Course Policy Statement

Goals

RHE 306 Rhetoric and Composition is a course in argumentation that will enhance your understanding of academic writing and give you practice in producing it. You will learn how to:

Textbooks

Everything's An Argument. 3rd edition. Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz.
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. By Glassner.
The Brief Penguin Handbook. By Lester Faigley.

Coursework

You will be writing the following assignments this term:

NOTE: Please be aware that all assignments must be submitted by their deadline. Late assignments will lose one third of a letter grade for each calendar day they are late.

Grades

To pass the course, you must turn in on time a first draft and a revision of each assignment. Your peers and I will look at and comment on the drafts. To complete each revision, you must consider the comments you received on your first draft thoughtfully, acting on them and going beyond them to improve it substantially.

Do not discard any drafts, notes, papers or research materials you produce during the semester until you receive a final grade. Consult the RHE 306 Student Guide for a complete explanation of grading criteria in this course: Chapter 4.4: Grading and Grading Criteria.

Assignment Format

All out-of-class papers must be typewritten. The first page of your paper must include the following information: your name, my name, course, date, and paper title. Double space the lines and use 1-inch margins all the way around the text. Staple your pages together. Your papers should have the same format as the sample MLA paper in The Brief Penguin Handbook. Both first drafts and revisions must always be submitted electronically as MS Word documents. You will be uploading the MS Word file to our blog and providing a link to it in an entry about your essay.

Attendance

Attendance is required. You are expected to attend class regularly, to arrive on time, to have prepared assigned reading and writing, and to participate in all in-class activities. If you have nine absences or more you will fail the course. Save any absences to use when you are sick, or when you have an emergency. If you find that an unavoidable problem prevents you from attending class, please discuss the problem with me.

Scholastic Honesty

Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major course penalty, possibly failure of the course. A report of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students. Be sure you read and understand the Statement on Scholastic Responsibility in chapter 6 of The Student Guide. I strongly encourage you to use the services offered by the Undergraduate Writing Center (FAC 211, 471-6222) and the Learning Center (JES A332A, 471-3614). The consultants at these centers are trained to help you resolve your own problems so that all your writing reflects what you have learned.

We will be covering the use of sources extensively in class. If you have any questions about the use you are making of sources for your assignments, see me before you turn in the project.

Computer Use and Availability

Computers are available to you in the Student Microcomputer Facility (SMF) on the second floor of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) (also known as the Undergraduate Library, or UGL). You should plan to get your IF number for the SMF immediately if you have not already done so. Some departments also provide computer labs, so check with your advisor. Also check the list of computer lab locations in The Student Guide to First-year Writing: Resources for RHE 306 Students.

Students With Disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TDD.