University of Puerto Rico at CayeyEnglish Department

Cayey, PR

INGL 3231-Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition

Course Description: Grounded in the fundamentals of rhetoric—the art of persuasive communication—this course invites the students to consider written language as a function of social motive and purpose. The focus is on analyzing the understanding of conflicting social issues and the written arguments directed at resolving them. Students will analyze and discuss various texts, using what they learn about rhetoric, and contribute to the ongoing debate of a particular issue by writing their own arguments.

Prerequisite: INGL3104; 3102; 4/5 on Advanced Placement Exam in English;

Credits: 3 credits

By the end if the semester, the students will be able to:1) identify the most fundamental principles and elements of rhetoric2) differentiate between audiences and write accordingly3) analyze and critique a piece of prose for its rhetorical content and

effectiveness4) use research methods

Class Procedure: This class will contextualize the discussion of rhetoric and composition by means of student’s actual writing. Thus, the course intends to allow students to apply many of the rhetorical conventions within their own writing. Therefore the procedure for the class will consist of the following stages:

Introduction issue Discussion of related readings/texts Work on related Exercises and Assignments Draft of Assignment/Conference Final Draft of Assignment

It should be understood that every time you read the word “issue” on the weekly schedule, we will be following the above established procedure. The rhetorical and composition topics mentioned in the weekly schedule are the topics to be discussed during that scheduled period.

E-Portfolios: Students are expected to maintain a portfolio of their work. All of your written work is expected to be word processed. You should store your documents either on a pen drive or on the virtual hard disk space the university allows each student. Your Portfolio will also be blogged. That is right! Once I have read through a draft and approved a version you then place it on your blog. We will see how it works out. But a blog space is a powerful, visual, and virtual space for creative writing.

Writing Requirements

All texts must be double spaced. Use 12 pt font and preferably Times or Times Roman font. You must use a Title Page.

Tentative Weekly Schedule

Evaluation CriteriaE Portfolio 40%Written Assignments 30%Exercises/Quizzes 10%Class participation/Attendance 10%Oral Presentation/Debates 10%