Syllabus
Discourse III: Civic and Community Engagement
Niki Casady
necwcb@mail.umkc.edu
Office location: Cockfair Hall Room 016
Office hours: Thursday 3:00-5:00 and by appointment
Class Blog: AfraidOfDiscourse.blogspot.com
Fear and Monsters: What Hides Behind the Mask?
In this class, we will focus on fear and its physical manifestations: the monster. Fear is an odd emotion. It is an evolutionary imperative that helped our species survive. It is often used to teach children to avoid danger, used for entertainment, and used to divide people and incite anger.
This class will explore the rhetoric of fear and monsters. You will be encouraged to pick areas that interest you. Some examples include politics (local, national, global), entertainment (movies, haunted houses, extreme sports), literature (Stephen King, Dracula, myths), and even how fear exists in your field of study (How do doctors navigate patient fear? How does fear help or hinder scientific experiments?). I will not be showing scary movies or having you read anything scarier than Dracula(which isn’t really). You can choose your own level and type of fear to focus on.
Studying fear is important because if we are not aware of how we are being manipulated or who is doing the manipulating, we fall victim to the negative effects of fear. Monsters are often a mask for real world problems that we don’t want to face—despite how important it is.
Required Texts:
All texts for this class will be made available online via Canvas.
Course Description:
Civic and Community Engagement: Students will put the knowledge and skills learned in Discourse I and II into practical use by engaging in a project that is interdisciplinary and intercultural. Students will use strategies of critical discourse analysis and critical language awareness to target the appropriate audience/recipients for their service project, to develop innovative and rhetorically effective texts, and to reflect on their project’s purpose, methods, and consequences. This course is taught in close connection with the anchor course Civic and Community Engagement.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Discourse 300:
Students will demonstrate an ability to:
· Engage a community problem through multiple forms of discourse.
· Apply discourse analysis and language awareness.
· Use written and oral discourse to develop and present meaningful and interesting ideas that show the students’ voices, a willingness to take intellectual risks, and an ability to contribute to an academic conversation.
· Communicate skillfully in several genres and in response to the needs of different audiences.
· Create discourse through an advanced process that includes editing, proofreading, and revising multiple drafts.
· Evaluate their own and others' works and plan their own development as producers of discourse.
· Locate, evaluate, organize and use research material from a broad range of sources and weave such sources into a longer interdisciplinary research project
· Masterfully cite sources in a consistent professional style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) and understand differences between citation styles.
Core Assessment:
Discourse 300: Though there are different sections and instructors of Discourse 300, certain general expectations apply to every course: Discourse 300 students are required to research, draft, develop and complete a minimum of 24-28 pages of finished writing including at least two research essays, one of which will be related to the material from the associated Anchor III course in Community and Civic Engagement. Students are also required to research, draft, develop and present at least two formal speeches with a combined minimum total of 18-20 minutes. This work will be presented in a final summative portfolio at the end of the term. Constructive feedback and opportunities for comprehensive revision will be provided throughout. All formal work, written and spoken, will be graded using a rubric that applies the SLO's for Communications Skills and Information Literacy.
RooWriter
As stated in the UMKC catalog, candidates for all baccalaureate degrees must take the UMKC RooWriter writing assessment before they have completed 90 credit hours. Students may take the RooWriter at any time while enrolled at UMKC as a personal diagnostic, but it will only satisfy the undergraduate graduation requirement after a student has completed Discourse 200 (or equivalent). You can find previous editions of the catalog here. RooWriter also appears as a degree requirement on your major map and on your DARS report.
As you prepare for completing your undergraduate degree and life beyond UMKC, it is important to recall the value of transferrable skills, including written communication. According to the National Survey of Business and Nonprofit Leaders: Key Findings, “When hiring recent college graduates, employers place the greatest priority on a demonstrated proficiency in skills and knowledge that cuts across majors. Of 17 outcome areas tested, written and oral communication, teamwork skills, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings are the most highly valued by employers. More than 8 in 10 employers give these outcomes a rating between 8 and 10 on a 10 point scale.” The feedback you receive from the RooWriter Assessment will give you insight into how well you communicate with others, a critical piece of information for succeeding in your college courses and obtaining employment as a college graduate.
RooWriter offers a current assessment of how prepared you are for the rigorous reading and writing requirements of an Anchor and Discourse 300 course that assumes completion of the Discourse II class in the 30-hour General Education Program. Also, Anchor and Discourse 300 instructors will have access to the RooWriter reports for students enrolled in their course, so they can efficiently provide writing advice and assistance throughout the course.
Educational Philosophy:
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend and participate in classes. Advance notice of attendance policies of academic units and individual instructors should be given, and such notice should be in writing.
Students should notify instructors of excused absences in advance, where possible. Students who have an excused absence are expected to make arrangements with instructors for alternative or make-up work. Such arrangements should be made in advance of the absence, where possible.
