COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 306 focuses on argumentative writing. Argument refers to the use of language to persuade someone to act in a certain way. Everything around us can be rhetorical (e.g., TV shows, music videos, memes, advertisements) and our class will focus on popular culture to develop our rhetorical literacies. If everything is an argument, what exactly is being argued? How is the argument constructed, organized, and performed? And why is such an argument being enacted?
REQUIREMENTS
-Short response papers (~500 words)
-In-class presentations
-Rhetorical Analysis paper
-Argument project (includes an in-class presentation of your work)
-Attendance and participation
-Keeping current through email and Laulima
READINGS
Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee’s Ancient Rhetorics For Contemporary Students, 3rd edition.
Note: Class readings will be all digital, available online and through Laulima.
PAPERS
There are about seven short response papers, as well as two major papers. Both major papers will be accompanied by a short meta-commentary. You will need to bring three printed hardcopies of these papers when drafts are due for peer review.
GRADING POLICY
Short Response Papers 25%
Informal Presentation 5%
Rhetorical Analysis 25%
Argument Project 30%
Attendance and Participation 15%
You must complete all assignments to pass the class.
For more information on this course, contact the instructor at pakm@hawaii.edu.