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World of Rhetoric I: BIC 1413

Contact Information:

Name: Dr. Samuel P. Perry

Office: Morrison 101.8

E-mail: Sam_Perry@baylor.edu

Phone: (254) 710-7390

Link to purchase e-book:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/world-rhetoric-volume-i

A few words about the course:

If there is a mantra or a slogan for the BIC, it would undoubtedly be Socrates’ claim that

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” So, one might logically ask, “What are we examining

in this class?” or perhaps, “What part of life do we examine when we study rhetoric?” The

answers among each faculty member teaching the course uniformly involve studying writing and

speaking, specifically as those forms of communication relate to persuasion. Beyond our initial

agreement on these matters, the answers undoubtedly become more complicated and

individually situated the longer that we talk about what rhetoric is and what it does. In fact, the

potential for disagreement on the matter of defining rhetoric suggests at least two very

important things about the subject: 1) Most every decision in life requires debate. 2) A

willingness to approach issues from a perspective that insists lines of respectful dialogue must

remain open between parties responsible for making those decisions.

A close reading of the last paragraph reveals that no definition of rhetoric, directly or

indirectly stated, is to be found. Instead, you see a series of statements about the questions that

surface when you ask a rhetoric professor what rhetoric is and what it does. During the course

of this semester and the next, your charge is to craft a working definition of rhetoric and an

explanation of what it does for yourself that you can clearly articulate to others. This is difficult.

Rhetoric defies definition because rhetoric constantly evolves as people use it to persuade one

another of the validity of particular realities, or as particular realities require different types of

messages in order to address the complications arising from new and unique situations.

Rhetoric must evolve because the world around us changes daily. The words, symbols, and

images we use to describe and make sense of the changes in the world matter greatly. The

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World of Rhetoric sequence in the BIC welcomes you into a conversation about why these

choices matter and the effects of these choices.

Science fiction author Philip K. Dick once wrote, “The basic tool for the manipulation of

reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control

the people who must use the words.” Our conversations revolve around a premise similar to this

one. Though, we hope to find more ethical and tenable outcomes than Philip Dick generally did

in his stories. Rhetoric, or the manipulation of words and symbols in order to persuade

ourselves and others, has a great potential to create change the world around us. We go forward

in hopes of using that potential to better our university life here at Baylor and in the world

beyond Baylor.

Course Goals and Objectives

Goals

Thematically, we will be working together to answer these three questions:

What is rhetoric?

How does rhetoric reflect a community’s values?

How do communities use rhetoric to deal with controversial issues?

Each of these questions and the answers provide avenues by which we work toward the

following goals and objectives.

The abstract and the lofty

1) Understand the responsibility of citizens to write and speak well (badly paraphrased

Cicero)

a. Hold accountable those people and organizations who persuade them of

something

b. Hold themselves accountable for the things they try to persuade others to do or

say

2) Grasp concepts related to the social and discursive construction of the world around

them.

a. Rhetoric is generative of particular understandings of reality

b. Rhetoric can change and revise particular understandings of reality

c. Rhetoric requires thoughtful and ethical use because of points A&B

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The practical and more directly measurable

1) Understand the basic principles and techniques of “good” writing and speaking.

2) Understand the ways in which writing and speaking relate to your chosen major and the

career to which you aspire. (If you have not decided on either of these, do not fret.

Writing and speaking well are intrinsically valuable. I promise. If you do not believe me

by the end of the semester, it will not have been for a lack of my repeating and

supporting the claim).

3) Understand the basic structures and principles of an argument.

4) Be able to construct an argument, written or spoken, that follows the basic structures

and principles of argumentation.

Objectives

1) Writing

a. Craft an essay with a minimal number of mechanical and stylistic errors.

b. Sustain an argument that works to support a clearly and concisely written thesis

statement through an entire 5-7 page essay.

c. Integrate evidence from classroom discussions of texts and evidence from outside

of the class into essays with proper attribution.

d. Write an essay which follows the argumentative structures and connections

between claim, warrant, and data (Toulmin Model)

2) Speaking

a. Competently and comfortably address an audience without delivery being

contingent upon the rote memorization of a speech.

b. Apply the principles a-d from writing section into speech.

Course Requirements

Assignments: I will hand out detailed assignment sheets. These sheets are also referred to as

“prompts.” You are responsible for all work listed on the prompt and for any additions or deletions I

make during class. This is a time-consuming course, but you will be able to keep up if you follow the

assignments and set aside time each day to work on your writing. All written assignments should be

completed using correct MLA format.

Speeches: You will give two formal oral presentations.

