Zen
and the Art of Rhetoric: English 102.02
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday
e-mail: carithers3@juno.com
Course web site:
http://www.uncg.edu/~drcarith/eng102_06home.htm
What this course is all about:
This
course is writing, reading, and speaking intensive. As an advanced composition course, it
requires a lot of writing, which will be largely in response to our
readings. All English 102 courses have
been designated as “speaking intensive” at UNCG, which means there is an added
oral component to the course in addition to writing requirements. All students will participate in and be evaluated
on the following three types of oral presentations emphasizing personal,
interpersonal, and public communication skills:
·
Several
short individual declamations (you will propose two in-class free-writes on the
reading material and lead discussion of them).
·
One
group presentation on topics related to the course readings and theme.
·
One formal
individual presentation.
I’ll give you more
details on all this later. Although we
will talk about the Beat Generation, Buddhism, and motorcycles, these topics are
not the central focuses of the class.
They merely provide a way for us to talk about the art of rhetoric.
Objectives:
At
the completion of this course, the student will be able to:
·
Interpret
and evaluate argumentative discourse, including writing and speech
·
Construct
cogent arguments
·
Communicate
those arguments clearly, coherently and effectively
·
Locate,
synthesize, and evaluate relevant information
·
Demonstrate
an understanding of the aims and methods of intellectual discourse
·
Weigh
evidence and evaluate the arguments of differing viewpoints
Required Texts:
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac (DB)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig (ZAMM)
Recommended Texts:
The Little, Brown Handbook (pocket
edition) by Jane Aaron, or something similar.
Course
Requirements:
(1) Honest
attempts toward completion and timely submission of all required essays,
including drafts.
(2) Participation in the three oral presentations
mentioned above.
(3) Weekly
submission of “double-entry” journals in response to the readings and other
subjects.
(4) An end-of-semester Writing Portfolio, which must be 20-25 pages of polished writing
and will consist of revised copies of the formal essays and your choice of
writings from your “double-entry” journals and in-class writings. More details later.
(5) At least
one writing conference with me.
Grading:
Class
Participation: 33.33% Quality and
timeliness of Essays: 33.33% Final
Portfolio: 33.33%
Class
Participation means (1) coming to class prepared with at least
one question or comment from the reading assignment, (2) completing homework
assignments, (3) providing verbal and written comments to classmates on their
shared written work, (4) expressing your ideas verbally with your classmates
during small group activities, and (5) participation in the oral presentations.
Attendance Policy: You have two free absences, after that
your final grade will be reduced one half grade for each additional absence,
excused or not. Students missing 7 or
more classes will be dropped from the course with a WP if before midterm or
will receive an F if after midterm. Tell
me in advance if you know you have to miss class.
Policy on Written Work:
Use the following format for all drafts of
essays: Double-space, 1” margins all
around, and an 11 or 12 pt. readable font such as Times New Roman, Arial,
Courier, Book Antiqua.
Plagiarism
is wrong, and it is easy to spot. Don’t
try it! The minimum punishment is an F
in the course; the maximum, expulsion from the university. Read and understand the University’s Academic
Integrity Policy. I will ask you to
write the following statement, followed by your signature, on each essay before
you turn it in:
“I
have abided by the university’s Academic Integrity Policy on this assignment.”
Learning
Disabilities:
I will accommodate learning disabilities and
differences. Please let me know
immediately if you think it will affect your performance in the class, or call
the office of Disability Services at 334-5440.
The
The Calendar
1/15: Intro
to Kerouac and Beat generation
1/17: DB chs. 1-5 Double-Entry
Journal exercise (Meet in Graham 202)
1/20: NO CLASS (MLK
Jr. Holiday)
1/22: DB chs. 6-9 Group
Work
1/24: DB chs. 10-14 Basics
of Public
1/27: DB chs. 15-19
1/29: “Gary Snyder”
on E-RESERVE LIBRARY ORIENTATION
(Meet in CITI Lab in Jackson Library)
1/31: DB chs. 20-23 DE Journal
2/3: DB chs. 24-28 Group-led
Discussion
2/5: End DB Workshop
Essay One DE Journal
2/7: Intro
to ZAMM and classical rhetoric
2/10: ZAMM part I Essay One Due
2/12: ZAMM chs. 8-11 DE Journal
2/14: ZAMM chs.
12-15 Group-led
Discussion
2/17: ZAMM chs.
16-18
2/19: ZAMM chs.
19-21 Group-led
discussion DE Journal
2/21: ZAMM chs.
22-24
2/24: ZAMM chs.
25-28 Group-led
discussion
2/26: ZAMM chs.
28-30 Group-led discussion DE Journal
2/28: NO CLASS
3/3: End ZAMM Workshop
Proposal for ZAMM Essay Draft of
Proposal
3/5: Proposal
for ZAMM Essay
3/7: Return
Proposals, Discuss
Weeks 9-15:
Individual Presentations, Writing Workshops, Peer Review of Public Speaking
Other Key Dates:
4/23: ZAMM Essay Due
5/2: Share
excerpts from portfolio Final Portfolios Due
5/6: Return
Portfolios