John Tiedemann writ 1122:

Rhetoric & Academic Writing

Office hours: By appointment on Zoom: Winter 2022
TR between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Other Section 38: MW 10:00–11:50 a.m., Sturm 435.
times, too. Message me on Canvas to Section 33: MW 12:00–1:50 p.m., Sturm 492.
make an appointment.

• writ 1122: imagination & argumentation...

 THE CLASS
In this section of WRIT 1122, you’ll develop the full range of your creative and critical powers through
a series of writing projects that ask you to exercise both your imagination and your powers of
argumentation. By writing everything from television pitches to courtroom speeches, radio stories to
magazine essays, open letters to ekphrases (or “picture stories”), you’ll learn how to combine critical
thinking and creativity to write compellingly across a diverse array of situations.

Some of our time will be spent discussing assigned readings and viewings, but most of it will be
devoted to drafting and revising a series of short pieces based upon what the Greeks called the
progymnasmata: i.e., writing exercises designed to give practice in the argumentative, storytelling,
and other writerly skills needed to intervene effectively in public discourse. Students will practice
adapting old tales for new audiences, turning news stories into gripping fictions, applying universal
principles to particular situations, taking stances on public debates, painting vivid pictures in words,
and more.

You’ll draft and revise one or more these writing exercises each week, selecting from among six drafts
the four that you’ll in for a final grade.

You’ll also help one another to develop your work, providing suggestions for revision to your peers.

At the end of the course, you’ll write a reflection upon the work you’ve done all quarter, thus
demonstrating and consolidating what you’ve learned.

TEXTS
Copies of (or links to) all assignments, readings and viewings will be posted on Canvas. But your own
texts are the central element of this class — so please bring your laptop to every class meeting.
 GOALS AND FORMAT
• Goals
The goal of WRIT 1122 is to teach you strategies vital to writing across a variety of different situations.
You’ll be introduced to fundamental principles of rhetorical analysis and rhetorical practice, to
techniques for using readings and other source materials effectively, and to methods for generating,
revising, and editing your texts. You’ll receive sustained practice in writing, with feedback from me
and your peers, resulting in several revised and polished texts by quarter’s end.

• Class time, Zoom time, and homework

Thinking and composing well take practice, practice, and more practice. So we’ll typically spend half
of our time in discussion and the other half writing. The writing portion of class may involve responding
to a prompt, completing an exercise, drafting or revising, or helping each other to brainstorm or revise
in small groups. You can also expect to spend approximately four or more hours each week working
outside of class. Finally, because a quality composition results from many revisions, you will revise each
of your projects severally, with guidance from your classmates and from me.

I hope and expect we’ll be meeting in person for at least the majority of this quarter, but (as you already
know) we need to be prepared to shift to online meetings if need be. Please know that, to succeed in
our class, you need to come to class, whether in person or online.

• Conferences
Each of you will meet with me individually for two required conferences: once during Week 5 and
once during Week 9. I’ll send around a sign-up sheet the week before the conferences take place.
These conferences are required, and you’ll receive a grade for the preparation you do. Each
conference is worth 50 points toward your final grade.
Apart from the required conferences, I’m also available to meet for an office hours appointment (on
Zoom) between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays; I can meet other times, too. In any case, to
meet with me, you need to make an appointment. Message me on Canvas letting me know ALL the
times you’re free to meet during Zoom office hours. If you’re not free during office hours, please let
me know ALL the times you’re free between 9 and 6, Mon.-Fri.
 POLICIES
• Participation
For each class meeting, you will receive up to five points toward your final grade:
Ø Homework: All writing assignments are to be posted to Canvas by the start of class on the day
they’re due. A student will receive 2 points for posting a complete and manifestly thoughtful draft.
(By “manifestly thoughtful” I mean complete, clear, coherent, and on topic.) They will receive
zero points should they fail to share the assignment when it’s due.
Ø Class discussion: A student will receive 3 points for the day when they make more than one
thoughtful, thoughtful, fully elaborated contribution to discussion. They will receive 2 points when
they contribute only once or when contributions aren’t fully formed. They will receive one point if
they attend class but don’t speak. A student will receive no points if they fail to attend class, if
they distract their classmates, or if they waste valuable class time by checking email, Facebook,
etc., or otherwise disengaging from class.

