COMMUNITY RHETORICS:
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GOALS OF THE PROGRAM IN WRITING AND RHETORIC The goals of PWR , Stanford's writing program, are simple to state: we aim to guide Stanford students in writing academic arguments and research-based essays, using rhetorical principles that will enable them to enter courses in many fields, analyze the discourses they find there, and, on the basis of their analyses, begin to participate effectively in those discourses, whether oral or written. Find PWR's web site at http://pwr.stanford.edu.
In this community-based class, we explore the dynamic between research and writing in academic settings and in public ones. The class will provide you with opportunities to engage in purposeful research and writing in a variety of rhetorical situations. You will complete one of the three major writing projects for the class on behalf of a local nonprofit agency. Your academic projects will relate directly and indirectly to your community work. Specifically, this class will encourage you to |
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engage the process behind your "finished" writing in order to enhance its quality; consider interdisciplinary approaches to thinking, research, and writing; read and write with attention to audience and purpose; recognize and employ strategies of argumentation and organization that are most appropriate and effective considering a given document's audience and your purpose; recognize that rhetorical effectiveness often involves consideration of format conventions and use of visual and other media that support and enhance print text; consult in research a wide range of primary and secondary sources, within and beyond the academic community; develop a comfortable, confident, flexible prose style; collaborate with other students and with community members in research, writing, and revision; in responding to peers' and others' writing, hone critical and editorial skills that will serve you in conceiving, writing, revising, and editing your own work; understand that knowledge in general and writing in particular, including student writing, are real, having value and consequences.
This course includes a Community Writing component. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for this class, you will research and write one or more practical documents for a local community nonprofit organization. I will not be the sole reader of your writing in this class, and a grade will not be its sole purpose.
The Community Writing Project brings the philosophy and practice of service-learning to this class. You will find other service-learning courses across various disciplines throughout the University, but in this class, service-learning focuses definitely and specifically on writing. While satisfying a portion of the writing requirement, CWP offers you the opportunity to write something of specific and tangible use for a nonprofit organization outside the university. CWP work generally targets much larger audiences and different kinds of readers than college writers are accustomed to. With the Community Writing Project, you make a contribution to the larger community; what you write stands to have a real impact on people and policies.
Our class will be offered placements with local nonprofit or governmental organizations that need writers and speakers to complete a variety of tasks. Typical Community Writing Projects include newsletter articles, press releases, interviews, profiles, histories, reports, fact sheets, reviews, grant proposals, and various kinds of writing for organizations' web sites. After the Community Writing Coordinator and I discuss possible placements with you, you will be assigned one agency to work with, based to the extent possible on your preferences. The writing that you ultimately produce for your agency, if it is good enough according to the agency's standards, will appear in print or be incorporated into important in-house documents or programs.
The Community Writing Project involves independent work and requires a very high degree of reliability on your part since it is essentially an internship, and your agency will be counting on you to fulfill a real writing need. In addition to contributing in important ways to the work of an area nonprofit, and hence to the well-being of the community, your CWP work will also make an impressive addition to your résumé. In the past, some CWP placements have led to internships and other work opportunities for students.
Click here for more about Community Writing.
Click here for the community agencies partnered with this class.
Click here for examples of students' past Community Writing projects.
Carolyn Ross and Ardel Thomas. Writing for Real: A Handbook for Writers in Community Service. Longman Publishing, 2003. (See Table of Contents.)
Lester Faigley. The Penguin Handbook. Longman Publishing, 2002.
ReadingsPlease complete readings and view films by the dates assigned -- the quality of your written work and of class discussions will depend upon your doing so.
The majority of assigned readings for this course will be found in Writing for Real and in handouts.
All the films on our syllabus are held on reserve for students in this class in Green Library's Media Center on the basement level. The films are available for three-hour intervals for you to check out and view on site.
Faigley's The Penguin Handbook will serve as a helpful reference source, guiding you through research, evaluation, and documentation of outside sources as well as effective implementation of visual and oral rhetorics. As a further resource for you in your research project, familiarity with portions of SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy: An Interactive Tutorial will also be expected.
Back to Top In choosing the assignments that I have this quarter, I have in mind certain learning objectives, but, as far as academic assignments are concerned, specific topics will be up to you. The exception to open topics, of course, will be the Community Writing Project. The topic of your community project will be determined by your agency in accordance with its needs. When topics are open, determining your own topic is a crucial step in the writing process; if you are not actively involved at the point of topic selection, the chances for a compelling piece of writing growing out of it seem pretty slim. Topics not directly related to your Community Writing Project should arise from your interest and a sense of purpose -- from the questions you ask yourself, and out of your need or desire to know.
Your first project for the quarter will be an essay for yourself and for the class. The second project will be the Community Writing Project. The third project will be the research paper. When you submit your writing portfolio to me at the end of the quarter, I will ask you to include a cover letter and several brief section introductions assessing your learning and progress as an academic and community-based researcher and writer in the class.
