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Week 1ENC 1102The Composition of Political ArgumentsCourse DescriptionEnglish 1102 is a course in writing, reading, and analysis. Its purpose is to help you become a stronger thinker and communicator so that you can be a more effective member within the communities in which you participate. This course will be one of discovery: of the texts we read, the contexts they reside in, and our own and others’ responses to them. To that end, we will closely examine how analyses of the purpose, context, and audience of any communication situation help you think about the most effective choices (including mechanics) tomake in designing any piece of communication, no matter the medium. We will also be exploring—and reflecting upon—the particular composing habits and practices that help you strengthen your abilities.Building on the reading, research, and writing you did in ENC 1101, you will use rhetorical analysis to develop your abilities to write for varied purposes and audiences. Our focus on rhetoric is particularly important because we will deal specifically with a text's ability to persuadean audience to act or think in a particular way while considering the implications of that persuasion. To accomplish this goal, this course employs selections of non-fiction, pop-culture, current periodicals, and historical documents as objects of analysis and critique. For our class, you will choose a current social issue that matters to you and about which there is much current discussion. Throughout the semester, you will conduct both traditional and creative research into your issue and then compose letters, opinion pieces, posters, documentary photography books, and a piece in the medium of your choosing to learn how to shape communication in different media for a variety of audiences. By the end of the semester you should be able to thoroughly analyze difficult texts, envision them within a larger contextual framework, and recognize their local and cultural significance.When you look at the course calendar, notice these main assignments:- an I-Search paper- a 5 minute speech on that issue- a poster about that issue- a documentary photography book focusing on your issue- a letter to the editor about your social issue- a final group project where you work with 2-3 others on documents that advocate for the people affected by your social issueWe will approach each of these assignments through planning and multiple drafts (at least 2, if not 3 or 4).According to the Gordon rule, you must develop 6000+ words (24 double-spaced, 12 pt. font pages) of polished text in this class. To show that you have accomplished this requirement, at the end of the semester you will turn in a portfolio of a significant representation of your work Spring 2008 ENC 1102McCrackenSyllabus1 of 8throughout the semester. In order for you to be able to create this portfolio, you will need to keep every single piece of work you produce in this class.Goals for Composition IIAs a result of your work in this class, you should:- Gain experience in analyzing and producing written, visual, and oral communications.- Learn how to apply rhetorical principles to both the analysis and production of texts in various media. That is, you should be able to use analyses of audience, context, and purpose in developing your own texts and in understanding why others have composed their texts as they have.- Become more attentive to your composing processes so that you can most effectively develop your own texts.- Understand how to work both alone and in collaboration with others as you produce texts.- Gain extensive practice in revising texts you produce.- Learn how to conduct extensive research into a topic in order to produce different kinds of texts based on that research. You will also learn how to think widely about research; you will spend some time in the library, for sure, but you will also conduct interviews, find visual materials, and develop creative approaches to learning about an issue.- Use various reflective practices to help you improve as a communicator and critical thinker.Resources for this Classeach otherSuccessful communicators compose for other people. They write or sketch things out for themselves, muddle about in ideas for a while, and eventually they realize what their main point is in communicating. At some point in this process, they begin to shape their communications for others. If others are to understand what you compose and be attentive to all your fine points, then you have to think about how you shape your text for the particular people you most want to understand your compositions. In this class, we will try to test your texts with the particular audiences you identify, but we will also test them out with each other. This process requires that in this class we develop respectful and thoughtful ways of listening and attending to each others’ communications: I want you to be able to work in the safest of contexts to get feedback on your work in order to make it as effective as possible. Therefore, you will have to get to know others inclass and give their work the same respect and attention you would like for your own. You will rarely have this opportunity to take chances and be creative in your communications while receiving this careful feedback. My hope is that you will all be invested in the course and the ideas we explore and discover. Investment always involves a certain amount of passion, and therefore, there will be a great deal of give and take in our discussions. As I am sure we will not all share the same views, different opinions should be expressed in a manner that facilitates communication. Because writing is often a personal experience, and explores personal situations, it is imperative that we develop an atmosphere of respect and safety in this class. If at any time you are uncomfortable with the class material and/or discussions, let me know. I expect you to 1) come to class prepared and take pridein the work you do, 2) offer support and encouragement to your classmates, 3) listen to others carefully before offering your opinion, and 4) talk to me outside of class if anything that happens during class bothers you. In order to maintain a productive work environment, I expect you to Spring 2008 ENC 1102McCrackenSyllabus2 of 8turn off your cell phone or pager before each class period and refrain from eating, sleeping, reading the newspaper or your personal email, talking outside of group


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USFSP ENC 1102 - Syllabus

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