Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

History and Theory of Rhetoric (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 3860-01

Course: ENGL 3860-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12170

Course Description

A study of the Western rhetorical tradition from Ancient Greece to the present. Readings will include both canonical and non-canonical works. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): ENGL 2400 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C-

Required Texts

Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's. 3rd edition

Learning Outcomes

 
  1. To become familiar with key figures and texts in the history of rhetoric with a particular focus on rhetorical education
  2. To become familiar with approaches to rhetorical history and criticism and to apply those methods to your own production and/or interpretation of various texts.
  3. To connect the historical development of rhetoric as a teaching tradition with contemporary approaches to writing pedagogy/instruction.
  4. To hone academic communication skills and demonstrate critical, rhetorical awareness of language use.
  5. To become a more skilled practitioner of rhetoric—in the words of Quintilian, a good person speaking and writing well.
 

Course Requirements

 
Readings & in-class work 25%
Discussion leader 5%
Synthesis matrix/proposal 15%
Final Research Paper and drafts (10-12 pages) 30%
Quizzes & final exam 25%

 

Course Outline

 Unit I—Antiquity: Ancient Greece and Rome
Week 1
1/8: Corax/Tisias, Gorgias (483-375 BCE), “Encomium of Helen” 

Week 2
1/13: Isocrates (436-338 BCE) (Against the Sophists; Antidosis), finish discussion of Gorgias
1/15 Plato (c. 428-348 BCE) & Aspasia (c. 470-428 BCE) 

Week 3
1/20 Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
1/22 Cicero, Institutes of Oratory; Longinus, On the Sublime


Week 4
1/27 Quintilian 
1/29 Unit quiz, introduce synthesis matrix (start brainstorming topics in class)

Unit II—Medieval & Renaissance Rhetoric; Non-Western Traditions

Week 5 Non-western rhetorical traditions
2/3 Egyptian rhetoric
2/5 Chinese rhetoric


Week 6 Medieval rhetoric

2/10 Augustine (354-430 CE), On Christian Doctrine; Introduction to Medieval rhetorical arts Ars Poetriae, Ars Dictaminis, Ars Praedicandi
2/12  Islamic Golden Age: Al-Farabi (c. 870-950)  Christine de Pizan (1364-1430 CE), “City of Ladies” 

Week 7: Mystics
2/17 Julian of Norwich (1343-after 1416), Margery Kempe (1373-after 1438)
 
2/19 Sufism and Non-Western Mysticism (Rumi, Hafez, ibn ‘Arabi, Khaldun)
Synthesis matrix (start working on proposal) 

Week 8: Renaissance 
2/24 Erasmus (1466-1536)  & Castiglione

2/26 Proposal 


Week 9
3/3 Bacon (1561-1626) & Fell (1614-1704)
3/5 Unit quiz

SPRING BREAK: Mar 9-13


Unit III—The Enlightenment & Modern Rhetoric

Week 10 Enlightenment
3/17 John Locke (1632-1704) & Vico (1668-1774)
3/19 David Hume
Work on paper outline

Week 11 18-9th C. 
3/24 George Campbell (1719-1796)
3/26 Hugh Blair (1718-1800) & Alexander Bain (1818-1903)  

Week 12
3/31 No class, Festival of Excellence (first 5 pages of paper)
4/2  RT 1162-83 (Intro to modern rhetoric), history of modern composition 

Week 13
4/7 Burke, Olbrechts-Tyteca and Perelman
4/9 Unit quiz, Work day


Week 14
4/14 Paper draft and peer review
4/17 contemporary rhetoric issues 

Final Paper (due Sunday 4/19)

Final Exam: Thursday, April 23, 9 am

 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

 
Expectations:

I expect that you will come to class prepared, having done the required reading and/or writing. Participation is an important part of this course, and it’s difficult to participate if you’re not prepared. In addition, I expect that you will be present for peer reviews and give thoughtful, respectful feedback to one another.

Late work and make-up work

Assignment deadlines are designed to help you manage the course reading and writing in a reasonable fashion. If you find yourself falling behind, please make an appointment to talk to me so we can strategize.

I do not penalize late work, but it also will not receive written feedback. (You are welcome to come by my office to get verbal feedback). 

If you get more than three weeks (six class periods) behind, you will need to come and meet with me to set up a plan to succeed in this course before I will accept makeup work.

In-class work cannot be made up, except in the case of excused absences or illness (where you have made arrangements with me). 


 

Attendance Policy

Your success and the success of this course depend on your active participation in class as well as your submitted assignments. While I do not have an attendance policy for this class (that is, you are not penalized for absences), frequent absences will affect the quality of your work and your experience in the class–and the experience of your peers. Informal research at the University of Maryland (presented at CCCCs in 2024) found that students felt the presence of their peers added to their positive experience of the class. 

If you know that you are going to be absent, please communicate with me beforehand so we can make arrangements. If you’re sick, let me know as soon as possible. 

If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the assignments, class notes, and course changes from a classmate. Because all major papers are submitted electronically, I expect papers to be submitted on time regardless of excused or unexcused absences.

As with late work, if you miss more than three weeks of class (six class periods, you will need to meet with me to discuss how you plan to get back on track. 

Please note that for both attendance and late work issues, communication with me is key to your success in the class.


 

Course Fees

None

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.