Textbook Review Outline: Integrating Classical Rhetoric in First-Year Composition

1. Textbook Review Outline: Integrating Classical Rhetoric in First-Year Composition A Review of Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student XX ed? and Ancient Rhetorics for the Contemporary Students 4thed

2. Purpose of Review • Since at least 1962 Edward P.J. Corbett has been trying to revive the study of classical rhetoric as a tool for teaching writing to undergraduate students (consider how to appropriate cite Corbett’s argument for the usefulness of classical rhetoric • Doug Downs and Elizabeth Wardle have argued that Composition is not the course with no content (add citation information) • Downs and Wardle suggest that writing studies be the subject of FYC • Classical Rhetoric results from the earliest attempts at the study and theorizing of discourse • We think that the WAW approach implement in FYC at UCF could benefit from the inclusion many teachings of classical rhetoricians

3. Rationale • We may not need this slide here. Consider incorporating the concerns in the notes below in the recommendation section.

4. Overview of Textbooks

5. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student • Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors • Corbett and Connor’s textbook is strongest in its discussion of style and imitation. • The discussion of the progymnasmata is weak in comparison with Crowley and Hawhee’sbook because it provides only potential topics, not examples. • They also present a brief overview of the history of rhetoric that reviews key figures in rhetoric during historical periods, which could be useful background for instructors without a rhetoric background. • The explanation of stasis theory leaves our the question of policy and procedure. The description privileges thinking and analysis but not practical application. These are simply listed under legal discourse. They are not related to how they could be applied or adapted to other discourses. • The inclusion of Richard Larson’s plan for teaching rhetorical invention provides a nice collection of heuristics for discovering what to say about specific topics.   • The textbook does provide several different and useful approaches to introductions in the section on arrangment of material along with textual examples from books and other texts.

6. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students • Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee • They aim to present classical rhetoric in a way that is not monolithic – they succeed by differentiating theories of various classical theorists (add a few examples) • The make the text accessible to students by writing in the first person and provided examples of both ancient and contemporary arguments (compare with C&C’s almost belletristic and timeless examples – make sure we can support this) • They also include progymnasmata; however, they seem more useful to students (explain why and provide examples) • C&H devote a lot of attention to invention of arguments – they provide a number of useful heursiticsand accompany them with thoughtful explanations for use (this is currently one of the weakness of the WAW curriculum at UCF) • Focus on social and political issue provides breadth to the focus on academic writing at UCF

7. Analysis • Here we will consider strengths and weaknesses of the textsside by side in a discussion of features • Slide headings could be features such as kairosand we may not have to designate them as strength or weakness absolutely but come back to important features for consideration in the specific context of WAW at FYC

8. CRFTMS

9. Strengths • Strengths • Heavy emphasis on style – focus of “eloquence” • Provides a useful glossary of tropes and figures of speech and examples • Offers a brief overview of rhetoric’s history • Provides brief summary of canons of rhetoric and rhetorical appeals in introduction • Provides sample imitations in the style section with model sentences and imitation examples. • Discussion of common topics as lines of argument is helpful; provides examples from texts to illustrate concepts

10. Weaknesses • Minimal attention to memory and delivery • Progymnasmata section provides potential topics but doesn’t offer examples or patterns/frameworks for exercises. • Stasis theory is incomplete; focus is purely on use in legal discourse

11. ARFCS

12. Recommendations • These texts may be used in faculty development to deepen discipline background, especially for instructors who come from literature, creative writing, education, etc. • They may also be used to balance the heavy attention to academic reading and writing • If instructor needs to choose only one text book over the other we recommend C&H. (explain why : accessibility, presentation of knowledge as socially constructed- fits with emphasis in WAW reader )

13. Recommend specific sections for how you can use textbooks • Ex. Couple discussion stasis theory with grant-davie’s rhetorical situation; hawhee & crowleych. on kairos for rhetorical situation and grant-davie • John Dawkins “Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool” – ch. 10 in Hawhee & Crowley on style; imitation (models & sample imitation in Corbett and Connors) • “Tuning and Tying” -- metaphors (figures of speech glossary in Corbett and Connors useful here)

14. CARS model – arrangement of genres in hawhee and crowley (IMRD and six parts) classical rhetoric in not “monolithic” – classical arrangement (6-part arrangement) and 5-paragraph essay • Invention heuristics for analyzing academic arguments and assistance creating some • Encomium (invective/vituperation) – praising (blaming) an academic theory/theorist (carving out a

15. Recommendations for use of C&H • Discussion of the types of proofs in c&h as tools for assessing the values of a discourse communities and for crafting effective arguments • Discussion of how to create ethos through research (202) and style • Research for identifying kairos and creating exigency

16. Recommendations for use of C&C • The textbook does provide several different and useful approaches to introductions in the section on arrangement of material along with textual examples from books and other texts.   • The textbook could be used to draw short textual examples to illustrate different genres and ways of writing genres in a text – for example … teaching different ways of composing introductions and conclusions.   • Student report on study of style could provide student with way to study their writing during autoethnography section – however, very focused on surface level elements of writing. This is used in conjunction with a comparison with a professional writer.

17. Sample of Activities • Ask Dr. Scott if this section would be appropriate.

18. Issues to Consider • Our review has become more of a lesson on how to incorporate these texts into WAW • I’m okay with it, but he may not be • Let’s also get some clarification on the memo we will likely have to write to accompany this presentation • I would also like to consider using language that give the slideshow a less formal, more conversational tone