Course Guide

This course guide contains all of the materials for this class. To see all of the contents of this guide on one page, click on the "printer-friendly version" link below.

Course Description

COURSE DESCRIPTION: English 106 is the standard 4-credit hour composition course for entering students at Purdue.  To meet all your goals in this one-semester course, you should expect to produce between 7,500-11,500 words of polished writing (or 15,000-22,000 total words, including drafts) or the equivalent.  Some of this text production will be done using multimedia, and some if it may be given through short assignments.

This course will help you develop your ability to write sophisticated and well-argued essays.  It is assumed that you already have some understanding of how to write an organized essay.  The focus of this course will be rhetorical analysis.  We will analyze visual, digital, and written texts in terms of their purposes, audience, and contexts, and look at the rhetorical strategies they use in order to accomplish their purposes effectively.  You will then be expected to apply the same kind of analysis and rhetorical strategies to your own writing.  In order to succeed in this class you will have to do more than produce a coherent and organized essay.  You will also have to demonstrate that you understand the rhetorical strategies we cover in class and are able to apply them in your own writing.  In addition to demonstrating these strategies in writing, you will also be required to demonstrate them through multimedia projects.

This course will help you to communicate effectively through various modes of communication.  We will discuss in class how communication has changed in a digital age, and the importance of understanding visual design and contexts in effective modern communication.  In addition to traditional texts, we will also examine posters, magazine advertisements, and online forms of communication and persuasion. 

Grading

4 Response papers (5 points each)

2 Short formal papers (10 points each)

1 Visual Rhetoric Assignment (10 points)

1 Research Project (30 points)

Discussion (including participation in class discussions, homework, and quizzes) (20 points)

Course Handouts, Guides, and Readings

The following are the handouts and readings for this course.  This list will be updated as new material becomes available.

Advocacy Gaming Discussion Questions

Advocacy Gaming Discussion Questions

Annotated Bibliography Handout

Annotated Bibliography Handout

APA Citation Worksheet

APA Citation Worksheet

APA Citation Worksheet Answer Key

APA Citation Worksheet Answer Key

CORE Scavenger Hunt Worksheet

CORE Scavenger Hunt Worksheet

Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus

Critical Reading Handout

Critical Reading Handout

Design Plan Handout

Design Plan instructions for the final research paper

Discussion Questions for Affirmative Action articles

Discussion Questions for Affirmative Action articles

Discussion Questions for Logos (CDA p. 198-208)

Discussion Questions for Logos (CDA p. 198-208)

Discussion Questions for Visual Analysis CDA p. 305-312, 330-343

Discussion Questions Handout CDA p. 305-312, 330-343

Discussion Questions for Visual Rhetoric Readings CDA p.263-304

Discussion Questions for Visual Rhetoric Readings CDA p.263-304

Ethos Pathos Logos Worksheet

Ethos Pathos Logos Worksheet

Fireworks instruction guide

Fireworks instruction guide

Grading Rubric for Essays

Grading Rubric for Essays

Logical Fallacies Handouts and Worksheet

Logical Fallacies Handouts and Worksheet

Noun Phrase Appositives Worksheet

Noun Phrase Appositives Worksheet

NYT article on Obama and Clinton websites

NYT article on Obama and Clinton websites

Online Research Handout

Online Research Handout

Paper #1 Rhetoric in the News

Paper #1 Rhetoric in the News

Paper #2 Persuasive essay

Paper #2 Persuasive essay

Paragraphing Worksheet

Paragraphing Worksheet

Paraphrasing worksheet

Paraphrasing worksheet

Paraphrasing Worksheet Answer Key

Paraphrasing Worksheet Answer Key

Peer Evaluation Guidelines

Peer Evaluation Guidelines

Pictoral Writing Process Assignment

Pictoral Writing Process Assignment

Plagiarism Discussion Questions

Plagiarism Discussion Questions

Plagiarism Worksheet

Plagiarism Worksheet

Response paper #1 Advocacy Gaming

Response paper #1 Advocacy Gaming

Response Paper #2 Group Advocacy Assignment

Response Paper #2 Group Advocacy Assignment

Response paper #3 Portrait Playlist assignment

Response paper #3 Portrait Playlist assignment

Response Paper #4 Analyzing Film

Response Paper #4 Analyzing Film

Sample Abstracts and Introductions

Sample Abstracts and Introductions

Visual Rhetoric Project

Visual Rhetoric Project

Worksheet for Advocacy Group Assignment

Worksheet for Advocacy Group Assignment

Worksheet for Library Research Games

Worksheet for Library Research Games

Schedule

Follow the links at the bottom of this page for a schedule of assignments for each week this semester. Within each week, you will find daily listings of assignments. 

This course calendar will be updated on a weekly basis throughout the semester.