Essays: You will complete three essay assignments and two NYT assignments. Your work in

progress during each of these assignments will be a factor in the essay grade.

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You must complete all major speaking and writing assignments to pass the

course. In addition, failure to complete daily work will have a serious negative

effect on your grade.

Class participation/daily work: You are expected to participate in a meaningful way in class

discussion; in fact, a portion of your grade is based on the quality of your participation. In addition to

speaking up in class, you are expected to contribute in a positive way to the overall learning atmosphere

of the class. This means any use of electronic devices during class meetings should pertain to accessing

your book or as directed by your instructor for class activities and assignments.

Daily work is the second part of this score. Daily work includes your instructor’s assessment of your

completion of additional assignments. Those additional assignments may be informal presentations

over New York Times reports, short-answer homework, discussion board posts, blogs, journals, reviews

of supplemental readings, and so forth. Professors are required neither to assign additional daily work

nor to specify point values for daily work activities. However, your individual instructor may make

daily work points even more concrete and will inform you of due dates, grading policies, and point

values for such work should it be assigned. Otherwise, the class participation/daily work grade reflects

your instructor’s evaluation of the elements described above.

Policies

All attendance policies are adjustable in light of COVID 19 and the resulting needs for

social distancing and quarantining. Attendance to classes is obviously an important

part of university life, but the health of students, staff, and faculty are paramount.

Please, communicate frequently with your professor if there are pandemic related

issues that require adjustment to any of the below attendance policies.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism or any form of cheating involves a breach of student-teacher trust. Any work

submitted under your name is expected to be your own, neither composed by anyone else as a

whole or in part, nor handed over to another person for complete or partial revision. Be sure to

document all ideas that are not your own. Instances of plagiarism or any other act of academic

dishonesty will be reported to the Honor Council and may result in failure of the course. Not

understanding plagiarism is not an excuse. Baylor students are expected to be intimately familiar

with the Honor Code at: http://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/

Academic Success

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Every student who has been admitted to Baylor can be successful and I want to partner with you

to help you thrive academically. Be sure to take advantage of the many resources available for

academic success, including coming to see me during my office hours. Keep in mind that most of

these contact hours will be online for this semester given the constraints of the pandemic.

Students who regularly utilize the great resources in the Paul L. Foster Success Center

(http://www.baylor.edu/successcenter/) are among my most successful students. If your

academic performance in this class is substandard, I will submit an Academic Progress Report to

the Success Center so that the team of coordinated care professionals can ensure that you get the

help you need.

Attendance

During this unprecedented time of a global pandemic, class attendance must be approached

differently from the way it would in a standard semester. If you are sick, have any symptoms

(even if they are slight) that might relate to COVID-19, or know that you have been directly

exposed to COVID-19, please stay home to protect yourself, your classmates, and your

professors. As your instructor, I will expect that you work with me to enable you to receive any

necessary course content (including classroom lectures) and complete any assignments, quizzes,

or exams that you may miss due to being sick or having COVID-19-related symptoms. I also

expect you to notify me prior to class if you will be missing for COVID-19 or any other health-

related reason. If you are well, have no symptoms, and are not required to remain at home for

any COVID-19 or other health-related reason, you should attend class and abide by all of the

University’s health protocols. Attendance during this time may take many forms due to the

various course formats being offered this fall. Be sure to pay careful attention to the additional

details below that describe how attendance and class participation will be incorporated into my

course. You must regularly check Baylor email and Canvas for updates concerning changes in

class related to quarantine or isolation measures. We recommend checking each location twice a

day at minimum.

Importantly, Baylor’s Health Services department on the Waco campus no longer provides notes

to “excuse” students from missed classes. Please do not ask Health Services for such

documentation.

Make-up Work: Make-up work will be given at the instructor’s discretion.

Turning in Work: All written work is due at the beginning of class unless I instructed otherwise. E-

mailing work that is due at the beginning of class is not acceptable, as we expect everything to go

through Turnitin. Also excuses such as, “The printer in my dorm/the library/the Success Center wasn’t

working” is tantamount to “My dog ate my homework”— are basically, unacceptable. A semester’s worth

of Paw Prints is less than $30. If you run out, you can still print, and the additional amount (7 cents a

page) will be added to your University account. Therefore, “I ran out of Paw Prints” is tantamount to

“My dog ate my homework.” The price is the same for front and back printing, so I encourage you to be

green and save money by using 2-sided printing. In addition, turn in all work according to MLA

guidelines. I am not obligated to accept any assignments that are submitted incorrectly.

