ENGL 1304-12755, 12752 (Anderson)

Fall 2014
ENGL 1304: First-Year Writing II
The Rhetorical Context of Beyonc

Instructor Name: Claire Anderson Section Number: 12755, 12752
Office Location: Roy G. Cullen 101A Meeting Time: MW 4-5:30, 5:30-7 pm
Office Hours: TR 1-2 pm and by appt Class Location: M 105, C 107
Email Address: cfanderson2@uh.edu Website: uh.edu/blackboard

"I must tell you how I work. I dont have my novel outlined and I have to write to discover what I am doing.I dont know
so well what I think until I see what I say; then I have to say it over again."
Flannery OConnor (in a letter to Elizabeth McKee dated July 13, 1948)

"One of the first things we discover in these [consciousness-raising groups] is that personal problems are political
problems. There are no personal solutions at this time."
Carol Hanisch (from her essay, The Personal is Political in Feminist Revolution, March 1969)

I see a part of Beyonc that is in fact anti-feministthat is a terrorist, especially in terms of the impact on young girls.
bell hooks (in a panel called Are You Still a Slave? hosted by The New School on May 7, 2014)

You get up in the morning, you click on the computer and you see all these pictures and all you think of is the picture and
the image that you see all day, every day. You dont see the human form.
Beyonc Knowles-Carter (from her documentary Life Is But a Dream (2013))

Course Description and Outcomes
English 1304 is a detailed study of the principles of rhetoric (very generally, the effects of language) as they
apply to analyzing arguments (in written essays and multimedia texts), as well as to writing arguments of
your own (most notably in a researched essay). This course demands active participation in writing and
discussion. We will write every day, as well as discuss assigned readings, give presentations, work in small
groups, read and respond to one anothers writing. The key to succeeding in this course is to understand
writing as an ongoing process of thinking, drafting, and revising, rather than as just a final product. The
assignments are designed to build on each other to allow for development in your thinking and writing so
that by the end of the course, you should have a professional, researched, argumentative essay.

In this particular section of 1304, we will use Beyonc Knowles-Carter as a central focus for our analysis her
songs, her lyrics, her videos, her many roles and representations. We will move from her creative work to the
massive (and growing) body of writing about Beyonc to our own written arguments or interpretations of
Queen B. We will also use several other texts about gender, race, sexuality, advertising, and more as critical
lenses through which to view Beyonc. What does Bey reveal to us about our culture and our values? Why do
we care what happened in that elevator? Is she a feminist or does she reinforce patriarchal ideas about
women? Or both? Or neither? Why are we so obsessed? By delving into the complex rhetorical situation of
Beyonc and trying to understand what she does and does not represent to various audiences in various
contexts, we will interrogate what we may take for granted about Beyoncand ourselves.

Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed English 1303, 1309, or the equivalent. Its your responsibility to
make sure you are eligible for the course. You cannot receive a grade for English 1304even if you do all the
workif you havent completed the prerequisites.

Core Objectives
Critical Thinking Skillscreative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis
of information
Communication Skillseffective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through
written, oral and visual communication
Personal Responsibilitythe ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-
making
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Team Workthe ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to
support a shared purpose or goal

Student Learning Outcomes
Students will understand and demonstrate writing processes including invention, organization,
drafting, revision, editing, and presentation, and will work together in small groups and as a class for
exercises, peer review, and class discussion.
Students will understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose, and make appropriate
written, oral, and visual communication choices in such areas as voice, tone, level of formality, etc.
Students will identify and analyze basic principles of rhetoric and argument in written, visual, and
multimedia texts.
Students will develop the ability to use critical thinking, writing, and reading for inquiry and
research; i.e., find, evaluate, and analyze appropriate primary and secondary sources; integrate ones
own ideas with the ideas of others; and write a research paper that conforms to the standards of the
discipline, using a consistent documentation style (e.g., MLA, APA).
Students will explore issues of personal responsibility in class and in their writing.

Required Texts
Pop Perspectives (excerpts provided)
Writing Arguments (excerpts provided)
Writing Analytically (excerpts provided)
Miss Representation (documentary)
Good Hair (documentary)
Life Is But a Dream (documentary?)
Selected readings and handouts (available on Blackboard)
Selected videos (available on Blackboard)

Grading
Blog post (w/ presentation) 5%
Analytical Essay 20%
Annotated Bibliography 15%
Final Researched Essay 30%
Weekly Pop Culture Journal (eight total) 10%
Participation (homework, in-class work, discussion, attendance) 15%
Final Portfolio and Reflection 5%

Assignments

Blog post (with presentation) - Each student will lead the discussion on a particular Beyonc song of
choice from a designated studio album. To prepare for your presentation, you will listen to the song
while reading the lyrics (without watching the video) a minimum of two times, writing down your
observations, and then watch the music video a minimum of two times, writing down additional
observations. Your blog post will explore two observations you have made about the song and/or the
video and include two questions about the song and/or video that you do not know the answer to.
You will post to the blog by 9 pm the night before you are scheduled to present and include a link to
the video (likely on youtube). The ten-minute presentation will cover your observations and
questions in the blog post. Presentation dates varyschedule on Blackboard TBD

Weekly Pop Culture Journal Each Monday before class starts, you will turn in a brief journal entry
(200-300 words) in which you will rhetorically analyze a song, video, commercial, image, radio
broadcast, or other media item. Details TBA. Due on Monday (8 total) at the time class starts.

Analytical Essay The first essay will rhetorically analyze a song or music video of your choice,
incorporating two outside sources (sources may be those read in class or additional sources found
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online) to support your reading or interpretation of the song or video. Details TBA. Due
Wednesday, October 15.

Annotated Bibliography Before you fully develop a thesis about Beyonc, you will need to do a lot of
reading. To help you analyze and synthesize your reading, compile an annotated bibliography of a
minimum of six entries, one for each source. Each entry should include: 1) bibliographical
information for the source (such as that found on a Works Cited page) in MLA format, 2) a brief
summary or description of the sources main argument, as well as any identifying features of the
source (genre, author, purpose, etc.), and 3) a brief response to the source, specifically as you might
use it in a researched argument. Details TBA. Due Wednesday, November 12.

Final Essay: A Researched Argument Your final essay will present a particular interpretation or
argument on a question or topic related to Beyonc (directly or indirectly). You will incorporate a
minimum of five sources into your essay. Sources may include those discussed/assigned in class or
found independently. Details TBA. Due Wednesday, December 3.

Portfolio and Reflection The final assignment of the course is a portfolio of three pieces of your
writing (or excerpts from three different pieces) and a one-page reflective essay about how they
compare and/or how your writing has changed over the course of the semester. You will compile the
portfolio and draft the essay in the last week of class, after you submit the final essay. Due Monday,
December 8.

Participation (homework, attendance, professionalism, etc.) For every assignment in class and for
homework (including readings and excluding pop culture journals), you can earn 0, 1, or 2 points
based on completion and effort. These points add up over the semester to make up your participation
grade. Note that you cannot earn participation points if you do not attend class, and these points
cannot be made up even if the work is completed at a later time. If you are distracted, on your phone,
or sleeping, you will not earn participation points for that class day. In lieu of giving reading quizzes, I
will often examine your notes on the readings and give participation points based on the
thoroughness of the notes.

Assignment Format
All of the assignments (except the presentations) will be submitted via Blackboard unless otherwise noted in
class. Please upload your essays and bibliography as .doc or .docx files (not .pdf) under Turn It In
Assignments.

The song (audio and lyrics) and music video on which you are presenting must be uploaded the class period
prior to your presentation as a file or link on the Presentations blog on Blackboard. Files should be an
attachment included on a blog entry; links can be pasted in the entry itself. Discussion questions may be
posted as the blog entry or comments.