Contextual Analysis: The Leap-of-Faith Essay. This essay will provide practice in blending personal and analytical writing, drawing upon visual and written texts. Length of finished essay: 6-7 pages; Part #1 due 9/30; Part #2 due 10/2; complete draft due 10/9, revision due 10/17.
"Real World" Writing: The Community Writing Project. A written project on behalf of your community agency, approximately 1000 words; draft due 11/10, revision due 12/8.
Documented Argument: The Research Paper. Your research paper will be related in some way to your Community Writing Project and/or your work or experience in the community. If the opportunity exists at your agency and the project is comparable to a complex, academic research paper, the research paper may also be dedicated to Community Writing. The finished research paper will be at least 12 pages (but no more than 15), excluding footnote and bibliography pages. This is a documented argument, analysis, or interpretation, using at least 12 outside sources and incorporating two or more media beyond words on the page.
Increments of research project:
3 topic ideas due 10/16 Research proposal and Topic Form due 10/21 Library Workshop, 10/23 (meet at 3:15 in the lobby of Green Library; take the Green Library Virtual Tour and review Modules 1 and 2 of SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy: An Interactive Tutorial prior to our workshop) Working annotated bibliography due 10/28 Research paper rough opening, closing, outline due, tentative thesis 11/18 Research paper draft due 11/24 Revised research paper due with portfolio 12/8 (Monday of Exam Week) Reflection/Self-Evaluation: Portfolio Cover Letter and Section Introductions. In the cover letter of your portfolio, you will asses your overall development as a writer during the quarter. In the four section introduction -- one for each of the three writing projects above and one for your presentation work (see below) -- you will reflect on your learning process within each project. Due with writing portfolio on 12/8.
Back to Top Everyone will give two presentations to the class during the quarter -- one a rhetorical analysis of a reading or film, the other on your Community Writing Project or experience. Plan to use PowerPoint slides or similar presentation software to support your presentations. Although you will deliver these presentations orally, instruction and critique will focus primarily on composition of effective materials in support of your presentation.
Rhetorical Analysis: Reading or Film Presentation. At some time during the quarter, each student, individually or collaboratively, will offer a brief presentation one of the readings or films on our syllabus. We will determine presentation subjects and dates early in the quarter, by lottery. These presentations will serve to initiate, focus, and extend class discussion.
Reflection/Analysis: Community Writing Project Presentation. Toward the end of the quarter, you will share an important aspect of your Community Writing Project, your experience in community work, or your experience as a researcher/writer in this service-learning class.
Back to Top I will collect students' portfolios at the end of the quarter. In evaluating your work, I will use your portfolio to reference the full range of your performance and progress in each assignment and in the class as a whole.
Obviously, it is crucial that you save all work for the class in an organized sequence and special location (a three-hole binder works well) so that you can access it all easily at the end of the quarter. (See Portfolio Checklist.)
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In "Community Rhetorics," technology will facilitate teaching and learning in many ways. As a matter of course, please have up-to-date copies of your work (including work-in-progress) accessible to you in class, available to ftp from your Leland space or stored on a floppy disk or CD. I will ask you to submit some of your writing in electronic as well as in print form. All major assignments will contribute to an enhancement of technological literacy, asking that you integrate written texts and other media. I will ask everyone to submit at least one project to post on our class web site at the end of the quarter.
Our classroom: Wallenberg 125. Our classroom in Wallenberg Hall features cutting-edge technology that will facilitate class discussion, student collaboration, critique, research, community outreach, presentation, and multimedia work.
Room 125 Technology:
Flexible Furniture / 2 Wall Displays with computers running Microsoft Windows / Networked laptops running Microsoft Windows / Collaboration Stations with plasma screens / Space Software / SmartPanel / Video cameras and microphones
Our Class Web Site: I am committed to minimizing paper consumption in this class. You will find class materials posted on the class web site http://www.stanford.edu/~cbross/CRF03/CommunityRhetoricsF03.html . These materials include the course syllabus, calendar of due dates, schedule of reading assignments, project assignment sheets, supplements to assignments, conference schedules, and links to a number of useful resources.
Email: We will be using email to communicate outside of class on a regular basis -- so make sure that you check your email regularly.
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There will be four scheduled conferences this quarter. The first is a peer review conference (to include you, me, and your peer review partner) in which we will discuss drafts of the Leap-of-Faith Essay. The second conference will provide an opportunity for you and other students working with your community agency to check in with me about your Community Writing assignment. The third conference will be an individual or small group conference -- depending upon whether your Community Writing Project is individual or collaborative &endash; to discuss your Community Writing Project draft. The final conference will be a peer review conference to discuss research paper drafts. Attendance at all scheduled conferences is required.