****You are allowed 3 unexcused absences. You can use them how you need to and I do not need to be told why or what. However, USE THEM WISELY because after the first three, you are deducted 5% for each absence after that. If you have 80% in the class and miss five classes, (3 free + 2 not) will result in 10% off your final grade. Being late to class (more than 5 minutes) will be counted as 1/2 an absence.
If you miss class more than 12 times, you may be administratively dropped from the class.****
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism is the undocumented use of another’s ideas or words. In this course, you will learn how to conduct academic research, how to evaluate sources, and document them appropriately. Failure to adequately cite your research is plagiarism and is a serious offense that could jeopardize your future academic career. http://www.umkc.edu/provost/policies/academic-integrity-dishonesty-and-plagiarism.pdf
****If you are found to be plagiarizing in your final draft, all parts of the essay/blog (drafts, conferences) will also receive a 0****
Late Work:
You are expected to turn in assignments on time. If you have technical difficulties (like you are unable to upload it to Bb), I expect you to send me proof that you competed the assignment on time (email it to me).
Cell Phone:
I understand using phones occasionally to look up something or to send an "I'm Busy" text, but excessive use, I will give you one warning to put it away, one warning to put on the teacher's desk, and finally, I will ask you to leave and you will be counted absent.
"Stuff" Happens:
I understand that sometimes life throws you for a loop and things happen beyond your control. Keep me informed and we can work together to figure something out. If I don’t know what is going on, I can’t help.
UMKC Course Policies & Resources
Important UMKC Resources and Policies are applicable to every course and every student at UMKC. These are located in the Learning Management System for this course. Canvas users may click the Help question mark on the left side of the screen, and then select ‘UMKC Resources and Policy Statements’. Blackboard users may click the ‘UMKC Policies’ tab. As a UMKC student, you are expected to review and abide by these policies. If you have any questions, please contact your instructor for clarification.
This course follows the “Faculty allowing recording” option of the Academic Inquiry, Course Discussion and Privacy policy.
Class Blog: AfraidOfDiscourse.blogspot.com
Check this frequently as it will contain our day to day lessons, reminders, and information.
Grade breakdown: 1,000 total points
1. Blog 1: 100
2. Blog 2: 100
3. Blog 3: 100
4. Research Paper: 250
5. Participation: 100
6. Presentation: 100
7. Quizzes: 50
8. Game: 200
1-3. Blogs: 100 points each
Throughout the semester, you will be required to write three blogs on topics that both interest you and corresponds with the class theme of fear and monsters. These will be academic blogs that merge the lessons you have learned about academic writing with writing that is more engaging. These blogs will have sources and a clear thesis, but will include hyperlinks, pictures, videos, and other types of media.
Each blog will be a practice in concise writing as the focus must be limited and the writing efficient as each blog will be about 1,000 words.
4. Research Paper: 250 points
This will be a traditional research paper of 2,500-3,500 words. Learning to master a long form paper is just as important as shorter texts. Your paper can include your blogs, be inspired by them, or be something completely new. Your only limitation is that it matches the general theme of this class.
5. Participation: 100 points
Discussion will be one of the most important ways of learning, exploring ideas, and engaging with new ideas. To encourage engagement, you will be required to collect 100 points through bringing the reading to class and by commenting or asking questions (which are each worth 2 points).
6. Presentation: 100 points
Throughout the semester, each student will be assigned to present on a texts. The texts will include videos, essays, articles, academic articles, and excerpts. You will be required to lecture a bit on the text’s significance and create a discussion on how the text works with, challenges, engages, or presents a different light on the class theme.
7. Quizzes: 50 points
To encourage doing the reading, there will be 11 pop quizzes throughout the semester. The lowest score will be dropped.
8. The Game: (Note: this can be shaped by the class and aspects of it will be decided later)
Purpose: To mimic real world situations in which you would need to develop discourse to achieve your goal.
The year is 1899. Britain is about to enter a new centennial; the queen is old, and her reign is coming to an end. The nineteenth century has been a massive success for the country as a whole. The empire has spread to all corners and we are the most advanced industrial country in the world. And yet, an anxiety persists about many of these advances and many worry about where the 20thcentury will take us.
Your Goal: You are a time traveler sent back to 1899. Pick what you think the biggest thing Victorians should be afraid of. Using all your skills, how will you convince the Victorians to act? It is recommended that you join a faction of other like minded
Rule 1: You cannot tell people that you are a time traveler, even if you suspect others of being time travelers themselves.
Rule 2: You cannot use modern data. You must use what you can find up to 1899.
Rule 3: You can take the place of a real-world figure from 1899. If a person that you would like to be has recently passed, you can assume their life as your knowledge from the future will keep that person alive.
A town hall will take place at the end of the semester. Your faction will be asked to present a final argument to {the queen? general audience?}
Your grade will be based on items created, reflections on your work, group work, and your final argument.
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