ENGLISH 102

RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION

BULLETIN INFORMATION
ENGL 102: Rhetoric and Composition (3 credit hours)
Course Description:
A course offering structured, sustained practice in researching, analyzing and composing
arguments. Students will read about a range of academic and public issues and write
researched argumentative and persuasive essays.

SAMPLE COURSE OVERVIEW

English 102 builds on English 101 to prepare you for the writing you will do in future college
courses and beyond. While English 101 honed your ability to critically read and closely analyze
particular texts, English 102 emphasizes helping you to write well-reasoned argumentative
papers that draw on multiple sources and viewpoints. During the semester, you will learn to
identify the elements of an effective argument, and then you’ll apply those principles in
composing researched essays about academic and public issues. This course will also
strengthen your information literacy skills by teaching you strategies for finding, assessing,
using, citing, and documenting source materials. You’ll learn these writing and research skills
through frequent, intensive practice, so that by the end of the term, you will be able to write
logically, responsibly, and articulately about challenging topics.

ITEMIZED LEARNING OUTCOMES

English 102 fulfills a general education requirement in “Effective Engaged, and Persuasive
Communication (Writing)” for the Carolina Core. This means that the course will help you learn
to “identify and analyze issues, develop logical and persuasive arguments, and communicate
ideas clearly for a variety of audiences and purposes through writing.”
Upon successful completion of English 102, students will be able to:
1. Write effective college-level papers on academic and public issues, each tailored
appropriately to its audience and purpose.
2. Demonstrate rhetorical concepts and terms that will enable you to identify the elements
of an effective argument.
3. Craft reasoned arguments that articulate a central claim (thesis), draw on credible
supporting evidence, and effectively address opposing viewpoints.
4. Demonstrate abilities in researching, specifically to find, assess, and use appropriate
supporting materials from the university libraries, the Internet, and other sources.
5. Effectively integrate material from research into your writing via summary, paraphrase,
and quotation.
6. Document source materials using MLA style and understand basic principles of
academic integrity, intellectual property, citation, and documentation.
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 7. Work through a full range of writing processes—including invention, planning, drafting,
revision, and editing;
8. Collaborate with classmates to develop group projects and to critique each other’s work
in progress.
9. Develop a clear, effective writing style, free of major errors, and adapt it to a variety of
rhetorical situations.

SAMPLE REQUIRED TEXTS/SUGGESTED READINGS/MATERIALS

1. Bauknight, Lee, ed. with Bethany Tisdale et al. The Carolina Reader: Readings for
Writing, 2nd ed. Fort Worth, TX: Fountainhead P, 2011.
2. Ruszkiewicz, John, Christy Friend, Daniel Seward and Maxine Hairston. The Scott,
Foresman Handbook for Writers, 9th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010.
3. Ramage, John et al. Writing Arguments. 5th Concise ed. New York: Longman, 2011.
4. A disk or drive on which you will save copies of all your work.

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS AND/OR EXAM

You’ll write every day in this class. Some of this writing will be informal and brief, and some will
be formal and more rigorous—but nearly all of it will fold into four major writing projects.
Assignments will be weighted as follows:
1. Final Portfolio of Essays containing final, edited versions of the following assignments:
a. Project 1: Rhetorical Analysis Essay (3-4 pages)
b. Project 2: Annotated Research Bibliography (collaborative project completed with
2-3 classmates; 15-20 pages)
c. Project 3: Researched Argumentative Essay (5-7 pages)
d. Project 4: “Wild Card” Essay (2-3 pages)
e. Portfolio Cover Letter (1-2 pages)
2. Short Writing Assignments, or “SWAs” —SWAs are formal writing assignments
completed outside of class. Each should be typed, edited, printed out and brought to
class to turn in. SWAs will be letter-graded based both on content and the quality of the
writing.
3. Drafts of Projects 1-3 —You will turn in a draft of each major project before submitting
the final version. Drafts should be full-length, typed, and carefully edited before you
turn them in; they will be graded holistically, based primarily on completeness and
content.
4. In-Class Assignments and Quizzes – These assignments will be informal and completed
in class.

SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE WITH TIMELINE OF TOPICS, READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS,

EXAMS/PROJECTS
(Abbreviations: CR = Carolina Reader; WA = Writing Arguments; SFH = SF Handbook; BB =
Additional materials posted on BlackBoard; SWA = Short Writing Assignment)

Week 1: Course Basics, Introduction to Argument in Academic Writing

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 Topics: Syllabus review; introduction to course and each other. What is an argument?
Arguments in academic and public discourse; writing processes; expectations for college
writing. Analysis of sample arguments.