• Attendance
Missed classes: As the above indicates, there are no “excused” absences from class. If you miss class,
you will not receive credit for class discussion for that day (though you can still receive credit for the
day’s homework by posting it on time).
• Late Work
Assignments are due when they are due. Late drafts will not receive feedback from me and they
won’t receive homework credit.
• Messaging me
I usually respond to Canvas messages within a day or two during the week, less often on weekends.
• Civility and Tolerance
The Writing Program affirms DU’s Code of Student Conduct (http://www.du.edu/ccs/code.html),
which in part “expects students to recognize the strength of personal differences while respecting
institutional values.” Because writing courses rely heavily on interactions between all members of the
class, students and faculty must act in a manner respectful of different positions and perspectives. A
student who behaves in an uncivil or intolerant manner will be asked to stop and/or formally repri-
manded and/or subject to action by the Office of Student Conduct. Becoming educated requires
encountering new ideas and information, some of which may conflict with an individual’s existing
knowledge or perspectives. I expect students to engage such materials thoughtfully, in ways that
reflect the values and mission of the University of Denver.
• Plagiarism
The Writing Program follows the Council of Writing Program Administrators policy “Defining and Avoid-
ing Plagiarism,” which states, “In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately
uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without
acknowledging its source” (http://wpacouncil.org/node/9). DU’s Honor Code also maintains that all
members of the University must responsibly use the work of others. Students who have plagiarized a
project will receive an F on that project, and I will inform the Executive Director of Writing and the Office
of Student Conduct, which may take further action. Any documented acts of plagiarism after the first
may be subject to more severe actions.
• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The Writing Program will provide reasonable accommodations to every student who has a disability
that has been documented by The University of Denver Disability Services Program
(http://www.du.edu/studentlife/disability/ or 303.871.2455).
• Technology in the classroom
Obviously, you’ll need your laptop for class, whether online or in person. But you are only to use it to
work — so no surfing the web, no email, no social media, etc. You are also not permitted to record
class in any way. And, before class starts, you are to turn off your phone, put it away, and leave it there.
I won’t be reminding students to observe these rules. If a student breaks them, I’ll simply deduct their
participation points for the day. If a student breaks them repeatedly, we’ll need to discuss whether
they are better off taking the class at a later date, when they’ve matured.
 GRADES
In addition to grades for exercises, you will also receive a grade for your final reflective essay, for
participation, and for the work you do to prepare for required conferences with me. Here’s the
breakdown:

Revised exercises: 150 points each x 4 = 600 points

Reflective essay: 200 points x 1 = 200 points
Class participation: 5 points per class x 20 = 100 points
Conferences: 50 points per conference x 2 = 100 points
Conference prep: 50 points per conference x 2 = 100 points
TOTAL 1000 points
Here’s the scale I’ll use to calculate your final grade for the course:
A 930-1000
A- 900-929
B+ 870-899
B 830-869
B- 800-829
C+ 770-799
C 730-769
C- 700-729
D+ 670-699
D 630-669
D- 600-629
F 0–599
 CALENDAR
M Jan. 3 Introduction to Exercise 1: Once upon a time.
W Jan. 5 First draft of Exercise 1 due.
M Jan. 10 Introduction to Exercise 2: Based on a true story.
W Jan. 12 First draft of Exercise 2 due.
M Jan. 17 School closed for MLK Day!
W Jan. 19 Introduction to Exercise 3: Picture this.
M Jan. 24 First draft of Exercise 3 due.
W Jan. 26 Preparing for your conference.
M Jan. 31 Class cancelled for conferences.
W Feb. 2 Class cancelled for conferences.
M Feb. 7 Introduction to Exercise 4: This I believe.
W Feb. 9 First draft of Exercise 4 due.
M Feb. 14 Introduction to Exercise 5: Changing minds.
W Feb. 16 First draft of Exercise 5 due.
M Feb. 21 Introduction to Exercise 6: Changing ourselves — and the world.
W Feb. 23 First draft of Exercise 6 due.
M Feb. 28 Class cancelled for conferences.
W March 2 Class cancelled for conferences.
M March 7 Revisions and reflections
W March 9 Revisions and reflections
M March 14 Zoom office hours.

ALL FINAL WORK DUE ON CANVAS BY NOON ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16.