Syllabus

Download a Microsoft Word version of the syllabus.

Communication 435
Historic American Public Discourse
Summer 2005

Instructor: Leah Ceccarelli
Class Meetings: Mondays-Thursdays 9:40-11:50 a.m., Communications 226
Office Hours: Mondays-Thursdays noon-12:30 p.m. & by appointment, Communications 145
Phone: 685-1622 (work); 782-6398 (home)
E-mail: cecc@u.washington.edu

Course Description

This course studies how American public discourse was designed to influence belief and action. We will apply the methods of rhetorical criticism to the study of historical public speeches, essays, and declarations. We will engage close readings of public texts in their historical context to better understand those texts, their rhetorical construction, and the culture from which they arose. This quarter covers discourse from the founding of the nation to the beginning of WWII.

Required Texts

Texts linked to the course main page, which are also available for purchase in a course reader at the Copy Center in the basement of the Communications building. Purchase of the course reader is recommended because primary texts there have paragraph numbers added to facilitate class discussion.

Final Grade Determination

Midterm Examination ………………………………………………………. 35%
Final Examination …………………………………………………………....35%
Pop quizzes …………………………………………………………………..30%

Pop Quizzes

Because it is impossible to follow a lecture or engage a meaningful discussion about the rhetorical construction of a text if you have not carefully read that text, it is very important that you attend class ready to participate in the learning process. To reward you for making this preparation a priority in your busy schedules, there will be several unannounced pop quizzes that assess how carefully you have read and thought about the reading material assigned for that day.

You will be allowed to use one 8½ x 11 inch sheet of notes per text when taking these quizzes. (I will be testing your thoughtful reading of the texts, not your memory.) So when reading the assigned speeches, essays, or declarations, it would be wise to take notes. For suggestions about how to take effective notes in preparation for the quizzes, see the handout “How to Engage a Close Reading of the Text,” also available on the web as “notetaking guide.”

Midterm and Final Examinations

These exams will include short answer and multiple choice questions. They will test your knowledge of the tools of rhetoric that are introduced and used in class and your understanding of the critical interpretations that we develop in class. Since they are designed to test knowledge and understanding, not memory, they will be open book/open notes exams.

However, there are some restrictions on what materials you can bring with you:

• The only book that you can bring to the exam is the textbook for this class. In other words, you cannot bring dictionaries, textbooks from other classes, history books, etc.
  
  
• You may not bring exams or exam answers from previous quarters that this course was taught.

Code of Conduct

This class will include both lectures and class discussions. During lectures, I will try to make the material as interesting and as clear as possible; you should try to be attentive to what is being said, and feel free to ask questions if anything is unclear. During class discussions, we should all try to mix a spirit of cooperation with a commitment to critical thinking. The basic components of this ethic are listed below:

• Everyone’s reading of the text is respected in this class. Although some interpretations may turn out to be misreadings of the text, no one’s ideas are “stupid” or “unworthy” of consideration.
  
  
• Everyone should participate in the discussion. I will try to make it comfortable for everyone to join in, but I need your help! Those of you who find yourselves speaking more often should pause for a few minutes so that others can join in the conversation; those of you who find yourselves not contributing should make a special effort to add your voice to the conversation.
  
  
• When you interpret, critique, or judge a speech, essay, or declaration during a class discussion, you may be asked to provide the textual or contextual evidence to back your reading. This request should not be taken as an attack on you or your opinion. Likewise, if someone disagrees with your reading or provides counter-evidence, you should not take this as a personal reproach; instead, you should consider it a part of the collaborative learning process.
  
  
• When a classmate interprets, critiques, or judges a speech, essay, or declaration, everyone should be willing to help move the conversation forward by providing other evidence to support that reading or by providing counter-evidence that calls that reading into question. Discussion only works when we actively and critically engage each other’s ideas.
  

Other Important Rules and Regulations

1. There will be no makeup pop quizzes. I will give 13 pop quizzes over the course of the quarter. When determining your grade, I will only count your top 10 scores. In effect, this means that you can have at least three “sick days” without experiencing a negative impact on your grade. If you have an illness or emergency that will cause you to miss more than three pop quizzes, contact me about it as soon as possible. If you have official university business that will take you out of town during class time (e.g., you are an athlete traveling for a game) you should speak to me before you leave. If given proper documentation, I can design alternative assignments on a case-by-case basis when emergency, extended illness, or official university business results in missed pop quizzes.
   
   
2. Make-up midterm and final exams will only be given for those who have legitimate, documented emergencies or scheduled university-sanctioned conflicts, and who contact me immediately about the situation.
   
   
3. If you have a disability that will affect your learning in this class, please speak to me at once so we can make arrangements to adapt the course to your special needs.

Grading Criteria

Every grade you receive in this class will be recorded according to a four point scale. Each pop quiz has 4 questions; if you get all four right, you get a 4.0 on the quiz, if you miss one you get a 3.0 on the quiz, etc. Exams typically have several questions, each worth a designated number of points. Scores on exams will be translated to the four-point scale by dividing your total exam score by the number that converts it directly to the four-point system (e.g., if there are 32 total points available on an exam, your score will be divided by 8 to place it on the four-point scale). To ensure that you understand what the four point scale means in this class, you should consider the following evaluative scale. This scale can be used to interpret your scores in terms that are more meaningful to your own learning process: