John Tiedemann

WRIT 1133
Section 56: MW 12:00–12:00, Sturm 186
Office hours: MW 2–4 and W 12–4, at
Jazzman’s. Email your availability during
those hours to make an appointment.
Email: John.Tiedemann@du.edu

• VERUM FACTUM: Writing, Rhetoric, and the Invention of Knowledge in, across, and out of the Academy
 THE CLASS
Speculating about the nature of truth, the philosopher and theorist of rhetoric Giambattista Vico famously
declared “Verum esse ipsum factum,” which may be translated in two paradoxical ways: both as “Truth itself is
fact” and “Truth itself is made.” This paradox — that what we call truth is at one and the same time given, like
facts, and created, like fictions — lies at the heart of the rhetorical practice of invention, i.e., the process of
discovering and/or constructing new ideas.
In this class, we’ll study and practice strategies of invention across a range of academic disciplines and in both
academic and public spheres. How do critics invent original arguments about verbal and visual artifacts? How
do social scientists invent original arguments about human cultural practices? How do we use what we have
learned about writing and research in an academic setting to invent original arguments for use in a public one?
As the repetition here of the word “original” ought to suggest, the writing that you do in this class will be largely
self-directed. I’ll provide you with the tools of invention, but the invention itself — the discovery and creation
of new ideas — will be up to you.

ASSIGNMENTS
• Project 1: Inventing with Artifacts
For this project, you’ll learn about how humanists generate arguments by analyzing and interpreting artifacts,
specifically rhetorical ones.
• Project 2: Ethnographical Invention
In this project, you’ll design and conduct a social scientific research project on an aspect of life as it is lived
online, in communities such as those found on Second Life, Facebook, or Flickr.
• Project 3: Public In(ter)vention
This project asks you to intervene in a civic debate of your choosing by creating and acting within a rhetorical
situation of your own making.
• Project 4: Teaching as Invention
In this project, you’ll create original lessons to contribute to a writing and rhetoric handbook for next year’s DU
class.

TEXTS
• Unless otherwise indicated, all readings will be posted on our course blog:
http://1133writrhet.blogspot.com/
• Your own texts are a central element of this class — so please bring your laptop to every class
meeting.
 GOALS AND FORMAT
Goals: WRIT 1133 emphasizes the development of rhetorical strategies suited for different academic and civic
audiences and purposes, critical reading and analysis, and a variety of modes of academic research.
Class-time: Thinking and composing well take practice, practice, and more practice. So, as a general rule,
we’ll spend the half of our time discussing readings and viewings and the half composing works of our own. The
composing may involve responding to a prompt, completing an exercise, drafting or revising, or helping each
other to brainstorm or revise in small groups. You can also expect to spend an hour or so each day working at
home, and more than that when you’re working on a graded project. Finally, because a quality composition
results from many revisions, you will revise each of your projects severally, with guidance from me and your
classmates.
Conferences: I’m available for conferences at Jazzman’s Café on Driscoll Bridge between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on
Mondays and Wednesdays and between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesdays. It’s to your advantage to come talk
with me about your work; serious students of writing are serious about seeking out guidance.

