Introduction to Rhetoric; Reading, Writing, and Research

Course Description for Introduction to Rhetoric: Reading, Writing, and Research

RHE 306 is a writing seminar course in argumentation that situates rhetoric as an art of civic discourse. It is designed to enhance your ability to research and analyze the various positions held in any public debate and to advocate your own position effectively to a target audience. You will also explore the ethics of argumentation, explaining what it means to “fairly” represent someone with whom you disagree, or how responsibly to address a community with particular values and interests. Your work in this course will help you advance the critical writing and reading skills you will need to succeed in college and in your professional careers. Scholars in this course can expect to read and write daily. This course meets the core curriculum requirement for Texas Core Curriculum (TCC) code 010 or Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) ENGL 1301.

A. Course Pre-requisites: Completion of a high school English II course meeting Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards or an equivalent.

B. Course Learning Outcomes The readings, discussions, and writing assignments in this course are designed to teach students how to: • Identify, evaluate, construct, and organize effective arguments

• Read critically

• Research using a variety of tools and applications

• Evaluate the quality of sources

• Integrate source material into your own writing

• Advocate a specific position responsibly

• Conduct library and web-based research and document sources

• Produce a clean, efficient style and adapt it to various rhetorical situations

• Edit and proofread your own and others’ prose