Course Syllabus

ENG 1302: Rhetoric & Composition II: Special Topics in Gender and Women’s Studies

Time & Location:

Instructor: Katherine Hoerth

Office Hours:

Office Number: COAS 269A

Office Phone: (956) 665-8779

Cell Phone: (956)887-0202

Email: kghoerth@utpa.edu

Course Blog : feminismandcompositionspring2014@blogspot.com

WHAT IS ENG 1302?

The following introductory information explains what the class is and what different groups of people (at different levels of the university) want you to get out of it. It's a lot of info that may make your head spin at the beginning of the semester. Read it and see what you think. My language and my approach to these goals start with the section "What I Want To Do in Here."

BACKGROUND

To ensure consistency in instructional approaches throughout Texas public institutions, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board devised in 1998 exemplary objectives for all courses required in universities’ core curricula. Institutions throughout the state, including UTPA, have used the THECB exemplary objectives to define objectives for required core curriculum courses. In addition, all UTPA major programs of study now have Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) which promote consistency and accountability in preparation of majors. Finally, within each program, individual courses have objectives that reflect accepted theories, content, and practice in that discipline. This section of your syllabus also demonstrates how these various sets of goals are implemented in your specific English 1302 course through your instructor’s course objectives. 

English 1302 Undergraduate Catalog Description

English 1302 is designed to teach students how to initiate inquiry, engage in meaningful research, and produce effective researched arguments. To do this, students will get experience with primary and secondary research methods, engage in a variety of writing projects, and create at least one major research project.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Exemplary Objectives for Communication

●     To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation.

●     To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate communication choices.

●     To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i.e., descriptive, expositive, narrative, scientific, and self-expressive, in written, visual, and oral communication.

●     To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding.

●     To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.

●     To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral presentation.

Departmental Goals: Student Learning Outcomes for English (SLOs)

SLO 1—Students will be able to interpret and analyze a text using different approaches from literary, rhetorical, and/or linguistic theories.

SLO 2—Students in certification tracks will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the areas of writing, literature, reading, oral communication, media literacy, and English language arts pedagogy.

SLO 3—Recent graduates who majored in English will demonstrate satisfaction with the programs in the English department.

SLO 4—Students will be able to use discipline-appropriate technology applications (such as library databases, computer applications, Internet research, non-print media, multi-media applications, desktop publishing, etc.) in preparation and presentation of course projects.

Student Learning Outcomes for the Writing Program

The following statements describe what we want our students to know, think/value, and do when they finish the First-Year Writing Program and successfully complete 1302 with a "C" or better.

1         The student improves his/her writing by engaging in processes of inventing, drafting, organizing, revising, editing, and presentation (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #1).

2         The student writes with a purpose and composes texts in genres appropriate to his/her purpose and audience (corresponds with THECB Communication Objectives #2 & 3).

3         The student productively interacts with his/her peers, engaging in small group activities regularly and in which students give one another feedback on their writing (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #4).

4         The student thinks critically about his/her position in the context of a larger ongoing conversation about the issue he/she is investigating (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #5).

5         The student is aware of the choices that writers have to make and feels confident in his/her ability to use that awareness to engage in a variety of future writing tasks (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #5).

6         The student finds, evaluates, and uses appropriate sources for research (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #6).

7         The student meaningfully integrates and correctly documents information from sources (corresponds with THECB Communication Objective #6).

8         The student is aware of the ways technology affects writing (corresponds with THECB Communication Objectives #1, 3, 5, & 6).

Course Goals for English 1302 (not necessarily in order of importance)

 In addition to building on the goals of English 1301, English 1302 is designed specifically to help students:

●     see research as a process of sustained inquiry into a question that matters to them (THECB 2, 6; WPSLO 2, 6; English SLO 1, 2, 3)

●     develop a research question from a broader topic or issue (THECB 1, 5, 6; WPSLO 1, 4, 6; English SLO 1)

●     learn a process for doing research that can be adapted from discipline to discipline and adapted as information technologies change over time (THECB 1, 3, 5-6; WPSLO 5-6, 8; English SLO 1, 2, 3, 4)

