{"id":9490,"date":"2023-01-17T16:09:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T21:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/?page_id=9490"},"modified":"2023-04-04T12:06:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T16:06:14","slug":"rhetfearassignmentsspring2023","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/rhetfearspring2023\/rhetfearassignmentsspring2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Assignments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Participation<\/strong> (Every Class Meeting)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is not a drill-on-skill type of course. I expect everyone to be involved in class discussions, which are extremely important for critical thinking. You must contribute to class discussions. Twenty percent (20%) of your grade is based on participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-class participation means you are ready to be called on at any time<\/font><\/strong> to respond to a question, prompt, and\/or suggestion about the course material. Yes, I will call on you in class periodically, so be prepared to demonstrate that you\u2019re reflecting thoughtfully on the readings. Thoughtful reflection doesn\u2019t mean you give THE answer; instead, it means you show awareness for the complexity of our subject by describing your interpretation or asking questions that demonstrate critical thinking (as opposed to certainty). We embrace ambiguity in this course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merely showing up will not get you participation credit\u2014you must engage the course materials. If you’re not in class, you can’t receive credit, so your participation grade will be affected. I will note your participation (or lack thereof) daily. Thoughtful participation means that you engage critically in our discussions or ask engaging questions about the subject. Contributions AND questions both count as participation, so, if you\u2019re confused, please ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing work for another class or distracting other students will lower your participation grade\u2014even to the point of falling below 20% (meaning, you can have a negative participation grade).<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please see me ASAP if you’re concerned about your participation grade because you’re shy or if you don’t understand these requirements. Telling me at the end of April that you didn’t participate because you’re the quiet type or because you didn’t understand what “thoughtful” meant will be too late. The purpose of participation is for students to have control over their own learning and to reinforce critical thinking generally and dialogic exchange of ideas specifically. I am willing to provide a quasi-alternative to supplement a student’s participation grade, but please note that discussion, which allows speakers to exchange ideas, is an extremely important component of critical thinking. One alternative is to do class reflections you post online. Please discuss this alternative with me early in the semester…like today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canvas Posts <\/strong>(Due Weekly\u201314 total)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to facilitate beyond-the-classroom-reflection, I\u2019ll ask you to go to Canvas<\/a><\/strong> and respond to the prompt for that week. These should be at least 250 words. There\u2019s no right or wrong answer, but I do expect you to be inspired by the course material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you do these posts by 11:00 pm on Fridays.<\/span><\/strong>. Remember, the first one was your introduction worth 5 points; the 13 others are 15 points each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical Thinking Essay<\/strong> (Draft: 2\/07; FINAL DUE: 2\/21<\/font>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This early semester work is supposed to demonstrate your commitment to thinking critically about a subject. This isn’t a research paper (although you’ll most likely use sources), but you will have to advance an argument about a topic. This is a class on rhetoric, so I expect you will provide assertions as well as sound argumentation for that assertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n