Week 1

Assignments and activities for Week 1

TUESDAY

Introduction to Course

WEDNESDAY

Composing, Designing, Advocating, Communication, Argument

FRIDAY

Reading and Viewing Critically
Analyzing Magazine Advertisements

Week 2

Assignments and activities for Week 2

TUESDAY

Advocacy Computer Games

WEDNESDAY

Writing Process and Brainstorming

FRIDAY

The Rhetorical Process

Week 3

Assignments and activities for Week 3

TUESDAY

Response Paper #1 Advocacy Gaming due
Advocacy and Argument

WEDNESDAY

Purpose and Audience

FRIDAY

Context, Strategies, Medium, Arrangement, Production

Week 4

Assignments and activities for Week 4

TUESDAY

Composing

WEDNESDAY

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

FRIDAY

Medium, Arrangement, Production Revisted, Doing Rhetorical Analysis

Week 5

Assignments and activities for Week 5:

 

TUESDAY:

Microsoft Moviemaker workshop

HW: CDA p 86-98, 320-326 (Medium, Arrangement, and Production Revisted, Doing Rhetorical Analysis)

 

WEDNESDAY:

Discuss CDA p86-98

HW: Rough draft of Rhetoric in the News paper due on FRI

 

FRIDAY:

Peer Review of rough drafts

HW: Final draft of paper due on TUE

 

Week 6

Assignments and activities for Week 6

 

TUESDAY

Final draft of Rhetoric in News paper due

Adobe Fireworks workshop

Portrait Playlist Response paper #3 assignment

 

HW: CDA p182-197

 

WEDNESDAY

Writing context, purpose, audience, and ethos in introductions

 

HW: BNCH p52-70

 

FRIDAY

Paragraphing

HW: Register and post comment on Web 2.0 video

Week 7

Assignments and activities for Week 7

TUESDAY

Portrait Playlist presentations

WEDNESDAY

Portrait Playlist presentations in Stanley Coulter Hall Room 283

FRIDAY

Portrait Playlist presentations in Stanley Coulter 277
Portrait Playlist assignment due
Working with sentences
Intro Response Paper #4 Analyzing Film

HW: CDA 198-209, BNCH 87-93

Week 8

Assignments and Activities for Week 8

TUESDAY

Logos and Logical Forms

HW: CDA 209-211, 399-411

WEDNESDAY

Pathos, Analyzing Editorials

HW: Skim over BNCH 233-252, Think about topics for persuasive paper

FRIDAY

Response Paper #4 Analyzing Film due
Intro next paper
Citing Sources

HW: CDA 411-416, and find one blog or website article that you would like to discuss in class

Week 9

Assignments and activities for Week 9

TUESDAY

Ethos and Pathos in Editorials
Online blogs and editorials

HW: CDA p417-425

WEDNESDAY

Ethos and Pathos in Editorials

HW: CDA p213-221

FRIDAY

Rough draft of Persuasive Paper (paper #2) due
Peer Review

HW: Final draft due on Tuesday after Spring Break

Week 10

Assignments and activities for Week 10

SPRING BREAK

Week 11

Assignments and Activities for Week 11

TUESDAY

Final draft of Persuasive Paper due
Visual Rhetoric Workshop
Intro Visual Rhetoric Assignment

HW: CDA p.263-284

WEDNESDAY

Dreamweaver workshop in Digital Learning Collaboratory (Hicks Undergraduate Library Rm B853)

HW: CDA p.285-304, bring in one visual (brochure, flyer, poster, etc.) to discuss)

FRIDAY

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Visuals

HW: CDA p. 305-312, 330-343

Week 12

Assignments and Activities for Week 12

TUESDAY

Analyzing movie posters and online movie trailers

HW: BNCH p99-114, CDA p143-153

WEDNESDAY

Visual Rhetoric project due
Starting Research Paper

HW: CDA p. 161-163 and write at least one question for each category on p.147 on your research topic.

FRIDAY

Design Plans

HW: Design plan due Tuesday, BNCH p.115-128, CDA p.154-158

Week 13

Assignments and Activities for Week 13

TUESDAY

Design Plan for Research Paper due
Online Research
Intro Annotated Bibliography

HW: CORE Scavenger Hunt and Annotated Bibliography due by Tuesday, CDA 159-160, BNCH p129-142

WEDNESDAY

Evaluating Sources

HW: BNCH p146-151

FRIDAY

Plagiarism

HW: Bring your references for bibliography to class on Tuesday

Week 14

Assignments and Activities for Week 14

TUESDAY

Annotated Bibliography and CORE worksheet due
Creating bibliographies electronically

WEDNESDAY

Paraphrasing

FRIDAY

Sentence Style

Week 15

Assignments and Activities for Week 15

TUESDAY

Writing summary abstracts

WEDNESDAY

Draft of Research Paper due
Peer Review of drafts

FRIDAY

Research Paper Presentations begin Stanley Coulter Hall Room 277

Week 16

Assignments and Activities for Week 16

Tuesday

Research Paper Presentations

Wednesday

Research Paper Presentations in Stanley Coulter Hall Room 231

Friday

Research Paper Presentations in Stanley Coulter Hall Room 277