1102 Chapter 5 Rhetorical Analysis – Notes

Definition: a rhetorical analysis is “a close reading of a text to find how and whether it works to persuade…you perform a rhetorical analysis by analyzing how well the components of an argument work together to persuade or move an audience” (97). 

How to write one:

1.       Identify the argument the writer/director/artist/etc. makes

2.      Ask yourself whether the writer/director/artist/etc. successfully persuades you.

3.      The answer to the questions above forms your introduction and thesis. The rest of your essay will explain your evaluation of the work.  Why, for example, does Cover Girl’s campaign starring Gwen Stefani make you want to buy red lipstick?  Why does Jonathan Safran Foer make you question why you eat meat?  Think about the strategies the writer (or etc.) uses to convey her argument.  There are questions you can ask yourself on page 98 of your text, but it’s helpful to think about your analysis in terms of ethos, pathos, logos, and style.

4.      Remember: you should identify the technique and then show, through your analysis, whether it works or not.

Finding the Argument

·         What is the purpose?

Ethos

·         Who created this argument?  Is he/she credible?

·         Who is the argument designed for? 

·         How does the creator meet the expectations of the audience?

·         How does she establish credibility?

Pathos

·         How does the use of emotion work in this argument? 

·         Does it strengthen the argument, or undermine the argument through the use of logical fallacies?

Logos

·         Does the creator back up her arguments?

·         Are the arguments reasonable?

·         Are the sources documented? 

·         Is the creator trustworthy?

·         Are the arguments backed up with good reasons and reliable evidence?

·         Is the information accurate?  Are the sources accurate?

·         What is missing from the argument?

Style

·         Does the tone work?

·         The voice work?

·         Sentence structure?

·         Format?

·         Use of humor/irony/visuals?

Structure

1.       Intro and thesis.  __________ argues ­__________.  The film successfully/unsuccessfully/both persuades because ________________.  Example: In his essay “Food is Good,” Anthony Bourdain details the childhood events that led him to believe that food is powerful.  Whether or not Bourdain’s epiphany resonates with readers depends upon their ability to enjoy, understand, or perhaps even tolerate Bourdain’s brash narrative style. 

2.      In the body of your essay, you will explain/expand your thesis by explaining in detail why the work succeeds or fails.  Each of the following will be a different section of your paper.  This does not mean that you will have only one paragraph per letter.

a.      How successfully does the creator establish and appeal to ethos?

b.      How successfully does the creator appeal to pathos?

c.       How successfully does the creator appeal to logos?

d.      How does the work’s style help to convey the argument?

3.      Make a final concluding statement. 

Spring 2011 Syllabus - English 1102

1:00-2:15 Tuesday and Thursday

Sparks Hall 307

Instructor: Candace Nadon, MFA

(engcn@langate.gsu.edu) Please email me at this address rather than searching for my name in the gsu database.  Those emails are sent to a different address that I do not check regularly. 

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:00-1:00 or by appointment.

Office: 956 GCB

*Please check your gsu account before each class meeting.

Required Texts:

·         Everything’s an Argument, 5^th edition.  Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz.  You must have the 5^th edition of the textbook (it has a yellow cover). 

·         Food. Editors Brook Rollins and Lee Bauknight.

·         Other handouts, most of which will be sent electronically.  Note: handouts, essays, etc. sent electronically will be sent to your gsu email address.  You are responsible for retrieving those emails and printing a copy of the file, which you should bring with you to class.   It is not acceptable to use your smart phone to access emailed texts in class.  Bring your texts with you to class every day.

Blog

The class blog can be found at:

http://english1102spring2011.blogspot.com/?zx=9de4f4c7a56a49d5

You will receive an invitation to view the blog in your gsu email.  Once you accept, you will be able to view the syllabus, assignments, and other important announcements.  Any online readings can be easily accessed from the blog.

Course Description

Prerequisite: A grade of C or higher in English 1101.  This course is designed to develop writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by English 1101.  It stresses critical reading and writing and incorporates several research methods; readings will be drawn from a wide variety of texts.  A passing grade is C. 

Course Goals

In addition to the skills acquired in English 1101, by the end of the course, students will be able to:

·         Analyze, evaluate, document, and draw inferences from various sources

·         Identify, select, and analyze appropriate research methods, research questions, and evidence for a specific rhetorical situation

·         Use argumentative strategies and genres in order to engage various audiences

·         Integrate others’ ideas with their own

·         Use grammatical, stylistic, and mechanical formats and conventions appropriate to rhetorical situations and audiences’ constraints

·         Produce well-reasoned, argumentative essays demonstrating rhetorical engagement

·         Reflect on what contributed to their writing process and evaluate their own work

Course Work: Assignments and Evaluation

All work prepared outside the class must be typed and double-spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.  All work should adhere to MLA guidelines.  Using any other format will negatively impact your grade.