Rescheduling missed conferences is usually impossible, so make note of the time you sign up for, as well as the conference location, and show up on time please.
You are, of course, welcome to come see me at other times; if you can't make it during office hours, I will be more than happy to arrange an alternate time with you.
Back to Top Each student will give and receive a written and spoken peer review of the Leap-of-Faith Essay and the research paper at the draft stage. I will provide you with peer review guidelines.
Back to Top Having the opportunity to revise your work after feedback is crucial. Everyone will have the opportunity to revise the Leap-of-Faith Essay, the Community Writing Project, and the research paper following peer, agency mentor, and/or instructor review and discussion of drafts in conference. It is essential that you get feedback from your agency mentor on your Community Writing Project before you submit your final work. With all three assignments, you will be graded on your revisions.
Back to Top All written work (including drafts) submitted over the quarter, with the exception of peer reviews, must be typed. Finished essays must be titled, and all essays (including drafts) must be double-spaced with numbered pages.
Depending on the nature of the assignment, I may ask you to include a one-paragraph statement of audience and purpose with your essays.
Please try to print all work (including revisions) on recycled paper or on both sides of the page!
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CLASS, PWR, AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
The PWR attendance policy is strict. It reads as follows:
Because PWR courses make use of writing activities, in-class workshops, and small group discussion, your consistent attendance is crucial to your success. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or valid University-related activities, you must let your instructor know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with your instructor as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed. If you do not take responsibility for communicating with your instructor about absences, your instructor will contact you by phone or email and issue a warning about your standing in the course. Should you miss a second class, your work in the class will be seriously compromised, and a continued pattern of absences may jeopardize your enrollment in the class. The best policy, therefore, is to be in class, on time, every day!
The specific policy for this class is as follows. One unexcused absence is allowed. At the second unexcused absence, students will receive no credit for class participation. With three unexcused absences, students must drop or they will not pass the class. Please let me know of anticipated absences in advance.
Students who are late to class also put their grades at risk. If you are late to class 3 times, you will receive no credit for class participation.
Back to Top Unless you have received my permission at least 24 hours in advance of the due date, late work will be graded down, at the rate of one full grade per class meeting. After one week, I reserve the right not accept late work at all. You will not pass this class unless you submit each of the four major assignments.
Back to Top The PWR policy on plagiarism reads as follows:
PWR Policy: Students are responsible for living by the Honor Code and for maintaining honesty in scholarship. Work submitted for a course must be the student's own (or a group's work, if students have collaborated on an assignment). The use of someone else's words or ideas without acknowledgement and as your own contradicts PWR goals and principles. As such, PWR will take reasonable precautions to prevent it and all measures prescribed by the Stanford Judicial Affairs Office for remedy and redress.
Any written work submitted to PWR classes may be sent by the PWR instructor to one or more databases for the noncommercial purpose of checking the writer's use of sources. These databases check student writing against published works and other submitted student writing to ensure academic integrity, specifically that works and ideas have not been borrowed without appropriate citation.
You are expected to be familiar with and to abide by Stanford's Honor Code and Stanford's Fundamental Standard.
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In addition to (and more important than) assigning letter grades to individual assignments, I will provide written narrative evaluations of each of the major assignments at their revised stages. (You may further revise your work from early in the quarter, if you wish and if there is time, for inclusion in your portfolio.) Narrative evaluations, along with conferences, should give you a pretty clear picture of how specifically you might improve your writing from project to project.
At the end of the quarter, I will assign a letter grade to your portfolio of writing for the entire quarter, and this will account for approximately 85% of your final grade. Beyond averaging grades on individual projects -- with the Leap-of-Faith essay accounting for about 20%, the Community Writing Project for about 30%, the Research Paper for about 40% of the portfolio grade, and your presentation work about 10% -- in assigning both portfolio and final grades, I will also take into account your effort and engagement, the demonstrated development and improvement of your individual writing skills and style over the quarter, and your overall accomplishment relative to that of others in the class.
At the end of the quarter, I will also assign a letter grade for class participation (which includes class and conference attendance, in-class participation, participation in conferences and peer reviews, and participation in collaborative work); class participation will account for 15% of your final grade
Back to Top The PWR policy concerning grade disputes reads as follows:
If you have a complaint about this PWR course or wish to question a grade, please write a memo to the Director of PWR, Andrea Lunsford (lunsford@stanford.edu), and the Associate Director of PWR, Marvin Diogenes (marvind@stanford.edu), explaining the problems you are having with the course, the reasons for your dispute, and so on. You may arrange to meet with them to discuss your dispute. You may want, for example, to ask them to read an assignment again, reconsidering your work in light of points you have made about it. Many misunderstandings or problems can be worked out in such a meeting.
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RESOURCES
Take advantage of the many resources available to you, in general and as Stanford and PWR students! Follow the link to some of the more pertinent ones.
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