Course Schedule
The following schedule offers a provisional plan for all work throughout the semester. We may revise it as needed. PDF readings are available for download at EMU Online (see Doc Sharing).
1.Week of Sept. 6-10
We.8 Introductions
In class: Syllabus and Schedule
2.Week of Sept. 13-17
Mo.13 How Technology Enframes: A Brief History
Read: Baron, "From Pencils to Pixels" (PDF)
In-class: P1.Elements of Style Remake setup
*DUE: SP#1
We.15 Style as a Technology for Oral/Written Expression
Read: Crowley and Hawhee, "Style," Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, pp. 229-263 (PDF)
3.Week of Sept. 20-24
Mo.20 The Elements of Style
Project: What is a remake?
Read: Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Foreword, Introduction, and pp. 1-33.
Read: The Sandwich Spread Elements of Style
We.22 The Elements of Style, cont.
Read: Pell, The Marquis de Sade Elements of
Style, selections (PDF)
Read: Elements of Style, pp. 34-85.
4.Week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1
Mo.27 P1 Workshop
Bring materials and drafts
In class: Project development
We.29 Peer response
Bring full draft of Project One
In class: Peer response
5.Week of Oct. 4-8 (Conferences Week)
Mo.4 DUE: P1.Elements of Style Remake
In class: P2.Issues In Setup
We.6 Issues In Demo: Joseph Williams
Read: Williams, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, Preface and pp. 1-43 (PDF)
*DUE: SP#2
Issues In selections
6.Week of Oct. 11-15 (Conferences Week)
Mo.11 P2.Issues In Workshop
We.13 P2.Issues In Workshop
7.Week of Oct. 18-22 (Conferences Week)
Mo.18 TBD
We.20 Style & Technology Open Gallery
8.Week of Oct. 25-29
Mo.25 In class: Midterm Evaluation
DUE: P.2 Issues In + Responses/Reviews
We.27 3.33 Ways
In class: P3 3.33 Ways setup
Choosing a nonfiction passage
9.Week of Nov. 1-5
Mo.1 Sentences
Read: Tufte, "Short Sentences," from Artful Sentences: Syntax as
Style (PDF)
*DUE: SP#3
In class: Syntax analysis for style's sake
We.3 Paramedic Method
Read: From Lanham's The Longman Guide to Revising Prose (PDF)
In class: Applying the P-M
10.Week of Nov. 8-12
Mo.8 Oulipo Logic
Read: Selection from Queneau, Exercises in Style (PDF)
Read: Selections from Matt Madden (PDF)
P3: Commit to a non-fiction passage
We.10 Workshop - Writing with Pictures
Read: Selections from Scott McCloud (PDF)
In class: Blaze: Writing with Pictures
*DUE: SP#4
11.Week of Nov. 15-19
Mo.15 Typeface Style
Helvetica film
We.17 Imagetext
Project One or Two revision due (see "Add-ons" in syllabus)
Read: Wysocki, "Awaywithwords: On the Possibilities in
Unavailable Designs" (PDF)
*DUE: SP#5
12.Week of Nov. 22-26
Mo.22 Ignite Series
Read: Selection from Reynolds' Presentation Zen (PDF)
DUE: Draft of P3.3.33 Ways
In class: Ignite Series Overview
Addiction! Staying Afloat in the Age of the Stream (in class)
We.24 No classes - Thanksgiving Recess
13.Week of Nov. 29-Dec. 3
Mo.29 Workshop
In class: Project 3 and Presentation Development
We.1 Ignite Series
In class: Presentation comment-evaluation
14.Week of Dec. 6-10
Mo.6 Ignite Series
In class: Presentation comment-evaluation
We.8 Ignite Series, cont.
In class: Presentation comment-evaluation
DUE: P3.3.33 Ways
15.Finals Week - Dec. 13-17
Mo.13 DUE: Final Exam
Contact Information
Derek N. Mueller, PhDAssociate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing
Director of Composition
Department of English
Virginia Tech
Office: 315 Shanks Hall
Spring 2020 Office Hours: T, 12-3
Phone: +1-734-985-0485
dmueller@vt.edu
http://derekmueller.net/rc/