The grades for this course will be determined by the following percentages:

·         Essay #1 – Personal Argument  (2-3 pages) 15%

·         Essay #2 – Analysis (2-4 pages) 15%

·         Essay #3 – Working with Visual Arguments and Humor in Argument (Choice of Projects) 15%

·         Essay #4 – Proposal (4-6 pages) 25%

·         Annotated Bibliography 10%

·         Journal 10%

·         Class Participation 10%

Your participation grade will be composed of the following elements:

o   Other in-class writings beside journal exercises

o   Quizzes

o   Participation in class activities and discussions

o   Participation in informal class presentations

o   Daily work

Journals

One of the best ways to improve as a writer is to write a lot.  As part of the work for this course, you are asked to keep a journal.  Your journal will provide you with a place to play with language and explore ideas.    You should bring your journal with you to class every day, as you will be asked to write in your journal daily.  Journals will be due at the end of the semester.

Grading Policy

Grades will be determined using the following scale:

A         95-100

A-        90-94

B+       87-89

B          83-86

B-        80-82

C+       76-79

C          70-75

C-        65-69

D         60-64

F          Below 60

Anything below a C is considered a failing grade.

Course Policies:

Attendance: The active participation of every member of the class is essential to a vibrant class.  Therefore, you are asked to attend every class meeting.  Not only are you asked to be present for every class meeting, but I ask that you be present for the duration of the class period.  This means that it is not enough to show up.  Rather, the success of the class (and your participation grade) depends upon your active engagement in class activities and discussions.  You may miss two classes without impacting your grade.  However, your final grade will be lowered by ten percent for each subsequent absence.  Please note that class begins at 1:00.  If you are more than ten minutes late, you will be considered absent. 

Classroom Etiquette

Please come to class on time with materials in hand (or backpack) prepared to participate.  Cell phones and other electronic devices should be stowed in your purse or backpack and should be turned off.  You may not leave class to answer your phone.  Nor are you allowed to send or receive text messages during class.  You may take notes on a laptop, but you may not also check your email, your Facebook page, or buy new shoes on Ebay.  If you do, I will ask you to turn off your laptop and take notes on paper.  I do not mind if you bring snacks or drinks into the classroom, but please do not plan to eat an entire meal during class, and please clean up after yourselves.    

Late Work: Late work will not be accepted, nor will essays or other work submitted electronically.  You must be present in class to turn in your work.  Do not assume that you can miss class and either email me your work or ask another student to turn your work in for you.  Such work will not be accepted.  I do, however, understand that emergencies and other catastrophes sometimes occur.  If you believe a paper will be late, you must contact me before the paper is due in order to clear it with me and to make other arrangements to turn it in.  If you fail to clear late work with me, it will not be accepted. 

Make Up Work: You are responsible for getting any information, such as notes, handouts, etc. you miss if you miss class from a classmate.  I suggest you trade phone numbers and email addresses with another student in the class so you have someone that can give you what you miss.  Quizzes and in class writing assignments may not be made up unless your absence is due to extenuating circumstances cleared by me.

Academic Honesty

Policy on Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism:

The Department of English expects its students to adhere to the university’s code of student conduct, especially as it pertains to academic conduct, including plagiarism, cheating, and multiple submissions.  See www.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct.html for the policy.  Plagiarizing means you thwart your own education and forego your responsibilities as a writer.  Furthermore, you violate the ethical and academic standards of the academic community.  These standards include the value of research and informed argument, open and honest debate and sharing of ideas, critical thinking about evidence, the careful presentation of research, and acknowledgement of the sources of ideas.  We will devote class time to learning how to incorporate others’ ideas honestly and effectively.  Students who violate these policies in this course will receive a range of academic and disciplinary penalties; see the handout provided by your instructor for definitions and consequences. 

Accommodations for Students with Special Needs

Georgia State University complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Students with disabilities who seek academic accommodations must first take appropriate documentation to the Office of Disability Services (www.gsu.edu/~wwwods/) located in Suite 230 of the New Student Center.  Students with special needs should then make an appointment with me during the first week of class to discuss any necessary accommodations. 

English Majors

Students planning to major in English should keep copies of their best papers to submit in their senior portfolio.  English majors can find additional information in the English Department on the 9^th floor of the General Classroom Building or on the English Department’s website.

The Writing Studio

The Writing Studio describes themselves in the following way:

The Writing Studio, located in room 976 in the General Classroom Building, provides personal, one-on-one tutoring in order to help you at all levels of the writing process. The Studio offers a space for conversation, coffee, and writers, by creating a welcoming community for graduate and undergraduate students to practice the art of writing. Their purpose is to enhance the writing instruction that happens in academic classrooms by pairing you with an experienced reader, who engages you in conversation about your writing assignments and ideas and familiarizes you with audience expectations and academic genre conventions. The Studio focuses on the rhetorical aspects of the text and provides one-on-one, student-centered teaching on works in progress.