The pop culture journal should be typed or pasted into the box directly on the Reflective Journal on
Blackboard.

All written assignments must be typed in a reasonable 12-point font (Times New Roman, Cambria, e.g.),
double-spaced, with one-inch margins and page numbers. Always save and back up your work (I recommend
Dropbox), or email a copy to yourself. Youre responsible for saving copies of any and all work turned in for
grading.

Late Work
No homework or classwork will be accepted late. I do not accept late major projects without penalty unless
you have done all of the following: contacted me in person or via email prior to class (please do so well in
advance of the assignments due date), explained why the project is late (youll need a really good reason) and
when it will be turned in (which must be within two weeks of the original due date), and received an
extension (not guaranteed). All late projects without an extension will be penalized 1 letter grade for every
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calendar day that the paper is late. If you submit a paper on the due date, but after the assigned time, it will be
lowered 1/3 letter grade. Late essays/bibliography still must be completed and turned in in order to pass the
course. I will not accept any work after Monday, 12/8.

Attendance
Students with more than 6 hours of unexcused absences (4 MW classes) will fail the course, unless they
withdraw. Religious holidays and university-sponsored events may be excused, only if the student submits
notice (via email) to the instructor stating his or her intention in advance of the absence.

Expectations for Behavior and Preparation
You are expected to:
respect others
come to class on time (three instances of lateness will be counted as one absence)
participate in discussions and activities
have all assigned readings and writing tasks finished by the time each class session begins, bring
them to class with your notes, and be ready to discuss them
silence and put away cell phones and never text in class
avoid packing up your materials or getting up from your seat before discussion has ended
note that you may be asked to leave the room for disruptive behavior and that continued disruption
will result in a report to the Dean of Students Office for a conduct code infraction

Technology in the Classroom
There will be times when I ask you explicitly to bring your electronic devices for the purposes of group work,
reading, or writing, and there are times when the use of technology enhances, rather than detracts from, the
learning task at hand. Feel free to come into class with your technological devices, but also note that if you are
texting, checking your email, or engaged in any other non-class-related activity, you will be docked
participation points for that days class.

If you are not working on an assignment that requires your computer, please leave it closed and out of the
way. I have found that having a classroom full of students hiding behind raised screens is detrimental to
maintaining classroom discussion and attention. So, while we are engaged in classroom discussion or lecture,
I ask that you be fully engaged.

Please do not record, tweet, post, etc., our classroom conversations. The classroom is a safe space, and
students need to feel free to have frank, open discussions without fearing exposure to the world at large. If
you would like to post or tweet something that I have said, please ask permission.

The continued allowance of computers in the classroom assumes their responsible use. Individual students
checking Facebook, playing browser games, messaging, shopping, or other non-class activities during class
can lead to the loss of this privilege for themselves or the entire class.

Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is defined in the UH Academic Honesty Policy as representing as ones own work the work of
another without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism will be dealt with according to its type and severity:
faulty citation of sources will be treated as a matter for teaching and revision; willful and knowing academic
dishonesty will be dealt with according to University policy and can result in failure of the assignment or the
course, and/or suspension from or expulsion from the University.

Blackboard
This syllabus will be posted online on our course Blackboard page, as will other course documents and
additional readings. We will use Blackboard almost exclusively to complete and upload most assignments. It
is your responsibility to ensure you can log in and access course materials. Access Blackboard at
http://www.uh.edu/blackboard/, and log in with your PeopleSoft ID, or go to https://accessuh.uh.edu and
log in with your CougarNet ID.
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Email
When were not in class, I will communicate with you primarily through email. It is your responsibility to
ensure that the email address you have in myUH/PeopleSoft/AccessUH is up-to-date and correct, as I may
send frequent announcements and updates. You may e-mail me anytime with questions, concerns, or other
issues pertaining to this course I only ask that you first determine whether a classmate or the syllabus
would be able to answer your question(s) before you send your e-mail, and if so, that you please refrain from
sending me the e-mail. Please note that I wont always be able to reply to you immediately, but will do my
best to respond before our next class together. A subject line, greeting, and signature will increase your
likelihood of a prompt response (from me and in general).

