Course
Objectives
The American political process is simultaneously one of the most revered and distrusted in the entire world. While citizens are constantly reiterating a discourse stressing individual rights and the idea that “every vote counts,” most people are also well aware that the distribution of wealth and access to the political machine are reserved for the select few. Although elections are one of the major ways people can enact their citizenship, voter participation rates continue to decline. Despite the fact we often imagine America as a map comprising of red and blue states stitched together by a tenuous common culture, we also overlook the shades of purple that stretch across the map. In this course we will look very specifically at the construction of the American political “system,” the “people” who participate in it, and the issues that are engaged in it. Ours is a system in which rhetoric is the central component which constructs an identity that is particularly American in its character, its impulse, and its output. While the term rhetoric has often been demonized as a force that arouses suspicion in voters, this course will treat rhetoric as a fundamental element of the democratic process. It is imperative that we understand rhetoric not just as a tool that can distort the “truth” about issues, but as the central constituting power on which voters and politicians alike are dependent. Indeed, rhetoric is a dialogical force that can be employed by citizens just as much as it is any political party. As such, in this course, you will both study the ways in which politicians, the media, and the intermediaries that create specific forms of rhetoric, but you will also be responsible for creating discourses that are “political” in nature, helping to produce a more productive citizenry.
PREREQUISITES
Communication
(COMM) Majors
1)
Enrollment
in COMM 3010 (Communication Perspectives) is limited to declared COMM majors.
2)
Majors
enrolled in COMM 3010 may enroll concurrently in one other upper level
communication course selected from among the following:
3120, 3260, 3265, 3320, 3720, 3760, 3840, 3860, or 3920.
3)
Majors
who do not earn a grade of “C” or better in COMM 3010 must retake the
course, earning a grade of “C” or better, before being permitted to enroll
in any other upper division COMM courses.
In short, majors retaking COMM 3010 may not enroll concurrently in other
COMM courses.
4)
Majors must assume responsibility for demonstrating eligibility for
enrollment in upper level COMM courses by providing course instructors with a
copy of an unofficial UNT transcript prior to Friday of the first week of
classes. Students who do not
provide the required documentation will be dropped from the course on Friday of
the first week of classes.
5)
In
courses that are at maximum enrollment, a student who misses the first day of
class without prior consent of the instructor will be dropped from the course to
make room for those who wish to enroll. The
student must assume responsibility for securing prior consent from the
instructor.
1)
General
Studies majors must observe prerequisites for each COMM course (with the
exception of COMM 3010, which is reserved only for majors).
Students who enroll in upper level COMM courses without appropriate
prerequisites will be dropped from those courses administratively during the
first week of classes each semester. A
list of prerequisites is available in GAB 320.
2)
General Studies majors must assume responsibility for demonstrating
eligibility for enrollment in upper level COMM courses by providing course
instructors with a copy of an unofficial UNT transcript prior to Friday of the
first week of classes. Students who
do not provide the required documentation will be dropped from the course on
Friday of the first week of classes.
3) In courses that are at maximum enrollment, a student who misses the first day of class without prior consent of the instructor will be dropped from the course to make room for those who wish to enroll. The student must assume responsibility for securing prior consent from the instructor
Student
Responsibilities for COMM 4340
Ø
Each student will pass a number of
short reading quizzes throughout the semester.
Ø
Students will complete a number of
group assignments that revolve around the management of a national campaign
which seeks to attain a presidential nomination.
These assignments include a candidate profile, an exercise that proves an
ability to differentiate from other candidates, a “news conference,” and a
final campaign presentation outlining what your candidate needs to accomplish to
clinch her or his party’s nomination.
Ø
Each student will complete a
mid-term and final exam based on course readings and class discussions.
Ø
All students are expected to
complete all reading assignments, actively participate in class discussions, and
contribute to the general atmosphere of the class.
Assignments
and Grade Distribution
The university
appropriately complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which allows
reasonable accommodations to be provided for students with specific physical,
cognitive, sensory or learning disabilities.
If any student needs such arrangements, they should inform me
immediately. This course should be
accessible to all students, and I’m eager to provide a comfortable learning
environment.
