WRT 413:

rhetoric & ethics

Fall 2014, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:20 p.m.,

Marshall Square Mall 205B
Patrick W. Berry, pwberry@syr.edu, office: HBC 235
office phone: 315-443-1912
office hours: Fridays, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
and by appointment
http://patrickberry.com/rhetoricethicsfall14

In such a moment, we require an expanded ethical

vocabulary, one that can express not only the values of contingency,
difference, and critique, but beyond these can speak to the values of
connections, reciprocities, and interdependencies among peoples of
diverse and often conflicting ideologies. John Duffy
Course Overview and Goals
What does rhetoric have to do with ethics? You have likely encountered political commentators
and others using rhetoric in deceptive and unethical ways. Yet rhetoric has more constructive
uses as well. Its potential to create and support ethical communication is significant to writers
and researchers in our globalized, digitally mediated world.
In Rhetoric and Ethics, we will explore competing definitions of rhetoric and ethics, identifying
how these definitions shape our understanding. Beyond simply looking at the texts themselves,
we will examine reading, writing, and listening as contextual, rhetorical practices with ethical
potential. We will examine historical conversations concerning rhetorics ethical responsibilities
and identify complications that emerge as assumed historical connections between language and
truth, justice, community, and personal character are deployed in various social, political,
cultural, national, and transnational contexts.
Moving from classical rhetoric to journalism to remix culture to theories of composing in a
digital world, the course will ask students to:
investigate historical and contemporary arguments about the relationship between rhetoric,
language, and ethics
consider how perceptions of rhetorics ethical function shape and respond to specific
historical and cultural circumstances
explore how different contexts and technologies pose ethical challenges for speakers,
writers, and audiences
analyze strategies speakers and writers use to build credibility with their audiences
demonstrate an ability to take ethical considerations into account in producing arguments
Encrucijada/Crossway by Flickr user pasotraspaso, CC BY 2.0.

Participation and Attendance

Regular attendance and participation in class are critical to your success. You will often be asked
to write and share writing during class sessions. Please bring to class a copy (print or digital) of
the assigned reading(s) as well as a paper copy of any assigned writing. If you miss a class, you
are expected to stay current by contacting me and/or speaking with a classmate. Coming to
class more than 20 minutes late will be considered an absence. If you miss more than four
classes, you will receive a reduced or failing grade.
Grades
Final grades for the course will be based on the following percentages.
Weekly at-home and in-class writing (15%)
You will receive short essay assignments, in-class writing assignments, and multimedia
writing assignments on a weekly basis.
Lead discussion for one class with a partner (10%)
Project #1: Rethinking Rhetoric and Ethics (25%; 7-page paper)
Project #2: Ethics Remix: A Multimedia Exploration of Ethics (25%; multimedia project and
3- to 5-page response)
Project #3: The Ethics of Controversy: An Analysis (25%; 7- to 10-page paper and
5-minute presentation)
As a general rule, late work will not be accepted.
Readings
Course readings are available on Blackboard.
Student Writing
Texts written in this course are generally public. You may be asked to share them with a peer,
the class, or me during classroom activities or for homework. You will also be asked to sign a
consent form allowing the use of your writing for professional development, teacher training,
and classroom instruction within the Syracuse University Writing Program.
The Writing Center
If you need any help with your writing, the Writing Center (http://wc.syr.edu) is an excellent
resource. Workshop consultants can help you learn how to improve your writing by offering
assistance with planning, drafting, and revising. This resource is free, and I highly recommend it.
You are also always welcome to utilize my office hours for help with assignments.
Special Needs and Situations
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of 804
University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the
2

process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related

accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities Accommodation
Authorization Letters as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and
generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
Syracuse University and I are committed to your success and to supporting Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This means that in general no individual who is otherwise qualified
shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
under any program or activity solely by reason of having a disability. You are also welcome to
contact me privately to discuss your academic needs, although I cannot arrange for disabilityrelated accommodations.
Academic Honesty
The academic community requires ethical behavior from all of its participants. For writers, this
means that the work we claim as ours must truly be ours. At the same time, we are not always
expected to come up with new ideas; we often build our thinking on the ideas of others. We are
expected, however, to credit others with their contributions and to clearly indicate the
boundaries of our own thinking. In cases where academic dishonesty is detected (the fraudulent
submission of anothers work, in whole or part, as your own), you may be subject to a failing
grade for the project or the course, and in the worst case to academic probation or expulsion.
For a more detailed description of the guidelines for adhering to academic honesty in the
College of Arts and Sciences, go to: http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.
Religious Observance
SUs religious observances policy, found at http://supolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm,
recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the
rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their
tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination,
study, or work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance provided they
notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. For fall and spring
semesters, an online notification process is available through MySlice/Student
Services/Enrollment/My Religious Observances from the first day of class until the end of the
second week of class.