Readings: WA Chapter 1 “Overview of Argument”; Review SFH Chapter 1 “What Does

Writing Involve?” and Chapter 6 “How Do You Write a Successful Academic Paper?;” BB
sample arguments from New York Times or other current publications

Homework: SWA1. “Found Argument”: Find an example of a brief argumentative text

that you think is either very effective or very ineffective. In 1-2 pages, identify the
central argument the text makes, discuss whether the argument is explicitly stated or
implied and identify the specific elements make the argument effective or ineffective.

Week 2: Arguments in the Rhetorical Tradition

Topics: Introduction to argument, continued; arguments in the rhetorical tradition;
Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals; discussion and analysis of sample argument essays by Carr
and Cascio; grammar/style mini-workshop.

Readings: WA Chapter 3 “The Core of an Argument: A Claim with Reasons” and Chapter
6 “Moving your Audience: Ethos, Pathos, and Kairos.” CR Carr “Is Google Making Us
Stupid?” and Cascio “Get Smarter”; SFH readings based on common problems in SWA1.

Homework: SWA2. “Mini Rhetorical Analysis”: Select either the Cascio or the Carr essay,
and in 1-2 pages, either (1) discuss how the author employs appeals to ethos, pathos,
and/or kairos to persuade readers, or (2) identify the author’s major claim and reasons
and discuss how effective the author’s appeal to logos is in the essay.

Week 3: The Art of Rhetorical Analysis

Project 1 assignment sheet will be posted.
Topics: Reading critically and rhetorically; Elbow’s “believing and doubting” heuristic;
rhetorical analysis of written and visual arguments; practice with sample texts; review of
Project 1 assignment; topic proposal workshop.

Readings: WA Chapter 8 “Analyzing Arguments Rhetorically” and Chapter 9 “Analyzing

Visual Arguments Rhetorically”; SFH Chapter 9 “How Can You Recognize and Avoid
Fallacies?;” BB Photographs by Margaret Bourke-White and advertisements from Ad
Archive; CR Kristof “The Women’s Crusade” and Wiesel “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”

Homework: SWA3. Choose a photograph or ad that we did not discuss in class, or an

essay from Chapter 5 of the Carolina Reader, and write a 1-page topic proposal for
Project 1. Be sure that your proposal answers the following questions: Why did you
choose this text? What rhetorical features of the text strike you as most effective,
striking, or ineffective? What is your working thesis? What specific evidence and
examples might support that thesis?

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Week 4: From Analysis to Essay
Due: Draft of Project 1; please bring 2 extra photocopies for peer revision workshop.
Topics: Review from ENGL 101: strategies for revision, editing, proofreading; benefits of
and tips for peer review; organizing an analytical essay; developing and polishing a
thesis; MLA essay format; peer revision workshop.

Readings: Review sample rhetorical analysis essay in CR Chapter 9; SFH Chapter 3 “How
Do You Organize an Essay?”; Chapter 5 “How Do You Revise, Edit, and Proofread?”; and
sample paper in MLA format on pp. 703-713.

Homework: SWA4. Write a 1-page peer review memo for each of the two members of
your peer revision workshop group. Each memo should be formatted as a “formal
email” (see SFH pp. 324-325) and it should answer the questions for responding to a
peer’s draft on SFH p. 67. Email each memo directly to your classmate, and cc me.

Week 5: Argument as Inquiry: Exploring an Issue

Project 1 drafts returned with comments; Project 2 assignment posted by the beginning
of the week.

Topics: Arguments as conversations; identifying issues of academic and public concern;

using reading and research to explore an issue; discussion of Project 2 assignment;
assignment of project groups/topics; elements of effective collaboration; initial group
meetings; style/grammar mini-workshop, based on common problems in Project 1
drafts.

Readings: Read the essays in the CR chapter corresponding to your Project 2 group’s
assigned topic; SFH Chapter 2 “How Do You Explore and Refine a Topic?”; additional
references from SFH grammar and style chapters based on common problems in Project
1 drafts.

Homework: SWA5. Create a discussion forum for your project group on BlackBoard,
and collaboratively complete the following: (1) using at least two of the suggestions
outlined in SFH section 2b, brainstorm a list of interesting issues and questions raised by
the essays in your assigned chapter; (2) select one issue that seems like the most
promising topic for your group’s Project 2 and write a 2-3 paragraph post discussing why
you believe this issue is especially important, complex, and/or pressing. Each group
member will receive an individual grade for this SWA.

