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ENG/HUM 4973 Classical Rhetoric
ENL/HUM 4973 (Spring 2009)Senior Seminar: Classical Rhetoric
Tuesday 2:00-4:45 p.m.
Prof. Sue Hum Office: MB 2.462
Phone: (210) 458 7883 E-mail:
Office Hours: TuesThurs12:45-2:00 p.m., and by appointment /
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What is Rhetoric, anyway?
The sum of it I call flattery. Of this study there appears to me to be many other divisions, and one of them is that of cookery; which indeed, appears to be an art, but I maintain is not an art, but skill and practice. I also call rhetoric a division of this, and personal decoration, and sophistry these four divisions relating to four particulars.Plato, Gorgias
Because there has been implanted in us the power to persuade each other and to make clear to each other whatever we desire, not only have we escaped the life of wild beasts, but we have come together and founded cities and made laws and invented arts; and generally speaking, there is no institution devised by man which the power of speech has not helped us to establish.
Isocrates, Antidosis
Rhetoric we look upon as the power of observing the means of persuasion on almost any subject presented to us and that is why we say that in its technical character, it is not concerned with any special definite class of subjects.
Aristotle
The orator must be accomplished in every kind of discourse and every kind of culture.
Cicero
He who seeks to teach in speech what is good, spurning non of those three things, that is, to teach, to delight, and to persuade, should pray and strive that he be heard intelligently, willingly, and obediently.
Augustine
Histories make men wise; poets, witty, the mathematics, subtile; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave, logic and rhetoric, able to contend.
Francis Bacon
Course Description:
ENG/HUM 4973 examines the language theories of classical rhetoricians, focusing on their views of the relationship among language, thought, and reality. We shall see how the health of the Greek polis (public sphere) and its citizens (private sphere) were inextricably intertwined with uses of language and acts of persuasion.
ENG/HUM 4973 has three goals: first, the study of classical theories of language, ideology, and epistemology; second, the exploration of the relationship betweenour definitions of rhetoric and how we practice it; and third, the use of classical strategies to improve our writing/communication skills.
Course Texts:
- Murphy, James J., and Richard Katula, ed. A Synoptic History of Rhetoric. 3rd. ed. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2003. (SYN)
- D’Angelo, Frank J. Composition in the Classical Tradition. Allyn and Bacon, 2000. (CCT)
- Course packet, available at UTSACopyCenter.
- About $40 for course reserves, multi-media disks, folders, poster board, etc.
- Own e-mail account & regular, daily internet access from home
Grading Criteria:
2 Essays………………………….……………...30%
Quizzes and Peer Review…..…...... …20%
Electronic Chats ………………………………..25%
Final Exam……………………………………....25%
Grades:Your grade will be determined by a percentage of the total number of possible points: A=90-100%, B=80-89, C=70-79%, and so on.
Essays: Essays involve critical analyses of the assigned reading. You may be asked to share your response in small groups or with the class. If you are absent, turn in your short essay at the beginning of the next class period.
Quizzes: These cover the assigned reading, lectures, class discussion, and WebCT “chats.” Be prepared! Quizzes can be conducted at any time during the class period. A missed quiz cannot be made up. Since lecture and discussion will be subject to quizzes, students cannot show up sporadically and still expect to succeed in the quizzes. You may drop one quiz at the end of the semester. /
Peer Review: This involves regular collaborative work in small groups, where you will provide and receive constructive criticism to and from classmates. If you do not bring a draft on peer review days, you cannot participate in peer review and thus will be unable to earn points. Please be courteous and respectful of your classmates writing even as you share ideas and suggestions for improvement. Remember that classmates simply offer suggestions and the author remains the final decision-maker on what to do with those suggestions. If you must miss a peer review day and would like an excuse, you’ll need to provide medical verification, to be turned in with your paper.
Electronic Chats: Small group discussions on the assigned readings sometimes take place through the WebCT chat rooms. There will be questions and directions; use them as prompts for your ideas. You need not address every issue as they are intended to get you started writing and responding. Realize that you have an audience for these writings beside yourself and that you can always write more than required to finish the thought you are exploring.
