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 Jan. 9-13
Tu.10 Introductions
In class: Syllabus and Schedule
Th.12 How Technology Enframes: A Brief History
Read: Baron, "From Pencils to Pixels" (PDF)
In-class: P1.Elements of Style Remake setup
*DUE: SP#1
2.Week of Jan. 16-20
Tu.17 How Style Enframes: Another Brief History
Read: Crowley and Hawhee, "Style," Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, pp. 229-263 (PDF)
Th.19 The Elements of Style
Project: What is a remake?
Read: Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Foreword, Introduction, and pp. 1-33.
Read: Any two articles/pieces from EM-Journal issue 1.1 Elements
3.Week of Jan. 23-27
Tu.24 The Elements of Style, cont.
Read: Pell, The Marquis de Sade Elements of
Style, selections (PDF)
Read: Elements of Style, pp. 34-85.
Th.26 P1 Peer Response Workshop
Bring materials and drafts
In class: Project development
4.Week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3
Tu.31 DUE: P1.Elements of Style Remake
In class: P2.Tropes Setup
Th.2 Characters and Actions
Read: Williams, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, Preface and pp. 1-43 (PDF)
*DUE: SP#2
5.Week of Feb. 6-10 (Conferences)
Tu.7 Individual Conferences
Th.9 Individual Conferences
6.Week of Feb. 13-17
Tu.14 Navigating Genres
Read: Dirk, "Navigating Genres" (PDF)
Genre profiles: poster and wiki entry
Genre transformation
Th.16 P2.Tropes Workshop
Bring all materials
In class: Project development
7.Week of Feb. 20-24
Tu.21 DUE: P2.Tropes (Carry poster to class)
Th.23 In class: Midterm Evaluation
Introduce Style x4
Choosing a nonfiction passage
Project One revision due (see "Add-ons" in syllabus)
8.Week of Feb. 27-Mar.2
Spring Recess
9.Week of Mar. 5-9
Tu.6 Sentences
Read: Tufte, "Short Sentences," from Artful Sentences: Syntax as
Style (PDF)
*DUE: SP#3
In class: Syntax analysis for style's sake
Th.8 Paramedic Method
Read: From Lanham's The Longman Guide to Revising Prose (PDF)
In class: Applying the P-M
10.Week of Mar. 12-16
Tu.13 Oulipo Logic
Read: Selection from Queneau, Exercises in Style (PDF)
Read: Selections from Matt Madden (PDF)
P3: Commit to a non-fiction passage
Th.15 Workshop - Writing with Pictures
Read: Selections from Scott McCloud (PDF)
In class: Blaze: Writing with Pictures
*DUE: SP#4
11.Week of Mar. 19-23
Tu.20 Typography
Helvetica film
Th.22 No class (CCCC)
12.Week of Mar. 26-30
Tu.27 Imagetext
Read: Wysocki, "Awaywithwords: On the Possibilities in
Unavailable Designs" (PDF)
*DUE: SP#5
Project Two revision due (see "Add-ons" in syllabus)
Th.29 Workshop
In class: Project 3 Development
DUE: Draft of P3.Style x4
13.Week of Apr. 2-6
Tu.3 Ignite Series
Read: Selection from Reynolds' Presentation Zen (PDF)
In class: Ignite Series Overview
Addiction! Staying Afloat in the Age of the Stream (in class)
Th.5 Workshop
In class: P3 and Presentation Development
14.Week of Apr. 9-13
Tu.10 Building a Slidedeck
Working with Photos
Flickr Creative Commons
Th.12 Workshop
In class: Presentation Development and P3 Revisions
Fr.13 DUE: P3.Style x4
15.Week of Apr. 16-20
Tu.17 Ignite Series
In class: Presentation comment-evaluation
Th.19 Ignite Series
In class: Presentation comment-evaluation
16.Week of Apr. 22
Tu.23
Final exam due
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/
