ENGL6524: Syllabus

Course Description

ENGL6524: Theories of Written Communication (3 credits)
Studies in theories applied to written communication. May be repeated twice for credit for a total of 9 hours when the topic varies.

Expanded Description

Our seminar-styled study of theories of written communication this semester will begin with 1) considerations of what theory (θεωρέω, theóreó, 🔭) is and what it does, 2) how/why to engage with the theorizing sojourns and sightings of others, and 3) how this "bloom space" called theory has made us feel, especially as it hands a bouquet of possibilities to writing and rhetoric. Together we will read articles and chapters, book intros, and dissertation intros grouped with selected theoretical antecedents, thereby listening carefully for how theory circulates. Themes among these small sets include -isms and -graphies, root metaphors, academic writing and its alternatives, intellectual genealogies, expertise, rationalism, literacy development, and how we write. Readings will include selections by Gloria Anzaldúa, Mikhail Bakhtin, Deborah Brandt, Michel de Certeau, Manuel DeLanda, Yrjö Engeström, Harvey Graff, Joy Harjo, Cynthia Haynes, Julia Molinari, Beverly Moss, Stephen Pepper, Louise Phelps, Michael Polanyi, Malea Powell, Paul Prior & Jody Shipka, Jenny Rice, Jacqueline Royster, Kathleen Stewart, Eve Tuck & C. Ree, and more. Class activities will include weekly writing, discussion, a substantive project (Theory Deck/Microanthology), a presentation, and a course reflection.

Course Goals for ENGL6524

Course goals for ENGL6524 include but are not limited to the following:

1. Identify together how theories of written communication do what they do in the context of published scholarship in the field of Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. [Critical Disciplinary Inquiry and Knowledge-Making]
2. Contextualize contemporary theories of written communication, first by locating and learning about identiable theories and their uptakes, then by analyzing antecedent influences through in-class dialogue and writing of our own. [Making Connections Among Key Ideas and Extending Them Through Discussion and Writing]
3. Compose a series of texts as a distributed, recursive process that adapts to rhetorical contingencies, that responds to distinct audiences and genres, and that requires planning, review, and revision, leading to circulation. [Graduate-level Writing as a Distributed, Rhetorical Process]
4. Gain fluency with an expanded practical vocabulary for Theories of Written Communication, with sustained consideration of root metaphors, academic discourss, and intellectual genealogies in particular. [Collating and Coalescing Terms]
5. Additional goals may be established together as the semester gets underway. [Shared, Emergent Goals TBD]

Course Texts and Materials

All readings are provided as PDFs organized for you to download from our Canvas course shell. You should download PDFs for reading on the screen or, if you prefer, for printing and reading. The course schedule/calendar includes in parentheses after each assigned reading a time estimate meant to assist you with calibrating your time spent reading for the course. Plan to spend as much as 30 USD on printing and photocopying over the course of the semester, if you prefer printed copies of the PDFs.

Grading

Grading will adhere to a grading contract, which you will find in your Google Folder for the class. The menu of graded items is as follows:
Nineties+ (weekly writing): 30
Theory Deck/Microanthology (TDM): 60
Reflection: 10

Each item listed here is elaborated more comprehensively on the projects page. With the goal of ensuring transparency and clear communication, alongside the grading contract, projects (and their component parts) will be reviewed and commented upon in a manner intended to be open, encouraging and constructive, and inquiry-oriented. A record of graded items will be continuously updated on the labor-based contract in your Google Folder. I will provide responses to your work following deadlines and at any other time you request input from me. When drafts or sections of the major project are due, I will ask you to indicate your preference about the type of feedback you would like to receive: written comments, audio comments, and/or a conference to discuss your work.

Additional ungraded, or credit/no credit items include the following:
In-class writing, activities, and heuristics

Turning in Work

Shared Folder in Google Drive
All work will be turned in via designated folders in Google Drive. You will receive an email message from me early in the semester that shares with you access to a folder for your work. When you submit work, double-check to make sure the file format is Google Docs (that is, please do not submit PDFs, unconverted Word docs, or Pages files, or any other file formats unless the instructions call for it or it meets some other rhetorical purpose you have identified for the piece). Feedback, responses, and reader notes will be returned in this same location. For some projects this semester, we will also be posting work semi-publicly to a blog. Specific instructions for these assignments are posted on the projects page.

