Most nineteenth-century United States women had little or no access to political leaders, higher education, or even the wages they earned; they were not allowed to vote, sign contracts, or own property in the United States. Despite these rigid constraints and tremendous opposition, over a span of eight decades U.S. women generated massive social and political changes. How? By using the only tool available to them: language.
Clearly, what we say, how we say it, and to whom it is said can--and
does--change the world. In this class, you'll learn to use rhetorical
theory as a way to critically examine persuasive appeals while we study
texts from the nineteenth-century woman's rights movement. Together, we
will consider the power of language to define, reform, and even
revolutionize politics and society. Work for this course includes class
participation, quizzes, two exams--and close, analytical readings of some
really great texts.
Note: This course most recently was taught in Winter 2002. There will be some changes to the policies, syllabus, readings, etc., when the course is taught in Winter 2003, but if you want a basic sense of the course please check out the Winter 2002 website for 484.
I will not make any adjustments to the class roster (i.e., oversubscribe students) until after the second class meeting. At that point, I will automatically drop any student who has not attended both of the first two class meetings. After the second class, if there are spaces available I will authorize students who are on the waitlist and who have been attending class to register for the course until the course has again met its maximum capacity. I do not anticipate issuing overrides to students who have not been attending class from the first day. Please do not email me requesting that you be oversubscribed to the class before the semester begins.
Truth in advertising: attendance is required for this class, and there is a strict attendance policy--one which expects you to show up on time to each class. Because attendance is a prerequisite for class participation (discussion, short exercises, quizzes, etc.), your presence will have a direct and important effect on your grade in this course. You may have two absences without penalty. For each absence after the first two, your final grade will be lowered by one-third of a grade (for example, a "B" becomes a "B-"). Two late arrivals or early departures (of less than fifteen minutes) convert to one absence. If you miss more than fifteen minutes of a class, you will be considered absent.