●     learn how to find, analyze, evaluate, and use appropriate sources for their research, including primary and secondary sources (THECB 1, 3, 5-6; WPSLO 6-8; English SLO 1, 2)

●     learn strategies for reading scholarly texts (THECB 5-6; WPSLO 4, 6; English SLO1)

●     learn how to summarize complex arguments (THECB 1, 6; WPSLO 1, 6-7; English SLO 1, 3)

●     think critically about their positions in the context of a larger ongoing conversation about the issues they are investigating (THECB 5-6; WPSLO 4, 7; English SLO 1, 3)

●     understand the complexities of arguments (THECB 5; WPSLO 4; English SLO 1)

●     learn how to make a claim based on their research and their own ideas and support that claim with evidence (THECB 1-3, 5, 6; WPSLO 1-2, 4, 6-7; English SLO 1)

●     learn how to integrate and document information from sources into their own work meaningfully and correctly and to recognize that different disciplines have different conventions in this regard (THECB 1, 5-6; WPSLO 1, 5, 7; English SLO 1, 3)

What I want to do here:

In this course, we will be investigating what it means to “do” rhetoric and composition from a feminist perspective. We’ll read a lot, talk a lot, research, write about our ideas in the context of others ideas, and share our writings both within our classroom community and beyond.

This class is designed to raise questions, foster discussion, and compel reflection. We’ll be (re)thinking what it means to be gendered, (re)considering social constructs, and developing our own theories about the places rhetoric and feminism intersect. We’ll be reading texts that might take you out of your comfort zone, that require you to ask the big questions, and I believe that’s where authentic inquiry stems from.

In addition to working with the “big ideas”, this class will also focus on how we can use them to make a positive impact on our communities. A portion of this class is dedicated to service – being and creating that change in the community just outside the classroom walls for an authentic audience. There are a ton of possibilities to explore, and I hope you’ll seize this as an opportunity to engage in a little social activism.

From this point forward, then, I’d like you to begin to think of yourselves as writers. Every one of us will have something important to contribute to our discussions about gender and rhetoric, and I am looking forward to talking with you, helping you, and learning from you. It is important to me that you feel comfortable sharing your ideas, even when they’re different from others in the class (yes, even mine). I intend to treat you with respect, and I expect that you will do the same for me and for each other.

I look forward to working with you, learning from you, and creating a space in 1302 where good writing and theorizing can happen.

My 1302 Goals

Through your work in this class, you should begin doing the following things:

●      Develop and build confidence in your abilities to create, interpret, and evaluate texts in all types of media (THECB 1, 2, 3; WPSLOs 1-8; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Develop knowledge and inspire new ideas through writing (THECB 3, 5; WPSLOs 1-4, 6-8; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Become a rhetorically effective writer who can respond credibly and accurately to a variety of writing situations (THECB 1, 2, 3, 5; WPSLOs 1-8; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Learn to write with a purpose (THECB 2; WPSLOs 1-3, 5; English SLOs 2-4).

●      Develop an awareness of how and why you revise your writing (THECB 1, 2; WPSLOs 1-3, 5, 8; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Develop an understanding of the importance of getting feedback from others when writing (THECB 1, 4; WPSLOs 1, 3, 5; English SLOs 2-4).

●      Develop habits for thoughtful and effective questioning and research (THECB 4, 5; WPSLOs 1, 3-4; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Develop reading strategies for analyzing texts (your peers’ papers as well as the readings you’ll be working with) (THECB 4, 5; WPSLOs 1, 3-4, 6-7; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Learn how to work constructively with each other through group work (THECB 4, 5; WPSLOs 3; English SLOs 1-4).

●      Learn how to creatively take risks (THECB 1, 2, 3, 4; WPSLOs 1-3, 5, 8; English SLOs 2-4).

●      Become familiar with appropriate style guidelines for class projects (THECB 1, 6; WPSLOs 1, 7; SLOs 2-4).

Requirements

●     Daily access to a reliable computer with the internet and a word processor

●     The new university policy requires all electronic communication between the University and students be conducted through the official University supplied systems, namely BroncMail for email. Therefore, please use your UTPA assigned BroncMail account for all future correspondence with me (and all other UTPA teachers). 

