Justin J. Bain
PhD Student in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
Syracuse University
315-443-1412
jjbain@syr.edu
WRT 110 Syllabus
• Philosophy
• Writing 105
• Writing 205
• Writing 307
• Writing 110Exploring Social Class and Work
Practices in Writing and Reading
Instructor: Justin Bain
Office: 005 HBC
Phone: 443-1412
Email: jjbain@syr.edu
Section #916
M-TH 1-2:50
HBC 306
Course Objectives
The purpose of WRT 110 is to introduce you to some of the reading and writing practices that you will need to be successful at Syracuse University and beyond. In this writing course, we will explore the world of work as it relates to the notion of social class. We will be attempting to define what working means, what it means to be at work, how our histories of working create individual identities, and our relation to the work that we do.
We will be reading texts rhetorically, attempting to identify positions, persuasions, and purposes. But while these texts will help to inform our understandings of work and social class, they are not simply facts to be passively accepted. Instead, we will be working to interrogate the ideas within a text, to develop our own positions in relation to a text, and to identify what our role should be as individuals encountering texts in our everyday lives.
Perhaps most importantly, this course will ask you to think and write critically about what is at stake in your work and about the role that writing can play. We will always be writing to complete assignments, but hopefully we are also writing to fulfill our own agendas.
Course Materials
• Social Class and Work: A Reader for WRT 110 (available at Campus Copy on Marshall Square Mall)
• The Longman Writers’ Companion (available at Orange Bookstore on Marshall Square Mall)
• Several Mac compatible disks
• $$--plan to spend about $20 for copies
• An email account
• Folders, pens, paper, etc
Course Evaluation
Unit 1: Explorations in Work 25%
Unit 2: Analyzing Class Identity 25%
Unit 3: Doing Work/Taking Action 25%
Workshops 15%
Class Participation 10%Course Structure
This course functions around two related central elements, writing and conversation. In class we will be both reading and writing, but we will also be discussing what we read, sharing and challenging ideas, and helping to push each other to do more complex and critical work. You should be prepared to offer responses to both what we read and what we write as well as to what others say and write. What follows is a brief sketch of the three units for this course and their major products. You will receive a calendar identifying specific assignments and due dates at the start of each unit.
Unit 1: Explorations in Work
This unit asks you to explore three related dimensions of work: location, action, and relation. That is, through readings and discussions of texts and your own experiences, you will work to identify the material conditions, social actions, and cultural relations around a specific space of work. This unit will result in the production of a double-entry journal (we will discuss this in class).
Unit 2: Analyzing Class Identity
In this unit, you will be asked to explore the notion of class identity, possibly your own. Through readings, discussions, and research, you will begin to explore what social class you are in, how you know, and why this matters. Your work will result in the production of a manifesto (2 pages) on social class as well as a report analyzing your findings (5-7 pages).
Unit 3: Doing Work/Taking Action
In this final unit, you will be asked to identify and pursue writing that goes beyond the walls of your classroom. You will be asked to search for ways in which the work you do (not just the work for this class) matters to you, and for ways to make this work public and rhetorical. This unit will result in the production of a theory paper (3-4 pages) drawing on your readings, experiences, and work.
Workshops
In addition to the work involved in each unit, we will set aside one day a week in which to conduct workshops on writing. Generally, workshops are spaces for the discussion of writing, what writing says, how it says it, if it is effective, etc. In class and through practice in workshops, you will learn techniques of inquiry, response, and revision of writing. Some workshops will focus on sample texts, while others will focus on your own work. Be prepared to share what you write in this class, to read others work thoughtfully, and to respond honestly and respectfully.
Participation
Active and thoughtful participation is crucial for the success of this course and for your own learning. The only way to judge the success of writing, the achievement of a purpose and the communication of ideas, is to share that writing with others. If you are unable to attend this course for any reason, you must contact me in advance of your absence. You are solely responsible for all work missed. Late work will not be accepted without prior arrangement.
Course Policies and Additional Information
Statement on Revision
As with all writing and thinking, revision is a normal part of the process. Revision is not simply, or not only, proofreading a paper for error. It is also the rethinking, reorganization, and rewriting of substantial amounts of text. Be prepared to revise, rethink, reposition, and possibly discard portions of what you write as you continue to develop as a writer and thinker.
Statement on Academic Honesty
The academic community requires ethical behavior from all of its participants. For writers, this means that the work we claim as ours must truly be ours, not that of someone else. We are not expected, however, to come up with all new ideas: it is expected that we will build our thinking and writing on that of others. We are expected, therefore, to credit others with their contributions and to clearly indicate the boundaries of our own thinking. Failure to do so both in the university and in this course will result in unwanted consequences, including lower grades, failure of the course, or possibly expulsion.
Statement on Special Needs
If you know of anything that will influence your participation or the evaluation of your work in this course, please discuss it with me immediately. I will gladly consider how your situation will fit into this class, but I cannot do this if you remain silent. If you need special consideration because of any sort of disability or situation or are having difficulty understanding the concepts of this course, please bring it to my attention. If you come in the last weeks of class, I may be unable or unwilling to rewrite history. So please, communicate early.
Statement on Technology
While computers save us a great amount of time over typewriters and make corrections easier, they are susceptible to crashing and freezing. Please save your work frequently, make back-up copies, and allow for extra time. Printer malfunctions, inoperable disks, etc, are not acceptable reasons for late or missing work. Anticipate these problems ahead of time and plan accordingly.
Statement on Writing Consultants
I highly recommend that you make use of the writing consultants outside of class. Though this is not a requirement, consultants are familiar with the work you will be asked to do for this course and can be extremely helpful. They are located in HBC 101, on the ground floor, and have various hours available to meet your needs. Please go to HBC 101 to sign up for an appointment.