Communications Studies (COMS) 361 - Lecture 60
Spoken and Written Discourse
Summer 2008
Lecture MW 14:00-15:50 PF 118

Tutorial MW 16:00-17:50 PF 118

Reading Day (no classes): July 23, 2008

Statutory Holiday (no classes): August 4, 2008

 

 

Instructor:	Rebecca Carruthers Den Hoed
Office Location:	SS 209
Office Phone:	n/a
E-Mail:	rcarruth@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	www.blackboard.ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	TBA

Additional Information

Pre-requisites: Completion of the Effective Writing Requirement

I can be contacted via email at any time. However, please allow up to 24 hours for a response. Further, I will not answer any emails sent after 16:30 the day prior to a weekend until the next regular school day. It is inadvisable to leave assignment questions to the last minute.

Cell phones must be turned off during class.

Laptops may be used curing class to take notes or view class related content. However, inappropriate use of laptops (i.e. to view non-class related content) will not be tolerated and may result in confiscation of the laptop until the end of class time.

Questions with respect to assignments are welcome anytime, and I will gladly look at drafts for students. However, I will not correct drafts; rather, I will identify the most problematic elements of the document and help provide the student(s) with tools to effect their own corrections. It is helpful if you come to such a meeting with a question about your draft already prepared.

Students are responsible for lecture attendance and course readings. If lectures or readings are missed, students must make their own arrangements to catch up.

Course Description

An introduction to the principles of written and spoken discourse as informed by both classical and modern rhetorical theory. Tutorials provide extensive practice in producing and analyzing various forms of discourse.

Objectives of the Course

• 1. To give you a basic understanding of the principles and techniques of classical & modern rhetoric.
• 2. To help you improve your performance and level of comfort in academic writing and public speaking by putting into practice the principles you learn.
• 3. To stimulate thoughtful discussion about the rhetorical dimensions of contemporary discourse and to practice rhetorical analysis of a wide range of texts.

Textbooks and Readings

• o Lunsford, A., Ruszkiewicz, J.J., Walters, K.W. (2007). Everything's an argument. (4^th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.
• o Online readings (available on the course website: www.blackboard.ucalgary.ca).

Assignments and Evaluation

Essay #1                  (10%)            July 21, 2008

Speech #1                (10%)            July 21, 2008

Speech #2                (20%)            August 11, 2008

Essay #2                  (20%)            August 13, 2008

Take-home Exam     (30%)            August 16, 2008

Participation             (10%)            ongoing

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Digital submission of assignments will be allowed in this course: you may submit Essays #1 and #2, and your Speech scripts/visuals via the digital dropbox or email; only (.doc), (.ppt), and (.pdf) files will be accepted. The deadline to submit these assignments via the digital dropbox or email is MIDNIGHT on the due date. Illegible files will not be considered "submitted" until the student has re-submitted the file in a legible format.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

Both APA style and MLA style are acceptable in this course. Please choose one style (APA or MLA), learn how to use it, and stick with it. Failure to document sources properly using one of these styles may be penalized with the loss of a letter grade (e.g.: from A- to B+), even if the documentation in question does not lead to outright plagiarism.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

Wednesday, July 2: Introduction to the course (chapter 1)

Monday, July 7:        Pathos, ethos, logos (chapters 2-4)

Wednesday, July 9: Rhetorical analysis (chapter 5)

Monday, July 14:      Visuals and presentations (chapters 14-15)

Wednesday, July 16:           Structuring arguments (chapter 6)

Monday, July 21:      SPEECH #1; ESSAY #1

Wednesday, July 23:           reading day (no class)

Monday, July 28:      Kinds of argument (chapters 7-11)

Wednesday, July 30:           Style, humor in arguments (chapters 12-13)

Monday, August 4:   statutory holiday (no class)

Wednesday, August 6:        Evidence, fallacies in arguments (chapters 16-19)

Monday, August 11:            SPEECH #2

Wednesday, August 13:      ESSAY #2; discussion of take-home exam

Saturday, August 16:           TAKE-HOME EXAM due