●     Most Important: Access to our Course Blog http://www.feminismandcompositionspring2014.blogspot.com for class discussions, access to our class calendar, course docs, etc

●     A reliable pen drive/jump drive/memory stick. Get one for 5-10 bucks almost anywhere, keep it safe, and make duplicate copies of all your work.

TENTATIVE READINGS:

You will not have a required textbook, but you will have readings which are accessible online which you will be responsible for printing and bringing to class with you (if you want to have your readings online (on your laptop or your iPad or whatever, you will need to have a program which allows you to annotate those PDFs so you’ll have access to your marked up electronic copies each class day. The following is a tentative list of the readings we’ll use; this list is subject to change. 

Composing Gender by Rachel Groner and John O'hara (Hey, it's only $22!)

ISBN-9781457628542

OR you can access the following articles from JSTOR. You are responsible for getting a hold of them if you decide not to purchase the textbook. If you decide to go this route, you’ll need to print these articles within the first week of class and bring them in a binder to every class meeting.

Lorber, Judith, "Night to His Day":The Social Construction of Gender"

Orenstein, Peggy. "What's Wrong with Cinderella?"

Pasciem C,J "Dude, You're a Fag: Adolescent Male Homophobia"
Orbach, Susie, "Losing Bodies"
Colemen, Jenny, "An Introduction to Feminisms"
Gilb, Dagoberto. "Me Macho, You Jane"

In addition to the textbook, we will also be exploring blog posts (Ms. Magazine, Feministing, Jezebel), poems, news articles, and videos to supplement these more theoretical/academic texts.

WORK & GRADES:

Personal Writing Portfolio (40%) | This semester, you will essentially work on one major project which will have a number of different “stages” you’ll write your way through, culminating in the creation of a “portfolio” which you will turn in at the end of the semester. All the work we’ll be doing on a daily basis will feed directly into the work you do for your portfolio. Your portfolio will contain all the drafts and revisions for each “stage.”

Here is a tentative list of what you will be writing over the course of the semester for your portfolio. Don’t be alarmed. All of these assignments build on one another, so rarely will you be creating something from nothing. You’ll get specific instructions about the assignments as we move through the semester.

●      Stage 1: How do you "do" Gender?

●      Stage 2: Plan of Inquiry

●      Stage 3:The Formal Research Paper (THE BIG SHEBANG)

●      Stage 4: Portfolio Reflection

You will be re-thinking and re-writing parts or all of every major piece of writing I read from you this semester. As you write and re-write your work, you will need to keep track of the feedback you receive, the revision and editing changes you make, and each successive draft.

Throughout the semester, DRAFTS of your stages will be due to me for feedback. At this point, you’ll be receiving half of the total points that the particular stage is worth. The remainder of the points you’ll be earning once you turn in REVISED versions as a part of your portfolio at the end of the semester. Be sure to keep my comments! You’ll be turning those in with your final portfolio, too, so I can have a reference as to what you’ve changed. If you lose those comments, it’s going to mean a not so happy day for you in the future L

Because your course grade depends heavily on your portfolio, it is difficult to estimate your course grade throughout the semester, but if you’d like to have an idea of where you stand, please make an appointment to meet me outside of class, and I will review your work with you and give you a better sense of where you are grade-wise.

At mid-term, I will send out early warning notices if you are in danger of not passing the course at that time. However, if you'd like to know some specifics and/or an estimated grade at any point during the semester, just ask for a meeting with me. There is no need for you to be surprised by your final course grade even though I do not put grades on individual projects. It is your responsibility to keep up with this and to set up a meeting if you're curious or concerned, and it's important that you not wait until the last week or so to start asking about grades as it may be too late at that point for you to do what needs to be done to significantly raise your overall course grade.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not submit a complete portfolio at semester’s end, you may not receive a passing portfolio grade.