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Keeping up with Class: It is your responsibility to check Canvas regularly. It is absolutely necessary

if you miss class or come in late. Course handouts, due dates, general announcements, etc., will be

posted to this class on my individual Canvas page. You will need to check both of these pages regularly

and often.

Policies and assignments may vary from course section to course section. If you have questions about

the course, you need to ask me—not your roommate or friend who is in another section!

Baylor University Honor Code: The following statements appear in the Policies and Procedures

section of the Baylor University Student Handbook:

Use of Plagiarism Detection Software: BIC 1413 faculty members expect all students to

understand the importance of strict adherence to the honor policies, and we will follow established

university procedures, including referral to the Baylor Honor Council, in dealing with any Honor Code

violations. BIC 1413 faculty will confer with each other as well as consult web-based search engines to

assure that students adhere to the honor policies.

All major assignments will be submitted to turnitin.com. This is done automatically when you submit

your assignments through designated portals associated with each assignment. You shall not use the

portal for any course other than yours to “precheck” an assignment. Failure to comply with those

instructions will result in your failing that assignment. Baylor’s official policy on using plagiarism

detection software is excerpted below:

"Students agree that by taking this course [BIC 1413], all required papers, exams, class

projects or other assignments submitted for credit may be submitted to turnitin.com or

similar third parties to review and evaluate for originality and intellectual integrity. A

description of the services, terms and conditions of use, and privacy policy of turnitin.com is

available on its web site: http://www.turnitin.com. Students understand all work submitted

to turnitin.com will be added to its database of papers. Students further understand that if

the results of such a review support an allegation of academic dishonesty, the course work in

question as well as any supporting materials may be submitted to the Honor Council for

investigation and further action."

Penalties for late submissions may vary by instructor and circumstance. About the

Office of Access and Learning Accommodation: Any student requiring academic

accommodations related to a documented disability should inform the professor immediately at

the beginning of the semester. The student is responsible for obtaining appropriate

documentation and information regarding accommodations from the Baylor University Office of

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Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA) (Paul L. Foster Success Center, 1st floor, East

Wing of Sid Richardson). Students who need special assistance during the semester should

notify the professor and one of the following resources:

The Office of Access and Learning Accommodation

(254) 710-3605; Located in the Paul L. Foster Success Center in Sid Richardson

The Paul L. Foster Success Center

(254) 710-8212; http://www.baylor.edu/successcenter)

The Counseling Center (http://www.baylor.edu/counseling_center/)

Title IX Office and Equity Office

Civil Rights Policy and Sexual and Interpersonal Misconduct Policy

Baylor University does not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex,

gender, race, color, disability, national origin, ancestry, age (over 40), citizenship, genetic

information or the refusal to submit to a genetic test, past, current, or prospective service in the

uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, Texas, or local

law (collectively referred to as Protected Characteristics).

If you or someone you know would like help related to an experience involving:

1. Sexual or gender-based harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, stalking, intimate

partner violence, or retaliation for reporting one of these types of prohibited conduct, please visit

www.baylor.edu/titleix, or contact us at (254) 710-8454, or TitleIX_Coordinator@baylor.edu.

2. Harassment (excluding those issues listed in #1) or adverse action based on Protected

Characteristics, please visit www.baylor.edu/equity, or contact us at (254) 710-7100 or

Equity@baylor.edu.

The Office of Equity and Title IX understands the sensitive nature of these situations and can

provide information about available on- and off-campus resources, such as counseling and

psychological services, medical treatment, academic support, university housing, advocacy

services, and other forms of assistance that may be available. Staff members at the office can

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also explain your rights and procedural options. You will not be required to share your

experience. If you or someone you know feels unsafe or may be in imminent danger, please call

the Baylor Police Department (254-710-2222) or Waco Police Department (9-1-1) immediately.

Except for Confidential Resources, all University Employees are designated Responsible

Employees and thereby mandatory reporters of potential sexual and interpersonal misconduct

violations. Confidential Resources who do not have to report include those working in the

Counseling Center, Health Center and the University Chaplain, Dr. Burt Burleson.

Military Student Advisory

Veterans and active duty military personnel are welcomed and encouraged to communicate, in

advance if possible, any special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployment, drill requirements,

disability accommodations). You are also encouraged to visit the VETS Program Office with any

questions at (254) 710-7264.

Texts:

Note: Please use the edition and translations of the books listed below to maintain continuity in

class discussions.

Books

Perry, Samuel, and Sarah Walden, eds. World of Rhetoric Volume I. Second Edition. Dubuque,

IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2020. eBook.

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/world-rhetoric-volume-i

Plato. Gorgias. Trans. W. C. Hembold. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Library of Liberal

Arts, 1997. Print.

