Course Info
- Semester: Fall 2021
- Day/Time: M 5:45-8:35
- Room: HU 312
- Professor: Byron Hawk
- Email: byron.hawk [at] gmail [dot] com
- Office: HUO 408
- Office hours: M-W 2:15-3:45
Description
The course will examine the emergence of new materialist thought in rhetoric and composition. The predominant understanding of rhetoric sees it as a symbolic and social art. While material things are certainly around us and at issue, human meaning and persuasion have traditionally defined rhetoric. The class will survey texts in rhetoric and composition that instead invoke material worlds as a basis for persuasion alongside key interdisciplinary theorists and concepts. Students will write three short papers on these texts, a research statement connecting their projects in rhetoric and composition to new materialism, and a final paper articulating their own research projects.
Texts
- Multiple PDFs to be distributed via Dropbox.
- Print books can be purchased via Amazon at the student's discretion.
Goals
- to introduce students to new materialism as a broad movement in the field;
- to develop a perspective on objects of study in relation to research; and
- to experiment with developing a rhetorical research agenda in relation to new materialism.
Attendance
Since this is a seminar, it is vital to attend and be prepared to discuss the readings and listen to each other deliver papers. While I won't formally count discussion and listening as participation, it is crucial to a well functioning seminar and will influence my grading accordingly.
Office Hours
I will have office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays 2:15-3:45. In some cases I may have other meetings during these times, so be sure to send me an email to confirm my availability. Otherwise, we can schedule another time that is convenient for both of us. I check my e-mail several times daily, so this will be the best way to contact me outside of class.
Accommodations
In keeping with the University of South Carolina's commitment to non-discrimination--based on age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation--and providing program accessibility for qualified students with disabilities, I am happy to provide reasonable accommodation through the Student Disability Resource Center. Students wishing to make such arrangements should contact their offices at LeConte Room 112A or 777-6142.