Course Description

ENG 103: Rhetoric and Writing (3) 

Introduces students to principles of diverse rhetorics and writing processes, and to research processes and information literacy. Additionally, the course will provide students with practice analyzing how the processes and practices of language use vary across cultural and rhetorical situations. Lastly, the course emphasizes and focuses on the creation of written and multi-modal texts. This course has no prerequisites.

Course Goals

  • Identify and analyze a variety of rhetorical concepts from different cultures;
  • Assess strategies for invention, drafting, and revision for individual composing styles by setting goals and tracking growth;
  • Establish authorial agency and identity by developing an awareness of the rhetorical history and impact of conventions (grammar, citation, format, and genre) as they vary by culture and discipline;
  • Engage critically and carefully as readers (and listeners) of others’ perspectives and diverse language practices;
  • Produce texts in multiple modes for different rhetorical purposes and audiences;
  • Demonstrate ability to incorporate evidence and synthesize information from multiple secondary sources.

Course Content and Format
The content and format of ENG 103 are designed to enable students to achieve the course goals:

  • Discuss, analyze, and respond to a variety of visual and verbal texts to identify rhetorical elements, strategies, and conventions
  • Discuss, analyze, and respond to the persuasive logics by which various visual and verbal texts achieve, or fail to achieve, their purposes
  • Collaborate in developing ideas, analyzing visual and verbal texts, and providing peer feedback
  • Compose persuasive texts through multiple drafts, revising based on peer feedback, self-reflection, instructor’s written comments, and teacher-student conferences
  • Reflect (orally and textually) on the rhetorical choices and decisions they are required to make as authors to shape a text for a specific audience and purpose
  • Reflect (orally and textually) on the rhetorical choices and decisions they are required to make in order to construct meaning out of another’s text
  • Complete a variety of writing assignments for multiple purposes, audiences, and contexts, using various media, and including primary and secondary research.

Requirements

The content of ENG 103 is designed to enable students to achieve the course goals; specifically, students in ENG 103 will:

  • Discuss, analyze, and respond to a variety of written and multi-modal texts, from a variety of cultural and ideological perspectives.
  • Discuss and analyze the rhetorical history and impact of conventions (grammar, citation, format, and genre) as they vary by culture and diverse language practices.
  • Complete regular informal writing assignments that involve and/or attend to writing processes (invention, drafting, feedback, and revision)
  • Complete at least three (3) major projects that engage with different modes of delivery for a variety of rhetorical purposes and audiences.
    • At least one major assignment will incorporate secondary research.
    • At least one major assignment will address rhetorical knowledge.
    • At least one major assignment will be multi-modal.

NOTE: In order to fulfill the University’s Core Curriculum requirement in Writing Program courses, students must earn a minimum grade of C to pass; a grade of C-minus is not passing. Writing Program courses may be repeated as many times as necessary to meet the requirement but:

  • The first and all other grades will show up on the transcript.
  • Only the most recent grade earned in the course will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.
  • A grade of W will not replace a previous grade.
  • Course credit hours apply only once to graduation requirements.

(Please see Ball Point for a more complete explanation of these policies.)

Evaluation
Students provide anonymous evaluations of the course. Instructors are urged to evaluate and revise individual syllabuses on a regular basis. ENG 103 is subject to curriculum review by the writing committee.

Approved Texts for English 103

  • The primary text for ENG 103 is Ball Point Vol. 1. Faculty may also order an approved supplemental text.