Additional web pages related to rhetoric and courses in Rhetoric of Science are available in related resources.
Required Books
Kuhn, Thomas. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 3rd ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780226458076.
Latour, Bruno, and Steve Woolgar. Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986. ISBN: 9780691028323.
Penrose, Anne, and Steven Katz. Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse. New York, NY: St. Martin’s, 1997. ISBN: 9780312119713.
Supplemental Readings
Bazerman, Charles. Shaping Written Knowledge: The Genre and Activity of the Experimental Article in Science. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. ISBN: 9780299116941.
Myers, Greg. Writing Biology: Texts in the Social Construction of Scientific Knowledge. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780299122348.
Gross, Alan. Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780809326969.
Paul, Danette, Davida Charney, and Aimee Kendall. “Moving Beyond the Moment: Reception Studies in the Rhetoric of Science.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication 15, no. 3 (July 2001): 372-399.
Readings by Session
| LEC # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introductions |
Homework Read: Herzberg, Bruce and Patricia Bizzell, eds. The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. 2nd ed. Bedford, MA: St. Martin’s Press, December 22, 2000, pp. 19-37. ISBN: 9780312148393. Crowley, Sharon and Deborah Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd Ed. New York, NY: Longman, 2003, pp. 7-16. ISBN: 9780321172761. Compare/contrast the two introductions. If you have a laptop, bring it to the next class. |
| 2 | What is Rhetoric? |
In-class Discuss Rhetorical Tradition vs. Ancient Rhetorics introductions. Take one term from the introductions and look for definitions on the internet. Homework Read: Herzberg, Bruce and Patricia Bizzell, eds. “Aristotle.” In The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. 2nd ed. Bedford, MA: St. Martin’s Press, December 22, 2000, pp. 151-194. ISBN: 9780312148393. Choose one of Aristotle’s emotions to present to the class. |
| 3 | Say Again! What is Rhetoric? |
In-class Students report out on their terms from Aristotle. Exercises on ethos, pathos, and logos. Discuss the rhetorical triangle. Lecture about stasis theory. Homework Read: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, II, III, X, XIII. Remainder of book is optional reading. |
| 4 | What is Science? |
In-class Discuss Kuhn. Activities about the social construction of science-the believing/doubting game. Homework Read: Gross, Alan. The Rhetoric of Science. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780674768734. Harris, Randy Allen. Landmark Essays on Rhetoric of Science. Mahwah, NJ: Hermagoras Press, 1997, xi-xxix. ISBN: 9781880393116. Option: Writing in the Sciences. Chapter 1. (Skim) |
| 5 | What is Rhetoric of Science? |
In-class What are the limits and possibilities of using rhetoric to explain science? Read and workshop Crick and Watson. Homework Read: Halloran, S. M. “The birth of molecular biology: an essay in the rhetorical criticism of scientific discourse.” Rhetoric Review 3 (1984): 70-83. Moore, Randy. “Writing About Biology: How Rhetorical Choices Can Influence the Impact of a Scientific Paper.” Bioscene 26, no. 1 (February 2000): 23-25. (PDF) Watson, J., and F. Crick. “A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (1953): 737. (PDF) |
| 6 | What’s Rhetorical Analysis? |
In-class Discuss Halloran Homework Read: Writing in the Sciences. Chapter 3, sections 3.1-3.7. Bring your sample articles to next class! |
| 7 | What’s Rhetorical Analysis? (cont) |
In-class Workshop exercises from Penrose and Katz, using the sample article. Everyone does 3.3 and then they can choose exercise 3.6, 3.11, 3.16, or 3.21. Homework Bring your sample article and exercises from today to class on Tuesday. |
| 8 | Workshop Day |
In-class You and your partner bring your data to class. We’ll workshop to help you with your analysis. |
| 9 | Practice Presentations | |
| 10 | Practice Presentations (cont.) |
Homework Draft of rhetorical analysis paper. (Project 1) |
| 11 | Final Presentations | |
| 12 | Final Presentations (cont.) |
Conferences Held one day before and on Lec #12. (20-30 minutes each) |
| 13 | Introduction to Socially-Situated Research |
In-class Exercises on how to read Latour. Brainstorming field trip for Project 2. Homework Lab Life. Chapter 1. |
| 14 | What are Latour and Woolgar talking about in Lab Life? |
In-class Wrestle through chapter 1. Group work with report-outs. Homework Read: Lab Life. Chapter 2. Your Project 2 research question and explanation of your proposed scene. |
| 15 | Lab Life |
In-class Latour Discussion. Workshop research questions and practice with field notes exercises. Homework Read: Lab Life. Chapter 3. |
| 16 | Lab Life (cont.) |
In-class Latour Discussion + Visual Rhetoric. Update on projects. Homework Read: Lab Life. Chapter 4. |
| 17 | Lab Life (cont.) |
In-class Latour Discussion. Progress reports in class on team Project 2. Homework Read: Lab Life. Chapter 5-6. |
| 18 | Lab Life (cont.) |
In-class Latour Discussion. Data coding exercises. Homework Bring your data to next class for a workshop. |
| 19 | Data Workshop |
Homework Project 2 presentations Practice presentation sign-up |
| 20 | Practice Presentations in Class | |
| 21 | Practice Presentations in Class (cont.) |
Homework Draft of analysis paper. (Project 2) |
| 22 | Final Presentation Project 2 | |
| 23 | Final Presentation Project 2 (cont.) |
Conferences Held one day before and on Lec #23. (20-30 minutes each) |
| 24 |
Last Day of Class Discussion |
Homework Prepare your portfolio and portfolio review. Due at final conference. Sign-up for final conference. |
| Final Conferences |