In addition to face-to-face sessions in the physical space, the Writing Studio offers online tutoring sessions. One of their online programs enables you to chat with a tutor about your writing through Windows Live Messenger, which is accessible for free through your student account.  The program also has a feature that allows you to email papers, along with the assignment sheets and explanations of the kinds of feedback needed, to onlinetutoring@gsu.edu.  All tutoring sessions are free of charge and are valuable resources for you as a writer. You can find out more information about the Writing Studio and schedule an appointment for all of their services atwww.writingstudio.gsu.edu. Or feel free to contact the Writing Studio directly at writing@gsu.edu. They are looking forward to seeing you!

English Department Lower Division Studies

The English Department has a website for Lower Division Studies: http://www.english.gsu.edu/~lds/ .

Course Schedule

Note: The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.  You may also have other assigned readings and/or assignments not listed on the syllabus.  Assigned readings are due on the day listed on the syllabus. 

Week 1: Snowpocalypse!

Tuesday 11 January: Course Introductions  

           

Week 2: Tuesday 18 January: Course Introductions

Thursday 20 January: Introduction to Argument:

Discuss Chapter 1 (pgs. 3-8 and 21-35) EAA, “Introduction: Recipe Writing” (pg. 1 Food), “The Pleasures of Eating” (pg. 21 Food), and “Divided We Eat” online at: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/22/what-food-says-about-class-in-america.html

           

Week 3: Tuesday 25 January: Pathos

Discuss Chapter 2 and pgs. 515-523 (EAA) and “Day 1, Recipe 1” (pg. 45, Food), “Food is

Good,” (pg. 63 Food), “Dinner With Mario” (pg. 73 Food).

 Thursday 27 January: Ethos

            Discuss Chapter 3 and pgs. 523-526 (EAA) and “Who Cooks?” (pg. 93 Food), “A Healthy

Constitution” (109 Food) and “Smarter School Lunches” online at http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/smarter-school-lunches

and “Child Nutrition Act: 12 Key Changes the New Law Delivers” online at

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/child-nutrition-bill-some_n_796112.html#s205962&title=Performance-Based%20Incentives

Week 4: Tuesday 1 February: Logos

Discuss Chapter 4 and pgs. 526-534 (EAA), “Fear Factories” (151 Food) and emailed excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Thursday 3 February: Personal Argument

            Discuss “Culinary Seasons of My Childhood” (33 Food) and emailed excerpts from Animal,

            Vegetable, Miracle and Eating Animals

            Essay Number #1 Assignment  

Week 5: Tuesday 8 February: Thursday 3 February: Logical Fallacies

Thursday 10 February: Rough Drafts of Essay #1 Due – Peer Revision   

Week 6: Tuesday 15 February: Rhetorical Analysis

            Discuss Chapters 5 and 10 (EAA) and “Organic Foods…” (125 Food) and “Beyond

            Organic” (113 Food)  

            Essay # 2 Assignment

Thursday 17 February: Using Evidence

            Discuss Chapters 16, 18, and 19 EAA             

            Final Drafts of Essay #1 Due

Week 7: Tuesday 22 February: View Documentary

            Thursday 24 February: Finish Film and Discuss

Week 8: Tuesday 1 March and Thursday 3 March: Spring Break – No Classes

Week 9: Tuesday 8 March: Rough Drafts of Essay #2 Due – Peer Revision

Thursday 10 March: Visual Arguments and Humor in Argument

            Discuss Chapter 14 EAA and “Tasteless” (29 Food), “What’s That Smell in the Kitchen”

            (107 Food) and watch “You Won’t See This on the Food Network” online at

http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2009/11/you-wont-see-this-on-the-food-network/29707/

            Assignment #3 

           

Week 10: Tuesday 15 March: Visual Arguments Continued  

Final Drafts of Essay #2 Due

            Thursday 17 March:             Rough Drafts of Projects Due: Peer Revision

Week 11: Tuesday 22 March: Proposal Arguments

            Discuss Chapter 12 (EAA) and “Attention Whole Food Shoppers” (141 Food), “The

            Carnivore’s Dilemma” (169 Food) and “Declare Your Independence” (175 Food)

            Final Essay Assignment  

            Thursday 24 March: Proposal Arguments Continued

            Final Drafts of Project Due

Week 12: Tuesday 29 March: View Documentary

            Thursday 31 March: Finish Documentary; Discuss

            Annotated Bibliographies Due

Week 13: Tuesday 5 April: In Class Conferences  

            Thursday 7 April: Rough Drafts of Proposals Due – Peer Revision

Week 14: Tuesday 12 April: NO CLASS: CONFERENCES - JOURNALS DUE AT

            CONFERENCE

            Thursday 14 April NO CLASS: CONFERENCES – JOURNALS DUE AT

            CONFERENCE

Week 15: Tuesday 18 April NO CLASS: CONFERENCES – JOURNALS DUE AT

            CONFERENCE

            Thursday 21 April: LAST DAY OF CLASS – FINAL DRAFTS OF CAUSAL ESSAYS  

            DUE

Thursday 21 April: LAST DAY OF CLASS – FINAL DRAFTS OF CAUSAL ESSAYS  

            DUE