Assignments are always
due at the beginning of class and should always be typed.
Late work is not
accepted. There will almost always be a reading quiz on the day an assignment is
due to ensure that you are in class on time and that our discussions do not
suffer. If you have a problem
complying with a deadline, you must give me reasonable notice and other
arrangements might be considered. Additionally,
all students are expected to produce written work that conforms to the
“Writing Guides for Student Papers” as posted on the UNT Communication
Studies Department’s web site.
Quizzes will be given
over the readings twelve times during the course of the semester.
They will begin at the start of class and will be collected at exactly
ten minutes after class begins. Quizzes
cannot, regardless of the absence, be made up.
Your ten best quiz scores will comprise your final quiz grade.
So, if you take 12, the top ten scores will count.
If you take less than ten, then you will lose those points.
If you know you are going to miss class or that you tend to get sick (and
I say that with all the implications that accompany “sickness” in college)
during the semester, you should plan ahead.
Additionally, you should be made aware that some quizzes in this course
will be group quizzes. If
you are not here or are late, it could impact another person’s grade.
Grades are best discussed
in an atmosphere that is relaxed, not rushed, and private.
As such, student grades will not be discussed before or after class.
If you wish to discuss an assignment grade, it is preferred that this be
done a couple days following the return of the grade.
This allows students to reflect on grades and make more sound arguments
in the event of an appeal.
Plagiarism will never be
tolerated. Representing another person’s work as your own is grounds
for immediately dismissal from the course, with a final grade of “F.”
If you are not familiar with the university’s rules on plagiarism,
please visit: http://www.unt.edu/csrr/csrr_home.htm
Although I strongly
subscribe to the philosophy that academic courses should be open to a multitude
of perspectives, approaches, and writing styles, there are some criteria which
tend to guide my grading. I tend to
grade papers and presentations with the following in mind:
“F”
papers/projects: Such papers or projects have little or no structure, do not
appropriately cite sources, clearly violate the criteria of the assignment, or
are late or never turned in.
“D”
papers/projects: The assignment guidelines are barely met. These papers/projects
utilize little or no thought as evidenced by the neglect of the topic, unclear
thesis, poor writing, disorganization, a lack of source material, or a seeming
distance from the course concepts.
“C”
papers/projects: These papers/projects meet the requirements as noted on the
assignment sheet and little more. The examples used are not original on the part
of the author (i.e., they are all borrowed from class) and often not tied
explicitly into the thesis of the paper. Assertions
are not substantiated with evidence or are underdeveloped throughout.
“B”
papers/projects: Thought has clearly been put into these papers/projects. New
connections are made between the course material and the assignment, often with
creative examples that add to the argument being advanced. The thesis is clear,
the assignment is structured properly, there are few errors in spelling and
grammar, and source material is cited throughout.
“A”
papers/projects: These projects are outstanding in their ability to think
through a topic clearly and creatively, offering new insights to course
conversations. Source materials are referenced appropriately, with no spelling
or grammar errors, and a clear structure to the writing.
The assignment advances a thesis and supports it with evidence, never
straying from the subject-matter on-hand.
Because
of the group work required in this class, incompletes will not be given.
Final grades will be based on the following:
|
Quizzes and Sudden Happenings |
100 |
| Group Candidate Profile | 100 |
| Group Candidate Differentiation Exercise | 150 |
| News Conference | 150 |
| Group Presentation | 200 |
| Midterm | 150 |
| Final | 150 |
| Total | 100 |
Attendance
On that note, parking is a
universal problem at state universities around the country.
At UNT, it is a problem that is constantly discussed by members of the
faculty, the staff, and the students. With
this recognition, you should plan accordingly in order to make it to class on
time. At the end of the day, you are either here or you are not.
The reason is inconsequential.
Final
Thoughts
Please come to office hours.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting with my students outside of class and having time to
discuss individual assignments in more detail. If my office hours don’t work,
let’s set up time to meet for coffee, lunch, etc. at some other place and
time.
Finally, please note that
this is a syllabus and not a contract. The
assignment due dates, readings, and anything else documented here may be changed
at any point in the semester by the professor.