Group Activist Project (40%) For this project, you’ll be working in groups of 3-5 on a collective assignment related to your research topics. This project is designed to allow you the opportunity to take theoretical ideas about gender and feminism into the community (whether that’s the campus community, your neighborhood, your old high school, the city/town you’re from, etc). See, I believe that the discussions we have and the conclusions you draw from your research need to mean something outside the walls of our classroom. You will be engaging an authentic audience in an activist project of your choice; you design it, you implement it. I will be consulting with you all on your group’s progress with this throughout the semester. The key to an effective activist project is making rhetorical choices about the audience you’re aiming at and the purpose of your efforts.

Daily Work (20%)I will periodically evaluate the daily work you do for class (reading responses, workshops, in-class writings, blog posts & comments, homework, etc.), worth between 1 to 4 points, depending on the assignment. This will allow me a chance to let you know how you’re doing in different areas and how you can improve throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, there will be a total number of possible points. Your specific grade will be determined by what percentage of the total points you have accumulated:

●     90-100% of total possible points = A range

●     80-89% of total possible points = B range

●     70-79% of total possible points = C range

●     60-69% of total possible points = D range

●     0-59% of total possible points  = F range

For example, if there were two grades (6 total possible points) and you got a √+ (3) and a √ (2), this part of your grade would be: (5/6)x100=83. There will be many more points than this, but I wanted you to see a smaller scale example.

TURNING IN WORK

ALL WORK MUST BE TURNED IN HARD COPY. I will not accept emailed work. I will not accept late work. This is very, very important!

Attendance and Drop by Instructor Policy:

“The student is expected to attend all classes and laboratory sessions. It is the responsibility of the student to inform each instructor of absences. When, however, in the judgment of the instructor, a student has been absent to such a degree as to impair his or her status relative to credit for the course, the instructor may drop the student from the class with a grade of ‘DP’ or ‘DF’" (HOP 5.2.4). For more information on university policies that affect you in terms of drops and such, see the chart at the end of this syllabus.

Because the quality of your writing so largely depends on your interaction with your peers and with me, it’s important that you participate every class day. It’s been my experience that students who attend class regularly, ask questions, and eagerly participate in class discussions/workshops get the most from this class.

About Dropping: If you decide to drop the course, I will NOT submit the DROP FORM for you. If it is your wish to drop this course, YOU MUST take care of it yourself. If you stop participating, but don’t drop, you risk failing the course. Ultimately, the best thing to do is to talk to me first; don’t just disappear and don’t drop without talking with me unless you’re certain you have no other alternative. I’ll do my best to work with you, but I can’t do that if you don’t communicate with me. 

Punctuality:

Please be considerate of our classroom space and make every effort to get here on time. I will not have time to help you get caught up if you come in late, and, as you will be doing a lot of group work, you will be impeding your classmates’ progress as well as your own if you come in late habitually.

If we are doing an activity/quiz and you walk in once we’ve already begun, you won’t be able to do participate which results in a zero. Be on time, folks!

Email PROTOCOL:

Beginning this summer, UTPA announced that all official email communication with students will be sent to students’ BroncMail email addresses. Whenever you email me, I ask that you follow this format so I can easily spot your messages and get back to you more quickly:

                                                                       From: Your BRONCMAIL address

To:

Subject: ENG 1302.X

                                                                                               Body:       Hi Prof. Hoerth

                                                                                                                                SIGNED, Your complete name.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities:

If you have a documented disability that will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as we have outlined and/or you need special accommodations/assistance because of the disability, please contact immediately the Disability Services Office (DSO), University Center Rm. 322. Appropriate arrangements and accommodations can be made. Verification of disability and processing for special services, such as note takers, extended time, separate accommodations for testing, is required and will be determined by DSO. Consult DSO Coordinator at (956) 316- 7005.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Statement (department approved):

Dishonest acts, such as plagiarism (using words or a specific author’s ideas from another source without acknowledging the source) or collusion (having other people write parts of your paper for you), may result in an “F” on the assignment and may lead to a disciplinary hearing conducted through the office of the Dean of Students, which could result in suspension or expulsion from UTPA (this policy is consistent with the Student Conduct Code printed in the UTPA Student Guide). If you have questions about whether your use of other sources (such as books, websites, friends, writing center tutors) is fair or not, please ask before turning in the work that you have a question about.