Laura T. Smith: Teaching

RHE 309K Rhetoric of Art and Community (45840)
Course Policies
Fall 2006
Instructor: Laura T. Smith
MW 11-12.30, PAR 6
laura.smith@mail.utexas.edu

Texts:
Beyond Words. Ruszkiewicz, Anderson, Friend. ISBN:0321276019.
SF Express. Ruszkiewicz, Hairston, and Friend. ISBN: 0321085841.
Coursepack (available at Speedway Copy in Dobie Mall)


Website: instructors.cwrl.utexas.edu/smith


Goals: In RHE 309K, you will learn to analyze public art works and the discourses surrounding these works. You will investigate the rhetoric of this specialized discourse and construct original arguments that explore the rhetorical strategies of public art.


You will learn how to:
identify, evaluate, construct, and organize effective arguments;
read texts and images critically;
understand written and visual public discourses;
conduct library research and document sources;
produce a clear and supple style adaptable to various rhetorical situa¬tions;
edit and proofread your own and others’ prose.


In addition, you are expected to meet a number of mechanical proficiencies:
No run-ons, comma splices, or inappropriate fragments;
No offensive or inappropriate language;
A lean, jargon-free style;
No subject/verb agreement errors;
No pronoun agreement errors;
No ambiguous pronouns;
No misused, dangling, or misplaced modifiers;
Commas used correctly;
No spelling errors;
Text carefully edited and proofread.


Further, some more sophisticated stylistic attributes should be evident in your writing:
A sensitivity to the connotations of words;
An awareness of levels of style;
A satisfying variety of sentence structures and lengths;
A skillful management of parallel elements: phrases, clauses, and sentences;
An employment of appropriate rhetorical schemes and tropes.

Coursework and Grading:
You will be writing three papers this term, in addition to required informal writing.


Paper One: Rhetorical Analysis of a Public Artwork (25% of course grade)
Paper Two: Art Controversy Paper (30% of course grade)
Paper Three: Community-Performance Paper or Project (30% of course grade)


Writing and Revising: To pass the course, you must turn in on time a first submission and a polished final submission of each paper. To complete each final draft, you must significantly rethink and rework your draft, carefully considering all comments received on previous drafts, acting on received critique, and going beyond it in order to improve your draft substantially.

Do not discard any drafts, notes, papers or research materials you produce during the semester until you receive a final unit grade. You are required to turn in all drafts and peer review sheets with your graded submissions. No papers will be accepted without accompanying materials.

Informal Writing: There will be frequent informal writing assignments. These allow you to engage further with the reading and to respond to other students’ ideas. Informal writing is your surest route to fabulous and original paper ideas, so take it seriously. This semester, most of our informal writing will be in the form of a class wiki, Townsquare. The Townsquare password is: ________________.

Research: We will be covering the use of sources and basic research tools in this class. You are required to provide documentation for all sources you cite in each paper; in some cases, you’ll need to provide photocopies or printouts. All sources must be relevant to your topic and current (except in the case of historical topics). If you have any questions about the use you are making of sources for your assignments, please see me.

Technology Policy: We will use technology frequently in this class. Although I am assuming that you have some basic knowledge of computers, such as how to use the keyboard and mouse, and how to use the web and check e-mail, most things will be explained in class. If you don't understand what we are doing, please ask for help. If you are familiar with the technology we are using please be patient and lend a helping hand to your classmates.

You are free to use the computers prior to class, but please make sure that the content you are accessing is appropriate. Also, if we are not using the computers for an in-class activity please log off the computer when class begins.

Format of Final Papers: All papers must be word processed. Please double space your papers, use a standard font (such as Times New Roman), and standard (one-inch) margins. Use either MLA or APA format and documentation style (see handbook for guidance). Some papers may be collected and graded electronically. When papers are required in hard copy, please staple your draft together with required accompanying materials. On the first page of your draft, include course title, my name, and the date. PLEASE DON’T put your name on the front of it. Instead, handwrite your name on the back of the packet. This helps me keep the grading process as anonymous as possible.

Grading: Your final semester grade will be calculated from your paper grades and your performance on daily assignments and class work. Grades will be calculated in the following manner:

Paper 1.1 5%
Paper 1.2 20%
Paper 2.1 10%
Paper 2.2 20%
Paper 3.1 10%
Paper 3.2 20%
Participation 15%, broken down as follows:

periodic collaborative writing (peer review) 5%
weekly informal writing (online forums) 5%
active participation in conversations, in class and online 5%

Attendance. RHE 309K has a very simple, clear-cut, firm attendance policy: if you miss 5 classes, you get an F. The only excused absences are those taken for religious holidays and for official university business (with advance notice). After your fourth absence, you will receive an “absence/failing” report, which serves as a warning and reminder. To be counted as present, you must arrive on time and sign in. I’d recommend that you save your absences for when you are sick or in case of emergency, since you absolutely can’t miss more than four class meetings, no matter what.

Religious holy days: A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete assignments within a reasonable time after the absence.

Late Assignments and Drafts: Late work will be penalized one letter grade per day. Please do not email assignments to me; I will not accept them. There is no makeup of in-class work. If you know ahead of time that you can’t attend class on a day an assignment is due, please make alternate arrangements for getting it in on time or discuss the matter with me.

Scholastic Honesty: Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major course penalty, possibly failure for the course. A report of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students, and filed in your permanent UT record. Be sure you read and understand the Statement on Scholastic Responsibility in chapter 6 of The Student Guide to First-Year Writing:
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/rhetoric/rhe306/student_guide/chapter_6/

Office hours: Please make arrangements to meet with me if you have any questions or issues or want to discuss class material. Whether you’re having trouble understanding a text, or you’re suffering from writer’s block, I can help, but it is your responsibility to seek out help. I am available nearly every day, so please ask, either in person or via email.

Writing Center: I strongly encourage you to use services offered by the Undergraduate Writing Center, FAC 211, 471-6222: uwc.fac.utexas.edu and the Learning Center, JES A332A, 471-3614: www.utexas.edu/student/utlc . The consultants at these centers are trained to help you resolve your own problems so that all your reading and writing reflects what you are learning. The UWC also offers Virgil, an online writing tutor, so you can get help from home, in the middle of the night, if needed.

Computer Use and Availability: Please get familiar with the class website and check your email regularly. I will send out class emails via a class listserv and it is your responsibility to get them. (Make sure you have a current email address registered with both UT.) I will also post class-wide announcements, assignment information, helpful links, and other resources on the course web pages.

Computers are available to you in the Student Microcomputer Facility (SMF) on the second floor of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC): www.utexas.edu/smf/. To print in that lab, you will need an Individually Funded (IF) account number: www.utexas.edu/its/account/index.html. Some departments also provide computer labs, so check with your advisor. Also check the list of computer and library resources in The Student Guide to First-year Writing: www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/rhetoric/rhe306/student_guide/chapter_8/ . Additionally, the University offers every faculty and student 75 megabytes of free “webspace” for personal document storage and website creation: www.utexas.edu/its/webspace/ .

Students With Disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TDD.

Additional issues: Issues not addressed in these policy statements can probably be tracked down through the Registrar’s Student Affairs catalogue: www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/gi04-05/index.html .