Daily Schedule: Mon/Wed Weeks 4-8
Week 4
Monday, September 25
You must print, read, and notate the following text to bring to class:
Jane Gallop’s “Ethics of Reading: Close Encounters.” Journal of Curriculum Theorizing. Fall 2000. 7-17. In many ways, Gallop's article will play a central role in this course because it introduces and distinguishes a method of close-reading I will be expecting you to practice throughout the semester. Hint: what shows up if you evaluate her text using the method she presents? Holcomb and Killingsworth Performing Prose, chapter 4: "Distinction: From Voice to Footing."
Copy and Compose: "Basic Sentences" and "Stylistic Sentences"
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Wednesday, September 27
You must print, read, and notate the following text to bring to class:
Susan White's "Split Skins." Chapters 3 and 7 from John Berger's Ways of Seeing. You can watch Berger's BBC documentary, especially Ways of Seeing episode 2 and episode 4. Compare Berger's argument concerning advertising with two excellent documentaries produced by the PBS series Frontline: The Merchants of Cool and The Persuaders |
Week 5
Monday, October 2
Harris "Writing With Style and Clarity" (Clarity)
Presentations
For Wednesday's class you will need to draft your second mini-analysis using Gallop's method of close reading (supplemented with White and Berger), showing how surprising elements of the text challenge dominant and commonplace ways of evaluating the text. For further study:
For a few mini-units of evaluation, I will be recommending texts for further reading and research. For this mini-unit on close-reading, I highly recommend reading Sharon Crowley's book A Teacher's Introduction to Deconstruction, and especially chapter 3, "Deconstructing Writing Pedagogy." Jonathan Culler's "Story and Discourse," from his book The Pursuit of Signs. Also read Naomi Klein's excellent book No Logo. |
Wednesday, October 4
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Week 6
Monday, October 9Print, read, and notate:
Holcomb and Killingsworth Performing Prose, chapter 5: "The Rhetorical Tradition."
Harris "Writing With Style and Clarity" (Restatement) From William Covino's Elements of Persuasion, Chapter 1, "Grammars of Persuasion": pages 1-12. Jack Selzer’s “Rhetorical Analysis: Understanding How Texts Persuade Readers.” What Writing Does: 279-308.
These texts will provide us with a basic methodology (and vocabulary) to evaluate texts rhetorically. Focus on "textual analysis" in the Selzer text and read the essay Selzer analyzes (E. B. White's "On Education") in the appendix to his chapter. Print, read, and notate:
Chuck Palahniuk's "Nuts and Bolts" article from Lit Reactor. Review this webpage for instructions for writing this third mini-analysis, as well as for guidance in providing commentary for your group members. |
Here is the transcript of this speech Madonna gave at the Video Music Awards Ceremony, September 2009.
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Wednesday, October 11
Holcomb and Killingsworth Performing Prose:
Chapter 6, "Tropes"; Chapter 7 "Schemes." Harris "Writing With Style and Clarity" (Syntax) |
Continue discussion of rhetorical analysis
Week 7
Monday, October 16
Copy and Compose: "Basic Paragraphs" and "Stylistic Paragraphs"
Wednesday, October 18
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Week 8
Monday, October 23
Print, read, and notate:
James Seitz. "A Rhetoric of Reading." From Rebirth of Rhetoric: Essays in Language, Culture & Education. Ed. Richard Andrews. 1992. Peter Rabinowitz. "Truth in Fiction: A Reexamination of Audiences." Critical Inquiry. 1977. Here is a sample audience analysis using Rabinowitz. |
Wednesday, October 25
Print, read, and notate:
Campbell's "The Impact of Science on Myth." Fahnestock's Rhetorical Style: The Uses of Language in Persuasion. Chapter 13: "Speaker and Audience Construction." Figures of thought/speech act |
Recommended reading:
James Phelan's "Introduction" to his book Living to Tell About It: A Rhetoric and Ethics of Character Narration.
James Phelan's "Introduction" to his book Living to Tell About It: A Rhetoric and Ethics of Character Narration.