Communication Studies COMS 361 Lec.07
Spoken and Written Discourse
Winter 2008

Sa 8:00-9:50 Lec. 10-11:50 Tutorial SH280

Class Dates: Jan. 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9; March 1, 8, 15, 29; April 5

 

Instructor:	Christine Mains
Office Location:	SS106
Office Phone:	220-7789
E-Mail:	cmains@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	Blackboard
Office Hours:	by appointment

Course Description

 

In this course, you will learn the principles and tools of rhetoric, the art of effective and persuasive communication, in order to improve your writing and public speaking. Through lecture, discussion, tutorials, and a lot of hands-on practice, you will learn how to organize and develop your own work, both spoken and written, and how to evaluate rhetorical strategies used by other speakers and writers. All of your work, whether spoken or written, will be evaluated on quality of expression as well as on content.

 

Objectives of the Course

To provide an introduction to the principles and techniques of classical and contemporary rhetoric.

To aid students in improving their communication skills, both written and spoken, by providing opportunities to practice the principles and techniques.

To enhance students' ability to analyze and evaluate the rhetorical strategies used in different kinds of arguments.

Textbook and Readings:

 

Lunsford, Andrea A. and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything's an Argument 4th ed. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. 

 

Additional readings will be assigned throughout the term; most will be available on Blackboard.

Assignments and Evaluation

Speech to Inform (group)        Jan 26, Feb 2 & 9                  10%

Essay to Inform                     due one week after speech     20%

Speech to Persuade               March 1, 8, & 15                   15%

Essay to Persuade                 due one week after speech     25%

Research Paper                     April 5                                  30%

All written assignments will be submitted through Digital Dropbox on Blackboard. 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.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No.

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.

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.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

A schedule will be posted to Blackboard before the beginning of the term.