Course Description and Syllabus

COURSE POLICY AND DESCRIPTION FOR E309

Instructor: Scarlett Bowen
Office: FAC 16
Phone: 471-8037
scarletb@mail.utexas.edu

OFFICE HOURS: Monday 11-12:30; Wednesday 11-12:30 & by appointment
(You can also find me in PAR 6 on Friday from 8-10am and 12-2pm)

Required Course Texts:
Writing Texts:

Dona Hickey. Developing a Written Voice
Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. The Rhetorical Act

Texts for Analysis:

Ruben Martinez. The Other Side
Sister Souljah. No Disrespect
Elizabeth Wurtzel. Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
Course Packet at Speedway of readings from anthologies, newspapers and magazines

Course Description


This is a writing-intensive course that aims to explore the burgeoning number of texts and films about America's "new generation,"--also known as "generation X," "late bloomers," and "the postponed generation," to name a few. Since many college students are part of this new generation, this course will give you the opportunity, through reading and writing, to learn about how new generations are characterized, to articulate how you yourself would characterize your generation, and to gain an understanding of the complex issues facing young adults today and begin to imagine and propose solutions to such problems. We will begin with a few readings that place this topic in historical context of youth culture in the twentieth century. The reading and writing assignments will then be divided into three parts, all of which will work together to highlight the debate over the construction of the new generation: 1) the older generations' characterization of young adults in the 1980's and 1990's; 2) the new generation's response to these representations; 3) issues that inform the characterization of the new generation--increased costs of higher education, violence and juvenile crime, economic insecurity, lack of political representation, prejudice, depression, and substance abuse. The readings in this course will not only inform you of contemporary perspectives, but will also function as models for analysis; in this way, the skills you learn to analyze the readings and films with will directly enhance your own writing. Thus we will examine each text or film rhetorically, understanding the author's stake in the topic, how she reaches her audience, and what she wants them to do. We will look for patterns in rhetorical strategy across a number of writers. What are the metaphors and images that accrete around this debate? What similar or dissimilar stylistic choices do writers make, and what is their effect? Can the "new generation" be said to have a specific rhetorical voice, such as an ironic one? The process of answering these questions will enhance your own writing, expanding your knowledge of rhetorical strategies and helping you to make informed decisions about their use. This class is computer-assisted. We will be making regular use of e-mail, a program called "interchange," and the internet. In the first two weeks of class, therefore, you should obtain an e-mail account and an IF number, which you can get at the SMF lab on the second floor of the UGL.

Assignments:

(Major papers will be reviewed at the rough and final draft stages.)
5% Paper 1
10% Paper 2
10% Paper 3
30% Paper 4--Research Paper that brings to light a specific problem affecting the "new generation" and proposes a solution to it. (8-10 pages)
10% Stylistic analyses of texts and style exercises
10% Rhetorical analyses of texts
10% Web Project
5% Presentations
10% PeerCritiques

Attendance Policy:

Class attendance in a writing and discussion class is crucial. More than three unexcused absenses will result in the reduction of your final grade. You must not be absent on days that we conduct peer critiques or writing conferences. You may be failed if you miss more than six classes.

Late Work:

It is imperative that you turn in your work on the assigned due date. If you know you will be absent on a day an assignment is due, arrange for someone to turn in your work for you. If you miss class, be sure to check with a classmate or me about what you missed and what is due the following class day. Late work will be reduced by one letter grade each day the assignment is late.

Plagiarism:

This is the unattributed use of someone else's work--a classmate's, a critic's, even a teacher's from another course. Any assignment that has been plagiarized will count as a zero. When in doubt, always cite. I encourage you to work with me, your classmates, and tutors at the Undergraduate Writing Center (located on the second floor of the UGL) when you need assistance outside of class with your writing.

SYLLABUS: FALL 1996 AND SPRING 1997

Section 1: History of Youth Culture in the 20th Century

Week 1
Introduction to class.
Rhetorical Act chapters 1 and 2
Sign up for presentations.

Week 2
Background lecture on youth culture and the 20's.
Oberndorfer (packet); Developing a Written Voice, chapter 1.
Ross and Mead (packet).
Presentations on 40's.
Assign Paper 1

Week 3
Wilder (packet).
Presentations on 50's.
Woodstock and Generation Gap essays (packet).
Presentations on 60's.
Rhetorical Analysis Due
Chapter 3 of DWV
Presentations on 70's.

Section 2: Characterization of Young Adults in the 80's and 90's

Week 4
Paper 1 Rough Draft Due.
Peer Critiques.
Gross, Scott, Howe and Strauss (packet)
Chapter 7 of RA.
Star, Martin (packet)
Chapter 6 of RA.
Presentations.
Assign Paper 2.
Determine t.v. shows.
Paper 1 Final Draft Due.

Week 5
Zill, Robinson, Ritchie
t.v. shows: Mr. Rhodes, Party Girl, Lush Life. Presentations.
t.v. shows: 90210, Men Behaving, Friends. Presentations.

Section 3: Exploding the Stereotypes--What are Young Adults Saying?

Week 6
Rough Draft of Paper 2 due. Peer Critiques.
Couplandand Williams (packet). Selection on Postmodernism (handout). How do Coupland and Williams exhibit postmodernism?
Bernstein and Lopez(packet).
DWV chapter 4.

Week 7
Ruben Martinez' The Other Side, pg 1-50 Analysis of metaphors.
Style Exercise Due.
Ruben Martinez' The Other Side,pg 51-105. Analysis of chapters.
Ruben Martinez' The Other Side, pg 106-170. Analysis of chapters.
Book Review Due
Asmt: write a paragraph stating what feminism means to you before you read the essays by Neidorf and Curry-Johnson.

Week 8
Neidorf, Curry-Johnson(packet).
Background on Souljah
controversy, book review. (handouts).
Discuss Sister Souljah's No Disrespect, pgs ix-117.
Rhetorical Analysis Due--rhetoric of anger.
Discuss Sister Souljah's No Disrespect, pgs 118-196.

Week 9
Sister Souljah's No Disrespect, pgs 197-348.
ND 348-360 and Kamen (packet)
Style Exercise Due
Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation and book reviews.
Assign Paper 3.

Week 10
Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation.
Rough Draft of Paper 3 due. Peer Critiques.

Week 11
Web page workshop. Bring a macintosh-formatted diskette.

Section 4: Proposing Solutions to the Problems of Young Adults in the U.S.

Week 12
Web workshop, continued.
Analysis of Student Essays--proposal arguments
Final Draft of Paper 3 due.
Assign Paper 4.
More proposal arguments.
Lecture from RA, chps 3, 4, 5
Rough version of Web site due.

Week 13
Workshop--describing the problem.
Lecture from RA, chps 8 and 9, DWV chps 8 and 9.
Workshop--describing the solution.
Workshop--critiquing counter-proposals, refuting counter-arguments
Final version of WEB project due.

Week 14
Exhibit WEB sites.
Drafts of Research Papers due.
Peer conferences on research papers (2 groups)
Thanksgiving Holidays

Week 15
Peer Conferences on research papers. (3 groups)
15-minute Presentations: groups 1 and 2 course evaluations: 20 minutes
15-minute Presentations: groups 3, 4, 5
Final Papers will be due the following week.

Return to New Generation Homepage