillment of the New England Association of S c h o o l s a n d C o l l e g e ’ s

requirement that one-third of a student’s education at a NEASC-accredited institution be comprised of general education courses.  According to NEASC, which is Champlain College’s accrediting body, “The general education requirement . . . ensures adequate breadth for all degree-seeking students by showing a balanced regard for what are traditionally referred to as the arts and human i t i e s ; the s c i ence s inc lud ing mathematics; and the social sciences.  General education requirements include offerings that f o c u s o n t h e s u b j e c t m a t t e r a n d methodologies of these three primary domains of knowledge as well as their relationships to one another.”

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! Grade Scale ≥ 100=A+ 93–99=A 90–92=A- 87–89=B+

83–86=B 80–82=B- 77–79=C+ 73–76=C

70–72=C-

63–69=D

0–59=F

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Note: The content of these assignments, the point values, a n d e ve n t h e a s s i g n m e n t s themselves may change as we go through the semester.

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