Week 6: Doing Research

Topics: How do you find conversations, arguments, and information about a topic?
What kinds of sources and information are appropriate for academic writing? Two
workshops with university librarians: (1) Kinds of sources; introduction to library

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 databases and resources; Web and other online sources; (2) Finding, selecting,
evaluating, and positioning sources on your Project 2 topic.

Readings: Read and conduct research for Project 2; SFH Chapters 43 “How Do You Plan
a Research Project?” and 44 “How Do You Find Information?”

Homework: SWA6. Complete one citation and annotation for a source on your group’s
research topic that you found using the library’s databases. Your annotation should be
approximately one page, double-spaced; use the format shown on SFH pp. 78-80. Each
group member should complete this assignment individually.

Week 6: Preparing a Literature Review / Annotated Bibliography

Topics: Collaborative writing and revision; planning an annotated bibliography; MLA
citation and documentation; organizing literature reviews and annotated bibliographies;
academic honesty, intellectual property and avoiding plagiarism; group work and class
discussion of Project 2 introductions.

Readings: Refer to SFH Chapter 49 “How Do You Document a Research Paper?” and
Chapter 50 “How Do You Use MLA Documentation?” as needed; examine sample
annotated bibliographies [BB]
In-class assignment: Collaboratively draft the introduction section of Project 2. Your
introduction should be 1-2 pages. Be sure to identify and frame the topic your group
has chosen and outline the contents of the annotated bibliography (scope, organization,
kinds of sources).

Week 8: Research Presentations; Moving from Exploration to Argument

Due: Project 2 draft; Project 3 and Project 4 assignments will be posted by the
beginning of the week.

Topics: Group oral presentations on Project 2 drafts and discussion: what interesting
questions or directions does each group’s project raise? What conversations could a
writer enter on this topic?; moving from exploratory research to staking out a claim;
classical structure of an argument; discussion of Project 3 assignment.

Readings: WA Chapter 4 “The Logical Structure of Arguments”; CR King “Letter from a

Birmingham Jail” and/or Pollan “Farmer in Chief.”
Homework: Prepare for individual conference next week.

Week 9: Individual Conferences

Readings: WA Chapter 4 “The Logical Structure of Arguments” and Chapter 10 “An
Introduction to the Kinds of Claims.” (Recommended: SFH Chapter 10 “How Do You
Craft Persuasive Arguments?”)

Week 10: Crafting a Logical Argument: Toulmin’s Schema and Kinds of Claims

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 Project 2 drafts will be returned with my comments.

Topics: Kinds of claims (fact, definition, evaluation, cause/effect, policy); Toulmin’s

schema: structure of a claim-based argument (claim, reasons, evidence, warrants,
backing); discussion and analysis of essays representing sample types of claims;
discussion of Project 2 outlines.

Readings: CR Waters, “A Healthy Constitution” [claim of definition]; Scully, “Fear

Factories” [claim of evaluation]; Lennon, “Why Vegetarians are Eating Meat” [claim of
causation]; Berry “Renewing Husbandry” [policy claim].

In-class assignment: Prepare a Toulmin-based outline of the argument you plan to make
in Project 3, including a 1-2 sentence description of each of the following: your major
claim, supporting reasons and evidence, and warrants.

Week 11: Fleshing Out Your Argument: Selecting Evidence, Examining Warrants
Topics: Rhetorical understanding of evidence; kinds of evidence—data, testimony,
chains of reasons, examples; evaluating evidence (accuracy, sufficiency,
representativeness, relevance, currency of information); framing and presenting
evidence in your writing (summary, paraphrase, quotation, verbs of attribution); discuss
Week 10 readings’ use of evidence and sources; discuss Project 2 paragraph drafts in
progress.

Readings: WA Chapter 5 “Using Evidence Effectively” and SFH Sections 46b “How Do
You Summarize and Paraphrase a Source?,” 46c “How Do You Avoid Plagiarism?” and
Chapter 47 “How Do You Manage Quotations Effectively?”

In-class assignment:. Draft a paragraph in which you draw on evidence from your
research to support a claim you plan to make in Project 3. Paraphrase or quote from the
source, framing and citing it appropriately within the text.