File Naming
Please use the file naming conventions shown in the instructions provided in Canvas and your Google Folder. All placeholder documents are already named ahead of time. for your convenience.

Late Work
Unless otherwise specified or arranged in advance, all work must be submitted before the start of class on the due date to be considered on time and therefore eligible for full credit.

Course Policies

Attendance and Participation

ENGL6524 is a graduate-level seminar. Absences or lack of preparation for class will affect your colleagues' work as well as your own. The work you do in and in preparation for each class is as important as the polished assignment you turn in for any project. In addition, our syllabus and schedule are only projections and may be subject to occasional changes and revisions as it seems appropriate, necessary, or just interesting. That is another reason why your attendance and engagement are valued so highly.

If you must miss a class, you are still responsible for all work assigned, including turning work in by stated deadlines. Class time cannot be reconstructed or made up, and your performance, your work, and your course grade will be impacted by absences.

We will meet this semester in Shanks 340. I encourage you to bring a laptop with you, if possible, for active note-keeping and for some in-class activities. As a rule of thumb, I ask that your in-class uses of mobile devices (e.g., cell phones) and laptop computers be focused on class-related activities. You should silence your phones before coming to class. As long as everyone is respectfully attentive when someone is speaking, in-class technology use will not be a problem. In-class attentiveness, engagement, and preparedness (i.e., having read and prepared for each class) are a basic expectation.

Computer and Internet Usage

We will be interacting with online resources and other sites on the internet during the course. Please let me know if you have any concerns about fluency with using a browser such as Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. When using a computer, save your work frequently, always make backup copies, and plan your projects with extra time allowed for unexpected challenges.

Communication with Peers; Communication with the Instructor

While you can expect a considerable amount of leadership and direction to come from me, you should also make arrangements early in the semester to communicate with your peers. In other words, you are strongly encouraged to identify one or two (perhaps more) peers in the class with whom you can discuss how the class is going, consider readings and assignments, work through questions brought up in the class, and approach when you find something unclear. In short, my hope is that we all will prefer climate in which dialogue and interaction circulates between the instructor and students and also between and among students when questions come up. Finally, you should always be proactive about asking questions when you have them, either by raising questions during class or contacting me or one of your peers privately.

Email

To communicate by email we will usually use our vt.edu accounts. I encourage you to check your vt.edu email at least once daily. You may call and leave a phone message, but you will at times find it more effective to use email to contact me about your work in the course. You can also set up an appointment to meet with me on campus, or to ask a question. With rare exceptions, I will respond to email inquiries within 48 hours.

Graduate Honor System

Students enrolled in this course are responsible for abiding by the Graduate Honor Code. A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the course instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the University community from the requirements and expectations of the Honor Code.

Plagiarism occurs when a writer passes off another's words or ideas without acknowledging their source, whether intentionally or not. For example, turning in another's work as your own is plagiarism. If you plagiarize in this class, you will likely fail the assignment on which you are working and your case may be passed to the university for additional disciplinary action. Because of the design and nature of this course, it will take as much (or more) work for you to plagiarize in it than it will to actually complete the work of the class.

For additional information about the Graduate Honor Code, please visit: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/expectations/graduate-honor-system.html

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)

Virginia Tech welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. The University promotes efforts to provide equal access and a culture of inclusion without altering the essential elements of coursework. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers that may be due to disability, including but not limited to ADHD, chronic or temporary medical conditions, deaf or hard of hearing, learning disability, mental health, or vision impairment, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office (540-231-3788, ssd@vt.edu, or visit ssd.vt.edu). If you have an SSD accommodation letter, please meet with me privately during office hours as early in the semester as possible to deliver your letter and discuss your accommodations. You must give me reasonable notice to implement your accommodations, which is generally 5 business days and 10 business days for final exams.

Writing Center

The Writing Center (Newman Library 2nd floor, Learning Commons; writingcenter@vt.edu, (540) 231-5436) offers free one-to-one consulting for both undergraduate and graduate students. Consulting formats include in-person, online-synchronous, and online-asynchronous. Students should bring a draft of what they’re working on and their assignment.

Contact Information