COM 431

We will discuss all the assignments in class and more detailed assignment descriptions will be distributed in class. What follows is a general overview of the assignments that you will work on in this class.

Quizzes: Periodically, there will be quizzes on the lecture material and the textbook readings. These quizzes will generally be announced ahead of time, but they also may be pop quizzes. You should always come to class prepared to take a quiz on the lecture material and recent course readings. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES. IF YOU MISS CLASS ON A DAY OF A QUIZ, YOU RECEIVE A 0 FOR THAT QUIZ. For this reason, your lowest two quiz grades will be dropped from the calculation of your final grade. There are seven total quizzes and I will count your best five towards your final grade. Do not email me ahead of time asking if there will be a quiz in class on a certain day.

Exams: There are two exams in this course. The final exam is a comprehensive exam covering all of the course material. The exams will cover information from the readings, the lectures, and the in-class discussion. You must be in class in order to be prepared for the exams. You cannot simply read the material (or simply come to class) and hope to do well on the exams.

Artifact Summary: Were I to bring in all the artifacts I was interested in, we would do little else but look at speeches and maybe some comedy routines. But this should be a course in analyzing the breadth of rhetorical action in the public. As such, I want to spend time talking about and analyzing rhetorical artifacts that interest you. Each student will be assigned to identify an interesting rhetorical artifact for analysis. For example, if you are assigned to find an interesting artifact for the day that we are discussing syntax, you would need to read over that chapter, find a artifact that you think is interesting, and provide a summary document to me. This way, we can talk about the artifacts that you find interesting. At the beginning of the term, I will assign students to different days at random. You will need to then find a artifact (and we will talk more specifically about what this term means). You will then need to submit to me a review document that (1) describes the artifact, (2) identifies where the artifact can be located (this is so I can assign it to everyone), and (3) explains why the artifact serves as a good artifact for analysis for that day. Artifact summaries are due a week before the class session you are assigned to. To return to the syntax example: since we discuss syntax on October 25, you would need to turn in your summary at the end of class on October 18. The artifact summary paper should be 1 ½ - 2 pages single-spaced times (12 point Times New Roman font or approximately 250-500 words).

Rhetorical Analysis Paper: This is a course in analyzing rhetoric. As such, you need to focus on applying the techniques and theories discussed in class and in the reading. The end result will be a 10-12 page paper that describes an interesting rhetorical artifact, discusses an appropriate framework for investigating this artifact, insightfully critiques the artifact with the framework, and draws some enlightening conclusions. In preparation for this final paper, you will work on two smaller writing assignments that help you advance your project.

Topic proposal: This is a short paper designed to give you a space to chart out what type of analysis you are hoping to engage in. Drawing on the samples in class, you need to identify a rhetorical artifact, explain why that artifact needs analysis, and identify what framework might prove most appropriate to the analysis of this artifact. I will provide feedback and direction on your topic. The summary and justification paper should be 2-4 pages double-spaced times (12 point Times New Roman font or approximately 500-1,200 words).

Journal article summary and justification of the theory: In class, I will provide you with a list of recommended scholarly articles for each of the major rhetorical analytical frameworks discussed in class. You will need to select a journal article, read it, and summarize it. This is designed to give you additional background on the framework you are using for your final paper. In addition to this summary, you will need to explain why this framework is appropriate to your proposed analysis. The summary and justification paper should be 3-5 pages double-spaced times (12 point Times New Roman font or approximately 750-1,500 words).

Final paper: Having spent the entire quarter developing your critique of a specific artifact, you will now bring all these elements together in a final statement of your study. You paper should proceed as a normal academic analysis: an introduction that sets out your study, a description of your artifact, and description and justification of your method, an analysis of the artifact, and a discussion of the implications of your analysis. The final paper should be 10-12 pages double-spaced times (12 point Times New Roman font or approximately 2,500- 3,600 words).

GRADING SYSTEM

There are 300 possible points in this class.

Assignment Point Value Percentage of the final grade

Quizzes 5 5 %

Midterm 45 15 %

Final 60 20 %

Artifact Summary 15 5 %

Rhetorical analysis topic proposal 15 5 %

Journal article summary and justification of the theory 50 17 %

Final paper 100 33 %

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Total 300 points 100%

Grades will be assigned based on your final number of accumulated points. For a discussion of the grade ranges, please consult your student handbook or visit: http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html