Course Schedule (subject to change)

Date
WEEK 1
Tuesday,
Aug. 26

In class
Course Introduction:
What Is Rhetoric? What Is
Ethics?

At home (due the following class)

Read Plato, Gorgias (1-60).
Complete survey on Blackboard to lead discussion.

In-class discussion of Chuck

Klostermans Can I Use the
Same Paper for Multiple College
Courses? (New York Times, 31
May 2013); Cory Turners
Turnitin And The Debate Over
Anti-Plagiarism Software (NPR,
25 August 2014); John Duffys
The Ethics of Metaphor
(Chronicle of Higher Education: The
Conversation. 2 December 2013).

Thurs.,
Aug. 28

WEEK 2
Tuesday,
Sept. 2

Rhetoric, Truth, and Ethics

Read Plato, Gorgias (61-114).

Introduction to Platos Gorgias.

Find a video clip on the Web that illustrates good

rhetoric but that you believe is unethical. Post your
video link to Blackboard along with a paragraph that
explains your thinking. This response is due by the
end of the day Monday, September 1.

Rhetoric, Truth, and Ethics

Read Wayne Booth, Judging Rhetoric (39-54).

Identify central themes in Platos

Gorgias.
Discuss video postings.

Thurs.,
Sept. 4

Judging Rhetoric
Review Booths taxonomy and
discuss real-world examples.
Discuss the value of listening as a
rhetorical strategy.

WEEK 3
Tuesday,
Sept. 9

Judging Rhetoric
Review comics and discuss

Set up an account with Pixton, the comic-making

website (pixton.com). Create a 5-panel comic that
playfully engages with the theme of rhetoric and ethics.
Put yourself in dialogue with Socrates and/or Booth to
get at a central theme of the readings. Post your link to
Blackboard before the next class.
Read Charles Larmore,The Ethics of Reading (4954) and Responses (55-66) and John Duffy,
Virtuous Arguments. Post a paragraph to

emerging ideas/themes.

Blackboard that describes how you will focus your talk

and the strategies you will use to reach your audience.

Consider representations of
Syracuse University as a top
party school.
Thurs.,
Sept. 11

Judging Rhetoric

Continue working on your talk

WEEK 4
Tuesday,
Sept. 16

Ethics and Expos

Watch part of the 2014
documentary Fed Up.

Draft for Project #1 due: Post draft to Blackboard

before class; bring a hard copy to class.

Thurs.,
Sept. 18

Workshop

Read Charles M. Ess, Global Media Ethics? Issues,

Requirements, Challenges, Resolutions (253-71).

WEEK 5
Tuesday,
Sept. 23

Global Media Ethics

Project #1 due. Post to Blackboard. (no hard copy

necessary).

Thurs.,
Sept. 25

Ethics and Expos

The producers of Fed Up say that we are facing the

greatest public health crisis of our time. For next
class, you need to write a 600-word analysis of how the
issue is represented in the movie and on the site:
http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/fedupchallenge
Pay particular attention to the language used and how
the argument is presented.
Is this an ethical argument? How do you know?
Your response should be approximately 600 words.
Post to Blackboard and bring a print or digital copy to
class.

WEEK 6
Tuesday,
Sept. 30

Ethics and Expos

Read James Baldwin, If Black English Isnt a

Language, Then Tell Me, What Is? and Mei-Yu Lu,
English-Only Movement: Its Consequences on the
Education of Language Minority Children

Thurs.,
Oct. 2

Ethics, Language, and

Representation

Read Lois Agnew, Teaching Propriety: Unlocking the

Mysteries of Political Correctness (746-64).

Discussion leaders: Michaela and

Tevion

Write a 600-word response to Agnew. Post to

Blackboard and bring a hard copy to class.