Week 12: Appealing to Readers, Addressing Alternative Views

Topics: Analyzing and engaging an audience; effective introductions and conclusions;
identifying opposing views; ways of handling opposing arguments: qualification,
concession, conciliation, refutation; effective word choice; discussion of CR essays;
further development and discussion of Project 3 drafts.

Readings: WA Chapter 7 “Responding to Objections and Alternative Views;” Review SFH

Chapter 13 “How Do You Craft Opening and Closing Paragraphs?” and Chapter 15 “What
Kinds of Language Can You Use?”; CR Review Scully “Fear Factories” and King “Letter
from a Birmingham Jail,” paying special attention to how each writer handles opposing
arguments.

Homework: Continue work on Project 3.

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Week 13: Arguments in Other Media: Working with Visual, Digital, and Multimedia
Due: Project 3 draft; bring three extra copies for peer revision workshop.
Final Portfolio checklist will be distributed this week.

Topics: Peer revision workshop on Project 3 drafts; discussion of three assignment

options for Project 4; topic workshop for Project 4.

In-class writing: Topic proposal for Project 4.

Readings: SFH Chapter 18 “Model Documents;” BB Samples representing all three

options for Project 4

Homework: SWA7. Write a peer revision memo for each of the two classmates in your
peer revision group; email the memo to the writer and cc me.

Week 14: Adding Polish to Your Arguments: Medium, Style, Format, Grammar/Mechanics
Project 3 drafts returned with my comments.

Topics: Tailoring an argument to different genres and media; honing style (word choice,
sentence structure, figurative language); editing skills; review of “10 most common
errors” based on the class’ most common problems throughout the semester; style
exercises; discussion of Project 4 drafts in progress.

Readings: WA “Constructing Your Own Visual Argument,” pp. 151-160; review readings
from SFH Chapters 12-17 “Style” and/or Chapters 22-42 “Grammar, Punctuation, and
Mechanics” based on common problems in Project 3 drafts.

Homework: Work on Project 4; pull together materials for final portfolio to bring to
class in Week 15.

Week 15: Pulling it All Together

Topics: Review requirements for final portfolio, q&a; review of major terms and
concepts from semester; writing in future courses; final questions re “10 most common
errors”; final portfolio workshop; discussion and preliminary drafting of portfolio cover
letters; course evaluations.

In-class assignment /quiz: “10 Most Common Errors”: This short-answer quiz, which will
count as a double daily work grade, will cover the ten specific style, grammar, and
mechanics issues reviewed during Weeks 14-15.

Homework: Prepare final portfolio.

Final Exam Period: [according to University Schedule]

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 Due: Your final portfolio is due at the beginning of the final exam period.

Appendix: Overview of Major Projects

Rhetorical Analysis Essay (3-4 pages): This essay-length analysis assignment will ask you
to demonstrate facility with a rhetorical vocabulary as you identify, discuss and evaluate
the persuasive strategies used in a persuasive written or visual text of your choice.

Annotated Research Bibliography with Introductory Essay (collaborative project,

completed in groups of 3-4 students: 15-20 pages /15-25 sources): This researched
annotated bibliography, which you’ll compose collaboratively with a group of
classmates, will require that you do research to identify and assess a range of positions
on an issue and explore those positions across a variety of sources. This assignment will
give you the opportunity to practice productive research strategies and allows you to
accumulate a bank of useful sources to draw from in the next two assignments.

Researched Argumentative Essay (5-7 pages): In this researched academic essay, you
will articulate and defend a claim/thesis about an issue related to the research you
conducted in Project 2. This assignment will ask you to engage the sources gathered in
the exploratory assignment, to conduct additional research as needed, and to compose
a carefully reasoned argument that contributes to the existing discourse on the topic.

Wild Card Assignment (2-3 pages): The last essay will ask you to revise (in the richest
sense of the word) Project 3. This assignment will push you think of revision as an
opportunity for refining or radically altering the form your argument takes. You will
have three options for this assignment:
Dissoi Logoi: Write a short essay that critiques or refutes the position argued for in the
research paper. The argument should draw upon the same bank of research sources
gathered in the exploratory assignment.
Executive Summary: Revise the research paper into a 500-word executive summary.
Make sure that each claim in the original paper can be traced and identified in the
concise version.
New Medium or Genre: Reconstruct your argument in another medium (poster
presentation, photo essay, blog, Web page, etc.) or genre (editorial, letter to a public
official, public service announcement, etc.). This assignment will include an additional
short essay component asking you to reflect on the different constraints you had to
consider in the act of translating the message from one version to another.