Plato. Phaedrus. Trans. Alexander Nehamas, and Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett

Pub., 1995. Print.

Newspapers:

Please see New York Times assignment prompts for details on how to get print copies of the

newspaper. Assignments will require regular reading of the NYT, and students are encouraged

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to read from as many news sources as possible. The university provides electronic access to the

NYT.

Style Manual

The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Miscellaneous:

You will from time to time receive links to articles or videos that you will be expected to

read/view for class. At times, you will be asked to send articles or videos that are examples of

some of the principles we cover in class.

Point Distribution and Description of Assignments:

Table 1: Total Points and Letter Grades

A = 930 – 1000 points B- = 800 – 829 points* D+ = 680 – 699 points

A- = 900 – 929 points C+ = 780 – 799 points D = 630 – 679 points

B+ = 870 – 899 points C = 730 – 779 points D- = 600 – 629 points*

B = 830 – 869 points C- = 700 – 729 points* F = 599 points and below

*Final grades assigned for coursework at Baylor are as follows: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+,

D, D-, and F. The percentages will be figured on a 1,000 point scale. A point total of 923 would

equate to a percentage of 92.3% for the class, an A-.

Table 2: Assignments and Point Values

Assignment Point Value

Essay 1 75

Essay 1 process grade 20

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Speech 1 75

Speech 1 process grade 20

New York Times 1 50

Essay 2 125

Essay 2 process grade 20

Speech 2 125

Speech 2 process grade 20

New York Times 2 50

Essay 3 200

Essay 3 process grade 20

Class Participation/Daily Work 100

Large-Group Quizzes 100

Total Points for all assignments 999 (+1 bonus pt.*) = 1,000 pts.

Assignment Descriptions

Essay 1: Assess “What to a Slave is the 4th of July” Based on a Platonic Framework

The essay must use texts from the first unit of this course (Plato). You will refer to those texts,

particularly to Plato’s understanding of the good, the true, and the beautiful, to assess Frederick

Douglass’s speech “What to a Slave is the 4th of July?” The Would Plato see examples of the

good, the true, and the beautiful in Douglass’s critique of the early Republic? According to the

Platonic framework, is this a “good” rhetorical work? Your essay should take a position on those

questions and draw both from Plato’s dialogues and from the speech to support your claim.

Speech 1: Speech to Convince

You will deliver a persuasive speech (5 to 6 minutes) logically defending your point of view on a

controversial subject dealing with cultural values. Find a main editorial or an Op-Ed article in

the New York Times where two criteria are met: (1) The writer of the editorial has taken a clear

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position on a subject dealing with cultural values; (2) You disagree with the perspective taken in

the editorial.

Essay 2: Identify and Analyze Situated and Imagined Audience

Use the readings from this unit to write an essay that addresses the complexities of a situated

audience and an imagined audience as it relates to a specific speech. Your professor will supply

a speech bank and you will choose ONE speech to analyze. The paper will address the ways in

which the speech writer constructs and appeals to the audience through the course of the speech

that you choose to analyze. The rhetorical choices made in crafting the speech will tell you

something of the audience that the rhetor physically addressed, as well as something of the

audience that the rhetor imagined as the ideal audience for the text. The similarities and

differences between the physically present audience and the imagined audience should reveal

something about the speech itself as well as something about the situation in which it was given.

Speech 2: Speech to Actuate

You will deliver a speech (5 to 6 minutes) urging your listeners to take action (buy a product,

read a book, watch a particular television program or movie, visit a tourist location, contribute

to a cause, visit a Web address, etc.).

Topic: Find an advertisement in a recent issue of the New York Times where two criteria are

met: (1) The reader is urged to take action: purchase a product, attend a movie or an event, visit

a tourist location, contribute to a cause, visit a Web address, etc.; (2) You believe that the action

sought by the advertisement is worthy of your listeners’ consideration. You should view the NYT

advertisement as a beginning point in the development of your speech; feel free to adapt your

topic to the specific needs of your immediate audience (Baylor students in your BIC 1413

section. Aristotle ought to be instructive here.)

Essay 3: Your Definition of Rhetoric

In an 8-page essay, you will write and defend your own definition of rhetoric. You will answer

the question, “What is rhetoric?” This defense will include materials and sources from across the

semester and you are required to use readings from each unit to make your argument. Once you

have articulated this idea of what rhetoric is, you will apply that definition and create a

framework with you can write a rhetorical analysis of a current event.

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New York Times Assignments: You will choose articles from the NYT for each of these

assignments. We will provide you with assignment prompts for each, but you will be

responsible for summarizing the articles and relating the articles to the themes provided within

the assignment sheet we provide you.