Office Hours
Youre welcome to come see me any time thats convenient for both of us. Just send me a quick email before
hand so I can make sure Ill be in my office.

Writing Center
For help with developing ideas, thesis development, and so forth, students should visit the University of
Houston Writing Center located in 234 Classroom and Business Building, or visit www.uh.edu/writecen.

Learning Support Services
For help on the mechanics of papers (grammar, punctuation, etc.), students should visit Learning Support
Services, now located in Cougar Village, room N 109, or visit www.las.uh.edu/lss.

Academic Support Services
In compliance with the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Center
for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) provides reasonable and necessary testing accommodations for
qualified students with health impairments, physical limitations, psychiatric disorders, and learning
disabilities. To learn more about these services, consult the Student Handbook, or contact CSD in Room 110
of the Justin Dart, Jr. Center for Students with DisABILITIES, or visit www.uh.edu/csd.

Course Expectations for Behavior and Preparation
The University of Houston spells out its Expectations of Students for a Conducive Learning Environment in
the UH Student Handbook on page 64; please review them. The English Department endorses these policies
and expects you to abide by them. The handbook is available online at:
www.uh.edu/dos/publications/handbook.php

Sexual Explicitness and Disclaimer
Some of the texts we encounter will likely invoke, describe, or depict sexually explicit images and/or
language, politically or philosophically controversial material, and topics about which you may have strong
feelings. Our goal will be to view all of our texts critically, to deconstruct and analyze them. We will challenge
our own notions about gender and race and culture, and that is not always a comfortable process. If you
absolutely hate (or love) Beyonc, and absolutely could not stand to be in the same room as someone praising
(or hating on) Beyonc, then, well, maybe this class would be good for youbut maybe it wouldnt. If you are
wholly offended by, uninterested in, or working for Beyonc, you probably shouldnt take this classthere
are many sections of 1304 offered at UH on a range of topics that might be better suited to you.

Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things
that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things you feel so strongly about that you are
unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an
opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effects on others.

Syllabus and schedule are subject to change.
Changes will be announced in class and posted on Blackboard.

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Week Date Topic Homework
1 Monday, 8/25 Introductions, syllabus
Blog post/presentation
assigned
Chapter 1 in Pop Perspectives;
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies We
should all be feminists; Writing
assignment
Wednesday, 8/27 Sign up for blog posts
What is rhetorical analysis?
Who is Beyonc?
Discussion of Ch 1, Adichie

Crazy in Love (two versions)
Rhetorically analyze one minute of
the video for Flawless; Arthur Asa
Berger, Sex as Symbol in Fashion
Advertising, Checklist for
Analyzing Print Advertisements,
and A Primer on Analyzing
Television Commercials, p. 341

2 Monday, 9/1 Labor Day




Wednesday, 9/3 bell hooks definition of
feminism
Rhetorical analysis of
Flawless and wrap-up of
Adichie
Chapter 2, Part 1, in Pop
Perspectives; Pop Culture Journal
Entry #1

3 Monday, 9/8 Discussion of Ch 2;
Songs from Destinys Child
(Say My Name, Bills, Bills,
Bills, Lose My Breath,
Independent Women,
Bootylicious, Survivor)
Example blog
post/presentation
Chapter 2, Part 2, in Pop
Perspectives; Fourth wave article;
high school feminist society blog
post; Kalle Lasn, The Cult Youre
In (pp. 331-335)

