course information
course hours / location: M Boz 31, W Boz 14: 12:15 - 1:30
office hours: M 9 - 10:30, W 2:00 - 3:30, and by appt.
office location: Education Hall 3075
contact: wolffw@rowan.edu
printable version of the syllabus: section 23239 (15kb pdf, requires adobe reader)
required texts
All texts are available at the Rowan Boosktore, unless otherwise noted.
Hacker, Diana Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age. 4e. Bedford Books, 2006.
Tuchman, Barbara. The Guns of August. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994.
Essays by Coates, Miller, Reagan, and others available from WebCT
Online Afghanistan Packet
Various photocopies and online readings.
required materials
Computer with Internet access
Microsoft Word (papers written using any other application will not be accepted)
Rowan email address
Other materials as needed
course strands
Rhetoric
Students will develop their ability to look critically at the way text and images are represented in various media, and will gain the tools necessarily to discuss what they observe in rhetorical terms.
Research
Students will develop their ability to conduct research in both the library and on the Internet. They will learn the importance of in-depth research that uses a variety of sources.
Critical Thinking, Writing, and Reading
Students will develop their ability to analyze events in the media and in the texts they read. Students will learn to write academic expository texts in which they uses sources--both scholarly and primary--to support and further their own ideas on a subject.
Technology
Students develop their ability to read web pages rhetorically, which allows students to consider not only what gets said, but also how it gets said. They will also learn how to use various tools, which can help them develop their abilities in the other course objectives.
Collaboration
Students will develop the ability to work collaboratively in activities that range from online discussion postings to peer reviews to in-class discussion.
projects
Unit I: Justifying War
This unit will introduce us to war theory and the rhetoric governments use when attempting to justify declarations of war. 
Our readings from Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August will focus on the seemingly inevitable start of World War I, and you will write an essay analyzing the language employed and actions taken by of one of the four countries who first declared war in 1914-England, France, Germany, or Belgium-in order to justify declaring war.
Unit II: War and the Internet
This unit will build on Unit I by looking critically at a variety of representations of war, primarily those in which civilians are killed. We will consider the relative objectivity of representations in the media and on the Internet of actions taken during the early phase of war against terrorism fought in Afghanistan by looking at biases hidden within the arguments being made. The sources of some of our readings will be web pages, and in our readings of those pages we will discuss their rhetoric, politics, and reliability.
Unit III: The Research Paper
The research paper will involve a substantial, researched response to a topic in keeping with the subject matter of the course, but of your own choosing. The paper will be completed over the course of the semester, with topic proposals due toward the end of Unit I and refined toward the end of Unit II. Three drafts of increased length will be due during the second half of the semester, and must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
attendance
Much of your time in class will be spent in activities, not in lectures. Therefore, it is more than usually important that you come to class faithfully and that you participate in the activities planned. If genuine disaster should befall you and you must miss a class, please check with other students and the course web site to find out what you have missed.
After SIX absences for any reason you will fail the course. After TWO absences your final grade will drop one full grade for every absence. For example, if a student has 3 absences, they will receive no higher than a B in the course; 4 absences no higher than C; 5 absences no higher than a D. A student is considered late if they arrive after the sign-up sheet has gone around the room; lateness equals .5 absences. Missing a required conference counts as an absence.
office hours
Office hours are designed for you, giving you a more private environment in which we may talk about your work, your performance in class, etc. If you are unable to see me during my office hours, do not hesitate to make an appointment to see me at a different time. We will have at least one required conference during the second half of the semester.Office hours for this semester are: MW 9 - 10:30 & by appt.
students with disabilities
Your academic success is important. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The Academic Success Center can be reached at 856.256.4234. The Center is located on the 3rd Floor of Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals.
grading
Grades in this course are determined on the basis of a Learning Record, which accompanies a portfolio of work presented both at the midterm and at end of term. These portfolios present a selection of your work, both formal and informal, plus ongoing observations about your learning, plus an analysis of your work development across five dimensions of learning: confidence and independence, knowledge and understanding, skills and strategies, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflectiveness. This development centers on the major strands of work in the course: rhetoric and composition, research, technology, critical thinking, and collaboration.
For every missing non-online posting assignment, your grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. For every 2 missing online postings your grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. For every 3 late assignments, your final grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. It is better to complete an assignment late then to not complete it at all.