Readings
All assigned readings are in our Coursepack, in our Rhetoric textbook, or online.
- Purchase our Coursepack from the UT Copy Center (at the Union).
- See our schedule for weekly assigned readings (and links to online readings).
While reading, you will come across words and terms you may not know, but need to understand in order to understand the reading. Get in the habit of using a dictionary such as
- The American Heritage College Dictionary. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.
- Oxford American Dictionary. oxfordreference.com. Oxford University Press, 2012. Web.
Writing
All written assignments must be properly formatted and must cite all sources using MLA style. Use the following resources:
- Lusford, Andrea A. Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference. 4th ed. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010.
- "MLA Style." owl.english.purdue.edu. The OWL at Purdue University. 2011. Web.
The University of Texas Undergraduate Writing Center provides free writing consultations — on anything you need. You can
- visit the UWC in FAC 211, M-Th 9:00-7:00 and Fri 9:00-3:00
- explore the UWC Website
- make an appointment to meet with a writing specialist
- check out the UWC handouts on everything from commas to cover letters
Rhetoric
In order to better analyze arguments, you are required to learn many rhetorical terms and figures by referring to the following resources:
- Lanham, Richard A. A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms. 2nd ed. Berkley: U of California P, 1991. Print.
- Burton, Gideon. Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric. rhetoric.byu.edu. Brigham Young University, 2007. Web.
Digital Writing and Research Lab
The DWRL, where our classroom is located, also runs an open lab that is available for your use in PAR 102. The lab is equipped with Mac desktop computers (with Apple and Windows operating systems), a scanner, and a printer. You can use it for any work or research related to your rhetoric class. Hours of operation:
- Monday 9:00-5:00
- Tuesday 9:30-6:00
- Wednesday 9:00-6:00
- Thursday 9:30-6:00
- Friday 9:00-2:00
Research
You need to find both background sources (which teach you about the history and overview of your topic) and opinion sources (which take a position on your topic and argue for it). The UT Libraries have resources to help you.- Find background information using reference databases.
- Search for books.
- Search for informational articles.
- Find viewpoint or opinion articles that argue for a position on your topic.
Any source you use should come from a credible author and venue and should be current enough to be accurate. The Purdue OWL site has information on evaluating sources, including what to look for when you find a new source, and what to know about the difference between web and print sources.