Class Participation/Daily Work: Points based on your instructor’s assessment of your

contribution to class discussions. This grade may also reflect specific assignments designed and

given by your individual instructor.

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BIC 1413 WORLD OF RHETORIC I: WRITING AND SPEAKING

SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS

IMPORTANT: The following schedule provides you with a tentative outline of the

assignments planned for this unit. However, since this is a writing course, building on a

sequence of skills is essential. For this reason, we may spend more or less time on the topics

listed below as needed, and I may modify assignments from time to time. Each course section is

different, so our class may devote more or less attention to some things than another class does.

Using this approach allows the Writing and Speaking faculty to tailor the course in order to meet

the needs of each individual class. Therefore, if you have questions about the course, you need

to ask me – not someone who is in another section!

A final note: All Video Modules must be completed by Tuesday’s class meeting,

along with the assigned readings for that day.

World of Rhetoric I

Spring Schedule 2021

Week 1

Video Modules:

Protopublic & Deliberation

Assignments:

Introduction videos, policy/syllabus quiz

Tuesday (1/19-1/21):

Read Introduction to Perry and Walden

Textbook

Thursday (1/21):

Stasis in Space Reading

Week 2

Video Modules:

The True, The Good, and The Beautiful

Assignments:

Tuesday (1/26):

Gorgias, pp. 3-21.

Thursday (1/28):

Read Gorgias, pp. 22-49.

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Week 3

Video Modules:

Parrhesia and truthfulness

Assignments:

Tuesday (2/2):

Read Gorgias, pp. 50-80.

Thursday (2/4):

Read Gorgias, pp. 81-107

Week 4

Video Modules:

Epistemic Rhetoric and teaching community;

Introduction to Essay II

Assignments:

NYT I Due

Tuesday (2/9):

Douglass, “What to the Slave is the 4th of

July?”

Thursday (2/11):

Read Nehamas and Woodruff introduction

and pp. 1-29 of Phaedrus

Week 5

Video Modules:

Kairos and truth to power; Introduction to

Speech I

Assignments:

Speech I Outline Complete Draft Due.

Tuesday (2/16):

Phaedrus pp. 29-52

Thursday (2/18):

Phaedrus pp. 53-86

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Week 6

Video Modules:

Peer Review Tips and Best Practices

Assignments:

Upload Rough Draft of Essay I

Tuesday (2/23):

Peer Review

Thursday (2/25):

Workshop

Week 7

Video Modules:

Public Speaking Tips and Presentation Primer

Assignments:

Essay 1 Due

ALL Speech I Final Outlines Due.

Tuesday (3/2):

Speech I, Day 1

Thursday (3/4):

Speech I, Day 2

Week 8

Video Modules:

Probabilities and Empathetic Audience

Analysis; Introduction to Speech II

Assignments:

Speech II Outline Complete Draft Due on

Canvas.

Tuesday (3/9):

Aristotle Reading

(Speech I Spillover, if necessary)

Thursday (3/11):

Aristotle Reading and Carl Rogers Reading

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Week 9

Video Modules:

The Self/Other relationship; Introduction to

Essay 2

Assignments:

Tuesday (3/16):

Buber Reading

Thursday (3/18):

Edwin Black Reading

Week 10

Video Modules:

Public Speaking Tips and thinking about

persuasion

Assignments:

ALL Speech II Final Outlines Due.

Tuesday (3/23):

Speech II

Thursday (3/25):

Speech II

Week 11

Video Modules:

Writing About Self and Others

Assignments:

NYT 2 Due

Tuesday (3/30):

Speech II

Thursday (4/1):

Essay II Workshop

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Week 12

Video Modules:

The Rhetorical Situation

Assignments:

Rough Draft of Essay II upload

Tuesday (4/6):

Essay II Peer Review

Thursday (4/8):

Read introduction to Unit 3 in textbook;

Introduce Essay 3

Read Bitzer and Vatz selections in textbook

Week 13

Video Modules:

Philosophy and Rhetoric

Assignments:

Tuesday (4/13):

Burke AND “Hunting and Heritage”

Readings

Thursday (4/15):

Schiappa Reading

Week 14

Video Modules:

Definitional Rhetoric

Assignments:

Tuesday (4/20):

Bring to Class for Workshop: Essay 3 Part I

and Prewriting Questions

Thursday (4/22):

Thanksgiving

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Week 15

Video Modules:

Course Wrap Up

Assignments:

Essay 3

Tuesday (4/27):

Workshop Essay 3; Instructor will provide

instructions for independent peer review.

Thursday (4/30):

Peer Review due on Canvas.