Wednesday, 9/10 Discussion of HW
Songs from Dangerously in
Love (Crazy in Love,
Naughty Girl, Speechless,
Daddy, Baby Boy)
Post 1:
Post 2:
Analytical Method 1
bell hooks
Pop Culture Journal Entry #2

4 Monday, 9/15 Songs from Dangerously in
Love continued
Post 1:
Post 2:
Apply Analytical Method 1
bell hooks

Wednesday, 9/17 Analytical Essay Assigned; bell hooks video on Beyonc,
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Songs from BDay (Get Me
Bodied, Freakum Dress,
Suga Mama, Upgrade U,
Ring the Alarm, Green
Light)
Post 1:
Post 2:
Analytical Method 2
Roxane Gay essay on bell hooks
Pop Culture Journal Entry #3
5 Monday, 9/22 Songs from BDay continued
Post 1:
Post 2:
Post 3:
Apply Analytical Method 2
All That You Cant Leave Behind
by Daphne Brooks

Wednesday, 9/24 Discussion of Women, Pop
Music, and Pornography and
Pepsi ad
Songs from I AmSasha Fierce
(If I Were a Boy, Single
Ladies (Put a Ring On It),
Diva, Video Phone)
Post 1:
Post 2:
Analytical Method 3
Development of analysis/analytical
question/critical angle
Pop Culture Journal Entry #4
6 Monday, 9/29 Songs from I AmSasha Fierce
continued
Post 1:
Post 2:
Post 3:
Apply Analytical Method 3
Drafting; Chapter 3 of Pop
Perspectives

Wednesday, 10/1 Songs from 4 (Countdown,
Run the World (Girls))
Post 1:
Post 2:
Finding sources and drafting;
Women, Pop Music, and
Pornography; Pepsi ad
Pop Culture Journal Entry #5

7 Monday, 10/6 Songs from 4 continued
Post 1:
Post 2:
Post 3:
Drafting

Wednesday, 10/8 Drafting and Revision; Peer
review
Finish peer review
Pop Culture Journal Entry #6
8 Monday, 10/13 Revision Good Hair
Wednesday, 10/15 Analysis Essay Due and
Reflection
Good Hair
9 Monday, 10/20 Songs from Beyonc
Post 1:
Torri Minton, Search for What It
Means to Be White: More and More
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Post 2:
Post 3:
Look to Ethnic Identity, p. 120;
Toms Sandoval, On the Merits of
Racial Identity, p. 132

Wednesday, 10/22 Annotated Bib and Final
Essay Assigned; Songs from
Beyonc
Post 1:
Post 2:
Post 3:
Jamilah Evelyn, The Miseducation
of Hip-HopDiscrimination in
Education, p. 559; The Problem
with Beyhive: Bottom Bitch
Feminism
Pop Culture Journal Entry #7

10 Monday, 10/27 Beyonc and Houston
Post 1:
Post 2:
Post 3:
Life is But a Dream; Shit White
People Say About Beyonc

Wednesday, 10/29 Developing a Question/Topic
Proposals
The Making of Beyonc videos
Pop Culture Journal Entry #8
11 Monday, 11/3 Finding and Evaluating
Sources (group conferences in
class)
Annotate two sources
Wednesday, 11/5 Finding and Evaluating
Sources (group conferences in
class)
Annotate two sources
12 Monday, 11/10 Finding and Evaluating
Sources (group conferences in
class)
Annotate two sources and revise
Wednesday, 11/12 Annotated Bibliography Due
13 Monday, 11/17 Developing an Argument
Based on Claim Type
Structure argument
Wednesday, 11/19 Using Evidence Selecting and integrating evidence
14 Monday, 11/24 Strengthening Analysis Bolstering evidence with analysis
Wednesday, 11/26 Draft due, peer review Revise
15 Monday, 12/1 Thanksgiving Revise
Wednesday, 12/3 Researched Essay Due Portfolio and reflection
Monday, 12/8 Portfolio and Reflection Due
Possible make-up day