Your WebCT chats should be around 250 words responding to the prompts. And, you need to write short interactive responses to at least three other postings (at least 80 words per posting) and one rejoinder (at least 80 words). You have one week to post the 250 word “chat” and one week to respond to the three other students after the reading assignment is due for class. If you post after that time, your entry will be marked "late," and this tardiness will affect your response grade. Note that all postings have a mid-semester and end-semester cut off.
The grade for your WebCT chats assumes that your total number of entries occurs within the time limit and all responses to postings are completed. If some of your chats are late or you miss replies, this will pull your score down by 50%. Moreover, the lengths stated above do matter, so if you are short of words on some, be long on others.
50% of the scoring of your WebCT chats is based on quantity: A = 10 entries; B = 8 entries; C = 7 entries; D = 6 entries; F = 5 or fewer entries. 50% is based on quality, reliant on your end of the semester self-evaluation which describes whether you (a) connected to earlier posts (b) synthesized various perspectives (c) responded specifically to issues raised (d) extended or complicated issues raised (e) raised new questions (f) reflected on and critiqued the issues.
These chats, like your essays, are considered public speech, i.e. the statements you make are not considered private. So, it's advisable to not only be on your best and most polite linguistic behavior, but also think twice before you hit the send button. Please adhere to netiquette. If you want to read more, see . If you are unfamiliar with WebCT, please talk with people in the WebCT office:MS 3.02.28, phone: 458-4519, Email:
Final Exam: A comprehensive final exam will be conducted on Thursday, 7 May 2008, 10:30-1:00. There will be short answer and essay questions. Students may bring to the exam one 8.5 x 11” piece of paper with notes. Those notes must be turned in with the final exam. After the final grade is submitted, students may review their final exam but cannot take it with them.
Attendance and Participation:
Because this is a senior seminar and because your course grade will be influenced by your in-class participation and preparedness, regular, punctual attendance seems to be the most logical approach.
Daily reading and writing will be assigned. Do complete the assigned reading/writing on the days listed and come prepared to participate in class discussion.
Ethical breaches in your research, tardiness, unexcused absences, and/or lack of commitment to the course and your work will effect your standing inthe course.
Student questions and debates all contribute to the overall growth of knowledge for the class. Learning studies show that in general, if a person has a question, then at least 1/3 of the other people in the class also have that question—SO ASK! You will encounter a number of interesting and perhaps controversial topics in this course, and you will not always agree with me or with each other. Learning to listen and understand different points of view is critical to class discussion. Careful listening also helps avoid needless repetition—a factor that your classmates will appreciate!
In addition to daily in-class small and large group discussion, we will have in-class projects, including some collaborative work in small groups, which will contribute to your participation grade. Should your participation be minimal, the instructor may deduct up to one letter grade from your final grade. You may have two unexcused absences for the semester. Any absences beyond that will affect your final grade (every one absences will cost you a letter grade off your final grade). Excessive absences (above six absences) will result in failure from this course. All major assignments must be submitted to pass this course.
Note on civility and professionalism: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. To ensure all students have the opportunity to gain from the time spent in class, students are prohibited from engaging in any form of distraction. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom shall result, minimally, in a request to leave class. Cell phones should be turned off or set to “vibrate/buzz only” before you come to class. If you must take a call, please step into the hallway to talk.
Academic Honesty:
All work submitted must be your own, with outside sources properly acknowledged with MLA citation formats. Academic dishonesty includes using the work of another writer as your own, copying, allowing a tutor to write part or all of your paper, or allowing someone else to use your work in the same manner. The penalty for academic dishonesty is your failure of this course. Therefore, if you are unsure about your work in this matter, please talk to me before (and not after) you submit your work. Please refer to the UTSA Student Code of Conduct: Work submitted for this course may not be submitted for credit in any other courses. Additionally, any work submitted for credit in any other courses may not be submitted for this course.
Miscellaneous: Support services for students with disabilities are available through the Office of Disabled Student Services (DSS) in MS 2.03.18.