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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - ENC6333
Tracking Number - 2212

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Current Status: Approved, Permanent Archive - 2010-08-10
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: Approved by College 5/7/10; to GC 5/17/10; approved, but needed credit hour confirmation. Confirmed 6/28/10; Submitted to SCNS liaison 7/2/10. SCNS approved. Effective 8/1/10. Number chnged from 6720 to 6333. Posted in banner


Detail Information

  1. Date & Time Submitted: 2009-10-13
  2. Department: English
  3. College: AS
  4. Budget Account Number: 122300
  5. Contact Person: Alma G Bryant
  6. Phone: 974 9467
  7. Email: abryant@cas.usf.edu
  8. Prefix: ENC
  9. Number: 6333
  10. Full Title: Contemporary Rhetorics
  11. Credit Hours: 3
  12. Section Type: C - Class Lecture (Primarily)
  13. Is the course title variable?: N
  14. Is a permit required for registration?: N
  15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
  16. Is this course repeatable?:
  17. If repeatable, how many times?: 0
  18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Contemporary Rhetorics
  19. Course Online?: C - Face-to-face (0% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 0
  21. Grading Option: R - Regular
  22. Prerequisites:
  23. Corequisites:
  24. Course Description: This course examines the impact of postmodern theories on theory and practice of rhetoric—particularly the rhetoric of rhetoric and composition. The course examines ways post modern rheotoric lends itself to the developing media and complexity theory.

  25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed for program/concentration/certificate change
  26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? Postmodern theory contributes to the contemporary resurgence of rhetorical theory. Our students need to understand how postmodern theory challenge traditional rhetorical assumptions and how rhetorical theory in turn responds to such challenges. This course would fulfill a core requirement for students seeking an English Ph.D with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition.
  27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? No
  28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Instructors would require a comprehensive background in 20th century critical, rhetorical, and composition theories and on the historic relationship between philosophy and rhetoric.
  29. Objectives: a. Understand Modernity’s resistance to epistemic notions of rhetoric

    b. Examine the linguistic movement in philosophy and theory with an eye towards the revitalization of rhetorical scholarship

    c. Contemplate the relationship between rhetorical social construction and a number of key postmodern theorists and concepts (including, Derrida and notions of supplementarity, Foucault and notions of Power, Bulter and notions of gender performativity, Lacan and notions of symbolic order).

    d. Review how contemporary rhetoric and composition scholarship draws upon primary theorists

    e. Speculate on how recent theoretical movements (public rhetorics, ecocomposition, complexity and network theory) can be interpreted as attempts to

    "move past” postmodern theory.

  30. Learning Outcomes: a. Read and parse dense theoretical texts

    b. Compare and contrast core elements of canonical 20th century theoretical texts

    c. Gain confidence presenting material to peers

    d. Gain experience responding to work of peers

    e. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of contemporary rhetorical practice

  31. Major Topics: a. 20th century critical theory

    b. Rhetorical theory

    c. Critical Reading

    d. Writing

    e. Presentation

  32. Textbooks: a. Alcorn, Marshall W. Changing the Subject in English Class

    b. Berlin, James, Rhetoric, Poetic, Cultures

    c. Davis, Diane D. Breaking Up [at] Totality

    d. Derrida, Jacques Monolingualism of the Other

    e. Hawk, Byron A Counter-History of Composition

    f. Lyotard, Jean-Francois, The Postmodern Condition

    g. Taylor, Mark C. The Moment of Complexity

  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases:
  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Over the course of the semester, students will be required to:

    1. Compose and deliver 3 papers to the class. Papers will be one page, single-spaced legal size paper. Beyond providing summary, these papers will focus on putting course readings into conversation, tracing out relationships between the various thinkers and commentaries studied in class. These papers are expected to be at least 1200 words each.

    2. Post approximately 750 words to our online forum each week. Forum posts should focus on particular passages from the reading in preparation for class papers. Additionally, I’ll ask each person to post at least one comment in response to someone else’s passage.

    3. Secondary Source Presentations: Over the course of the semester, each student will be expected to make 2 presentations on secondary sources. Ideally, these sources will address how composition pedagogy has attempted to incorporate our theoretical readings into its practice. Presentations should not exceed 3 double-spaced pages in length, and should be accompanied by a handout that provides classmates with 1) a brief summation of the article, 2) a brief response to the article, and 3) a few valuable quotes from the article.

    4. Submit a final paper of conference length, 8-10 pages, along with a conference proposal (no more than two pages) for an actual conference during the next calendar year.

  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: Grades will be calculated as follows:

    Paper Days: 45%

    Forum Posting 15%

    Source Presentations: 15%

    Final Paper: 15%

    Instructor Evaluation: 10%

    NOTE: Instructor evaluation concerns class participation and preparatin along with student ingenuity and effort (measured through visits to office hours, preparing rough drafts prior to due dates, and independently exploring secondary sources to help clarify difficulties.

  36. Attendance Policy: Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,

    http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    Of course, given the seminar format of this class, consistent attendance is requisite. However, I recognize that life happens, and thus will excuse you from one class session this semester. If you develop a serious medical condition that will force you to miss more time, please notify me immediately so that we can make other arrangements.

    Religious Holidays: If you will miss a class due to the observation of a religious holiday, then please notify me by the end of the second week of class.

  37. Policy on Make-up Work: Plagiarism is bad. Don’t do it or I will fail you and pursue administrative disciplinary mesures.
  38. Program This Course Supports: M.A. and Ph.D in Rheotoric and Composition
  39. Course Concurrence Information:


- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.