Course Syllabus
The Politics & Rhetoric of Social Media
Instructors: Professor Adeline Koh, K125; Professor Emily Van Duyne, J105D
Meeting Time: T-TR 2:30-4:20; This class is a hybrid and will meet online during our Thursday afternoon meeting time.
Meeting room: E210
E-mail: Adeline.koh@stockton.edu, Emily.vanduyne@stockton.edu: our preferred method of communication outside of the classroom is email. Please don’t hesitate to use it to discuss any issue you might have regarding our class.
Course Description:
This is a 2000-level writing intensive (W1) course designed to help us understand how social media has changed knowledge and interaction in any number of ways (many of them yet to be revealed to us); one clear, measurable change has been the amount we write, the space we have ("real estate") to engage in writing, and the ways we write: an all-encompassing example of all three of these factors can be expressed by the fact that we now engage in written argument in a slightly altered version of real time-- whereas once we had to wait days, weeks, months to see a piece of written rhetoric reach the general public, it is now not only possible to immediately expose the ordering of our thoughts, it happens all the time, whether in tiny, rapid-fire bursts, or longer, more thoughtful sound bites. We aim to examine the way these rhetorical modes and methods differ from traditional ones by comparing and contrasting classical rhetoric with contemporary uses of argument online, from Aristotle to 18th century pamphleteers to Twitter "wars" and Facebook threads. Moreover, we want our students to understand the clear possibilities for turning their own "spaces" (Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, Kickstarter campaigns) into places where they can encourage and engage responsible, socially aware conversations and arguments. What, we will ask, is the purpose of this new media? How can we learn from models of writers, politicians, scientists, artists who have used their "pages" and "feeds" to further a cause, for better or worse? How can we fuse our knowledge of language and technology to change our world for the better in even a small way?
Attendance policy:
Attend every class on time. Be present and engaged in class. You have to talk in our class, or you will lose significant points. Attendance and participation are large parts of your grade. If you are repeatedly late, your grade will suffer. If you miss more than three classes, unexcused, in a given attendance monitoring period, you will be reported to the college for non-attendance and you risk being dropped from the class.
That said--
We understand that accidents, illnesses, and emergencies happen. We also understand that we are all human, and occasionally subject to rough days. If you encounter any of the aforementioned issues, and you need to miss a class, you need only communicate with us what is happening. Email is best; you may also leave a voicemail, or drop by either of our offices for a chat. Whatever you do (or don’t do, for that matter) STAY IN TOUCH with us. If you do miss class, you need do any or all of the following to get the assignment and find out what you missed: check Blackboard, or email us.
Punctuality:
Come to class on time. There may be quizzes you can’t make up if you don’t.
Texts:
Excerpt: Aristotle, Rhetoric
Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
Sojourner Truth, "Ain't I A Woman?"
Excerpt: Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
Frederick Douglass, "What to a Slave is the 4th of July?"
Excerpt, David Greenberg, Too Big to Know
Excerpt, Howard Rheingold, Net Smart
Close readings and analysis of online campaigns/pages for social change via Facebook, Twitter, and Kickstarter
Workload:
Responses to discussion questions 10%
2 analytical essays 30%
Class participation 10 %
Oral presentations 20%
Service Learning Project 30%
Note About The Writing Center:
Here’s how the Writing Center works: it is open in J-105 Monday – Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and on Fridays until 4:00 p.m. They also have evening hours Sundays through Thursdays, from 7:00 – 9:00 at the TRLC near the dorms.
In addition, there will be a tutor in the Learning Commons area of the Library Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
As instructors who value written communication and believe firmly that writing is a skill that can be taught and learned, we encourage you to visit the Writing Center if you are find you are having difficulty with the writing assignments in the course. The tutors there are your peers, and they are uniquely trained to help guide you toward success in critical writing. You may walk in with no appointment. Also, there’s chocolate. Always.
Note on accommodations for students with disabilities:
The Learning Access Program is available to assist Stockton students so that individuals with physical, psychological, or learning disabilities can achieve to their potential in all their college classes. If you have any kind of learning difference or disability and you wish to request special accommodations, you must register with the Learning Access Program at the beginning of the term and provide appropriate documentation to the program director. Please contact the Learning Access Program located in J-204 or by calling 652-4988. Additional information may be obtained from the Learning Access Program web site.
A word or two on plagiarism and cheating:
We, along with every faculty member at Stockton, take plagiarism and acts of academic dishonesty seriously. Since the beginning of time, students have been coming up with ingenious ways to cheat, and faculty members have been trying to catch them. Your generation has more ways to cheat than ever imagined, but alas, your teachers also have more ways to catch you. Here’s what will happen in this class if you cheat: If we catch you, you will get a zero for that assignment and you’ll get a charge of academic dishonesty lodged with the Provost’s Office. And trust me, if you cheat, we will know. So don’t do it.
Spring 2015 Reading/Assignment Schedule: THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Week 1: 1/20, 1/22 Welcome; syllabus; writing sample
Week 2: 1/27, 1/29 Aristotle’s Rhetoric: excerpt;
Week 3: 2/3, 2/5 Waldman, The Second Amendment: excerpt;
Week 4: 2/10, 2/12 Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman?”; Woolf, A Room of One’s Own: excerpt; 1st draft of Essay 1 DUE
Week 5: 2/17, 2/19 King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail;” Douglass,“What to the Slave is the 4th of July?”
Week 6: 2/24, 2/26 Rheingold, Netsmart: excerpt; NPR’s Science Friday on origins of the web Due Thursday: Paragraph on your pitch topic. Will be graded on a complete/incomplete basis. Submit here.
Week 7: 3/3, 3/5 "Know Thy Selfie" Assignment. Due in class. Bring the five selfies you have taken and your essay. We will be sharing them with one another.
Due Thursday 2.30pm: Your Selfie Assignment essay with uploads of your selfies as a Discussion post. This will be part of your participation grade for class. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your reflection, and your analysis of the rhetoric of selfies in your assignment. Submit here.
Week 8: Spring Break First Draft of Essay #1 due, Tuesday March 9, 2.30pm. Submit here.
Week 9: 3/17, 3/19 Pitch for Kickstarter Campaign, in class as an oral presentation. You may want to make a Prezi/Powerpoint or even a video for this assignment. Classmates and instructors will provide feedback on your pitches.
Due Thursday, 2.30pm: Break
Week 10: 3/24, 3/26 NO CLASS 3/24; Preceptorial Advising Day.
Due: Final draft of Essay #1 due and Self-Written Syllabus (Paper #2)
Week 11: 3/31, 4/1 Work on campaign, TBD
Week 12: 4/7, 4/9 Work on campaign, TBD
Week 13: 4/14, 4/16 Group work on campaign
Week 14: 4/21, 4/23 Group work on campaign
Week 15: 4/28, 4/30 Final Presentations
Some Important Dates:
1/27: Drop-Add ends
4/21: Deadline to withdraw from a course with a W grade
3/24: 1st preceptorial advising day
4/1: 2nd preceptorial advising day
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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