Week one: day one (1:1)
Before we get any further in this class, let me warn you that this is not an easy class. Because we do not have class time, there is porportionately more reading and homework than you have in a face-to-face class. Given the typical equation that for every one hour in class students should spend two to three hours outside of class, I have created each lesson so that the work can be done in three or four hours. Some lessons won't require that much time; some may require a little more.
Although there is written homework for almost every lesson, most of the homework accomplishes three things: it reinforces the content for the lesson, it usually contributes to a longer project you are working on, and it keeps you in touch with me and on track. Do not imagine that you can collect a bunch of homework and send it to me at the end of the class. I won't accept a pile of homework from someone who has been "absent" from class the whole term.
This class relies entirely on computer interaction. Although I may be able to see you face to face if you are having difficulty, I can't promise that I can. Some times I am out of town for extended periods. At other times, it is very difficult to schedule face to face time because I am head of the department of English and my days are often booked solid.
The welcome page for this class spells out the equipment (computer and software) requirements. Here they are again. Because we "interface" with each other entirely through the web, you need to have adequate equipment. Although you can probably get through this course with dial-up internet access, there are some PDF files that are hard to download through such a tiny pipe. If I were you I would have at least DSL access or, preferably, cable access. You can work in the labs on campus, but that can be inconvenient, and you may not always find a lab available. Besides having a good internet connection, you need Microsoft Word, a recent version, because all documents sent to me must be Word documents--not WordPerfect. If you are a MAC user, you should save your work as an RTF document and send it to me in that format. RTF (rich text file) documents are the best "cross-platform" documents for all of us. You also need a relatively recent version of Acrobat Reader, a free download is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.You will also need PowerPoint to view a couple files, and, though you can get by without it, there are a couple Excel files too. If you you have Acrobat Reader and the Microsoft Office suite, you should be good to go.
In short, you need good computer equipment and internet access for this course. You also need to know enough about your equipment to be your own maintenance person. I can't trouble shoot your problems. If you don't have the equipment and the know-how, then you should drop the course. Not having the equipment or command of it will not serve as an excuse for being unable to do assignments.
Final warning: this class is very easy to forget. Because there is not meeting place, we don't have the added incentive to stay with things. I've added a blog site to the course which will encourage you to stay current, but even with that, it is hard to keep yourself going. It takes a lot of self-discipline to succeed.
So, now we're ready to begin . . .
First, let me say something about the nature of the class and its value, and then I'll describe the lesson structure. This class is an applied rhetoric class. What that means is that we will be studying effective communication (rhetoric), but we will be doing it in the context of writing that is normally thought of as practical--job search materials, memos, informal reports, research reports. Rhetoric is an ancient art, first codified in the fourth or fifth century B.C.E. in Greece.
Traditionally, the art of rhetoric has been broken down into five sub arts--invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. We will study all five of these arts, sometimes called the canons of rhetoric, but the dominant art is invention. Rhetorical invention is the art of coming up with things to say, arguments to make, etc. It has to do with learning how to think. You will be studying quantitative and qualitative research methods and archival research. You will also be studying the appropriate patterns, or genres, for certain kinds of writing. Rhetoric is both local and general in nature. By local, we mean that language practices are different in different cultures. By general, we mean that certain principles seem to transcend local cultures. It is by studying theory that you come to understand the general principles. You'll get an introduction to rhetorical theory in this class. But you will also study communication in your own field (a local culture) and you will investigate rhetoric associated with a particular issue, so that you will have experience adapting theory to local practices.
So why is this course valuable? It is valuable precisely because it emphasizes rhetorical theory and then asks you to translate that theory into practical writing. If you can learn the general principles and translate them in this class, you should be able to do the same in other contexts. It is a writing class, but it is a writing class that emphasizes invention and arrangement above style and grammar. If you are weak in grammar, punctuation, and style, I'm afraid it will affect your grade, but I'm not really teaching that stuff. If you need a review of basic sentence structure and punctuation go to http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/dasulliv/style/bsp_review.htm. Remember, if you encounter a password request screen in this website (when the url has daulliv in it), your user name is english and your password is minard. There you will find several lessons that will help you review.
There are 30 lessons in this class. I have laid them out as though there are two a week; therefore, you should expect to complete two lessons a week. If you happen to be taking this in the summer you will have to adjust the weeks. For instance, a twelve week class will require 2.5 lessons a week (2 one week, three the next). For convenience sake, we will refer to the weeks in this class as 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, etc. (where 1:1 means week one: day one, and 2:1 means week two: day one).
1. Begin work on the Gantt Chart assignment, but do not send it to me yet. Go to the Gantt Chart assignment. Remember, if you encounter a password request screen in this website (when the url has daulliv in it), your user name is english and your password is minard. Use the numeric dates (weeks:days, e.g. 3:1, etc.) in the syllabus for this class or the grading sheet to help you line out the projects and as a basis for making a Gantt chart. Figure out the due dates for your semester. If you are taking this as a continuing education class, it is somewhat self-paced, so you can work out your own schedule within reason. However, think of there being two lessons a week. Another help as you plan the course is to read a couple activity reports (the last writing assignment in the class). Here is one by Kelsey Ellefson and another by Chanda Johnson. Do NOT email your Gantt chart to me until the end of next lesson. That lesson adds a second component--an analysis in an email report--to this assignment. This Gantt chart shows your schedule for the course, and it is due, with an email analysis, on 2:1.
2. Send me an email at dale.sullivan@ndsu.nodak.edu and tell me your most commonly used email address. Make sure it is correct. I will then invite you into our class blog. Follow the instructions you receive in the email invitation, and enter the blog. If you have trouble accepting the invitation, please look at this note from Blogger, which should help you out. Blog assignments will be part of your participation grade. To see what the blog looks like to the public, go to http://320web.blogspot.com/. (Note: when you get the invitation to the blog, you will enter the blog through the back door, so the interface will look different. From the back side you can compose and post messages to the published blog that the public reads. Notice that near the top of the navigation frame for this class there is a link to called "read the blog" and a link called "post a blog." The first takes you to the public face of our blog; the second to the backdoor.) This class blog site is the place where you can post questions or discuss assignments. You can ask each other for help or for interpretations of assignments. Although I have some set assignments for blog entries, its real value is that it gives you, the students, a chance to get in touch with each other.
In your first post, introduce yourself (name, school, class, major, etc.), explain why you signed up for this class, and why you decided to take it as a webclass. If you find the blog site hard to work with, you might want to read my little introduction to posting on blogger. When you make an entry in response to a blog assignment, send me a quick post indicating that you have done so and indicating which assignment on the grade sheet it counts for (1.2, 2.2, etc.). You may use the blog for other purposes besides doing assignments. It's intended to be a space where you can meet each other. You can use the blog to talk about lessons, assignments, readings. You can also create your own blog. I hope several of you will and that you will link to each other's blog and to the class blog.
3. Read chapters 1 and 2 in Lambrecht's Dinner at the New Gene Cafe. (If you had to order your books online and they have not yet arrived, make a note of this assignment and return to it when the book comes in.)