WEEK 7
Tuesday,
Oct. 7

Ethics, Language, and

Representation
Special guest: Lois Agnew
Discussion leaders: John and
Hanna

Thurs.,
Oct. 9

Aristotle and Nicomachean

Ethics
Discussion leaders: Olivia and
Kelsey

Read Aristotle, selection from Nicomachean Ethics. Write

a 600-words response that summarizes the central
ideas expressed in this reading. Post to Blackboard and
bring a print copy to class.

Watch two short films at the Political Remix Video

site: 1) The Usual Suspects: Black Men in Black Hoodies;
2) Wouldnt It Be Great if Everybody Had a Gun?
Write a 600-word response that analyzes what
techniques are used to make these arguments.
Consider what topic you might focus on as you make
your own remix for Project #2. Include at least four
video links. Post your response to Blackboard by the
end of the day on Sunday, October 19.

WEEK 8
Tuesday,
Oct. 14

No class

Thurs.,
Oct. 16

No class

WEEK 9
Tuesday,
Oct. 21

Ethics, Rhetoric, and Remix

Thurs.,
Oct. 23

Ethics, Rhetoric, and Remix

Discussion leaders: Renata and
Emily

Draft for Project #2 due (both video and response).

WEEK 10
Tuesday,
Oct. 28

Workshop

Read Patricia J. Williams, The Raw and the HalfCooked (75-82) and listen to NPR piece
Documenting Tragedy: The Ethics of
Photojournalism. Write a 600-word response to this
question: Why does Williams title her essay The Raw
and the Half-Cooked? What is she trying to say about
ethics? Post your response to Blackboard.

Thurs.,
Oct. 30

Ethics, Visual Representation,

and Multimodality

Read Wheeler, excerpt from Phototruth or Photofiction?

(27-66).

Meet in computer lab: HBC 227.

Meet in computer lab: HBC 009.

Read David M. Sheridan, Jim Ridolfo, and Anthony J.

Michel, A Fabricated Confession: Multimodality,

Discussion leaders: Timothy and

Tori
WEEK 11
Tuesday,
Nov. 4

Ethics, Visual Representation,

and Multimodality

Ethics, and Pedagogy (123-43). Post 600-word

response to Blackboard

Project #2 due. Post video and written response to

Blackboard.

Discussion leaders: Akili and

Padraic

Thurs.,
Nov. 6

Ethics, Visual Representation,

and Multimodality

Read Plato, Crito (24-37) and Lee Anne Peck,

Socrates in Jail: The Importance of Independence
and Responsibility (61-68). Post 600-word response
to Blackboard.

WEEK 12
Tuesday,
Nov. 11

Socrates in Jail: Ethics and

Responsibility

Read Heidi A. McKee and James E. Porter,

Researching Blogs, Chats, Discussion Forums, and
Social Networking Sites (75-112). Post 600-word
response to Blackboard that addresses this prompt:
Pick at least two case studies and compare the ethical
issues of each one.

Thurs.,
Nov. 13

Ethics, Responsibility, and

Research

Read Elizabeth Fakazis, How Close Is Too Close?

When Journalists Become Their Stories (45-59). Post
600-word response to Blackboard.

Discussion leaders: Ivy and Jack

WEEK 13
Tuesday,
Nov. 18

Ethics, Responsibility, and

Research
Introduction to final project.

Read G. Thomas Couser, Making, Taking, and Faking

Lives in Collaborative Life Writing (35-55). Post 600word response to Blackboard. Post 600-word
response to Blackboard.

Discussion leaders: Taskina and

Rania

Thurs.,
Nov. 20

Ethics, Responsibility, and

Research

Submit draft of final paper by Monday, December 1.

WEEK 14
Tuesday,
Nov. 25

No class

Thanksgiving break

Thurs.,
Nov. 27

No class

Thanksgiving break

WEEK 15
Tuesday,
Dec. 2

Presentations
Ivy, Emily, Akili, Taskina,
Tevion, Padraic, Rania, and
Renata

Prepare presentations.

Thurs.,
Dec. 4

Presentations
Kelsey, Timothy, Tori, Hanna,
John, Olivia, Michaela, and Jack

Final projects are due by end of day Thursday,

December 11. Post to Blackboard.