POLICIES
• Student Engagement and Participation
I expect you all to be active, engaged learners and thoughtful, helpful collaborators, committed to the material,
your projects, and your peers. Your level of engagement is made manifest in a number of ways, including
participation in classroom discussion, online discussions, and in conferences, as well as in peer review feedback,
group work, and your efforts to improve not only your own learning experience but the learning experience of
the entire class. I will assess your engagement as follows:
o Superior engagement means that the student is always prepared, often adding additional insights to a class
or online discussion and providing extensive feedback to writing. S/he demonstrates active learning via
consistently perceptive and energetic engagement with the material, his or her peers, and me.
o Average engagement means that the student seems prepared, although he or she sometimes needs to be
prompted to participate. Generally, his or her participation in discussion, online comments, and feedback
on writing seem to encourage and support others in the class. The student’s presence is productive.
o Weak engagement means that the student comes to class but does not seem to be prepared. His or her
participation is listless, lackluster, or only intermittent.
• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The Writing Program will provide reasonable accommodations to every student who has a disability that has
been documented by The University of Denver Disability Services Program (www.du.edu/disability/dsp or
303.871.2455).
• Absences
Because interaction with others is a vital part of learning, I expect you to attend every class meeting, scheduled
conference, and online activity. You are allowed two absences without penalty; for each absence after the
second one, your final grade will drop by one third of a letter (e.g., from an A to an A–, from an A– to a B+,
etc.) Should you miss four class meetings, I will suggest that you consider dropping the course and re-enrolling
in a quarter during which you can devote the necessary effort. If I determine that excessive absences have
prevented you from meeting the goals of the course, you may fail. If you miss a class, you are personally
responsible for learning about any missed material or assignments, either from classmates or our blog. I make
no distinction between excused and unexcused absences, so save yours for illness or emergency.
• Late Work
Assignments are due when they are due. I will accept late work only if you have cleared the lateness with me
in advance, and then only under the most extenuating circumstances. An assignment that is turned in late
without advance clearance will not receive comments and will be marked down a full letter grade.
• Civility and Tolerance
The Writing Program affirms DU’s Code of Student Conduct (http://www.du.edu/ccs/code.html), which in part
“expects students to recognize the strength of personal differences while respecting institutional values.”
Because writing courses rely heavily on interactions between all members of the class, students and faculty
must act in a manner respectful of different positions and perspectives. A student who behaves in an uncivil or
intolerant manner will be asked to stop and/or formally reprimanded and/or subject to action by the Office of
Citizenship and Community Standards.
Becoming educated requires encountering new ideas and information, some of which may conflict with an
individual’s existing knowledge or perspectives. I expect students to engage such materials thoughtfully, in
ways that reflect the values and mission of the University of Denver.
Finally, I expect you to respect the classroom environment. In class, all cell phones and electronic devices shall
be turned off; students shall not from use email, instant messages, Facebook, etc.; and engaging in other
activities (reading non-course materials, conducting private conversations and so on) that disrespect the
classroom environment and learning conditions for others is strictly prohibited. A student who fails to show
such respect will receive a lowered grade and may fail the course.
• Plagiarism
The Writing Program follows the Council of Writing Program Administrators policy “Defining and Avoiding
Plagiarism,” which states, “In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses
someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its
source” (http://wpacouncil.org/node/9). DU’s Honor Code also maintains that all members of the University
must responsibly use the work of others. Students who have plagiarized a project will receive an F on that
project, and the instructor will inform the Director of Writing and the Office of Community and Citizenship
Standards, which may take further action. Any documented acts of plagiarism after the first may be subject to
more severe actions.
 GRADES
For each of your compositions, you will receive a provisional grade on the draft preceding the final draft, along
with suggestions for revision from me. That provisional grade will rise, fall, or stay the same depending upon
how effectively you revise as you complete your final draft. All final drafts of all essays is due to me on Sunday,
March 14, by noon.
• Grade calculation
Your grade for the course will be calculated on a 1,000 point scale and distributed as follows:
assignment relevant dates point value % of final grade
Project 1 First draft: April 4; revised draft: April 6; final draft: June 3. 150 points 15%
Project 2 First draft: April 25; revised draft: April 27; final draft: June 3. 250 points 25%
Project 3 First draft: May 11; revised draft: May 16; final draft: June 3. 250 points 25%
Project 4 First draft: May 23; final draft: June 3. 250 points 25%
Engagement 100 points 10%

I’ll use the conversion tables below when calculating grades:

Letter grade to point value point value to final grade

Project 1 Project 2–4 Engagement
A = 140–150 187–200 100 934–1,000 pts. = A
A– = 135–139 180–186 - 900–933 = A–
B+ = 130–134 174–179 - 867–899 = B+
B = 125–129 166–173 86 833–866 = B
B– = 120–124 160–165 - 800–832 = B–
C+ = 115–119 154–159 - 767–799 = C+
C = 110–114 146–153 76 733–766 = C
C– = 105–109 140–145 - 700–732 = C–
D+ = 100–104 134–139 - 667–699 = D+
D = 95–99 126–133 66 633–666 = D
D– = 90–94 120–125 - 600–632 = D–
F = 0–89 0–119 0 0–599 = F
 COURSE CALENDAR
Mon., March 21 Introduction: Introduction
Wed., March 23 Discussion: Inventing with Artifacts
• Texts: Lloyd Bitzer, “The Rhetorical Situation;” Barack Obama, Statement on
Libya.
Mon., March 28 Discussion: Inventing with Artifacts
• Texts: The Big Blue Bear and other strangely rhetorical artifacts
Wed., March 30 Discussion: Inventing with Artifacts
• Texts: Found objects
Mon., April 4 Workshop:
Draft of Project 1 due in class.
Wed., April 6 Discussion: Ethnographic Invention

Draft of Project 1 due on Google Docs by the start of class.
Mon., April 11 Discussion: Ethnographic Invention
• Reading: Selections from Howard Rheingold, The Virtual Community.
Wed., April 13 Workshop: Ethnographic Invention
• Reading: Selections from Neil Postman, Technopoly.
Mon., April 18 Workshop: Conducting virtual ethnographies
Wed., April 20 Workshop: Conducting virtual ethnographies
Mon., April 25 Workshop:
Draft of Project 2 due in class.
Wed., April 27 Discussion: Public In(ter)vention: Community-Based Reserarch

Draft of Project 2 due on Google Docs by the start of class.
Mon., May 2 Workshop: Library workshop: We’ll meet in the Research Instruction Room in Penrose
Wed., May 4 Workshop: Public In(ter)vention: Community-Based Research
Mon., May 9 Workshop: Public In(ter)vention: Community-Based Research
Wed., May 11 Workshop:
Draft of Project 3 due in class.
Mon., May 16 Workshop: Teaching as Invention
Draft of Project 3 due on Google Docs by the start of class.
Wed., May 18 Workshop: Teaching as Invention
Mon., May 23 Workshop:
Project 4 and Final Revisions
Wed., May 25 Workshop:
Project 4 and Final Revisions

ALL FINAL DRAFTS OF ALL PROJECTS DUE TO ME BY NOON ON FRIDAY, JUNE 3.