John Tiedemann

WRIT 1133
Section 6: TR 8–9:50, Sturm 235
Section 17: TR 10–11:50, Sturm 480
Section 31: TR 12–1:50, Sturm 258
Office hours: TR 2–4, W 10–2, at Jazzman’s
Email: John.Tiedemann@du.edu

• VERUM FACTUM: Writing, Rhetoric, and the Invention of Knowledge in, across, and out of the Academy
 THE CLASS
In 1710, 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
In order to promote a useful degree of unity amidst all of the variety of your individual projects, your
assignments will share a common motif: namely, the city — as artifact, social practice, locus of action, and in its
relationship to the classroom.
• Project 1: DenveRhetor
For this project, you’ll analyze a rhetorical event here in Denver, to be published in DenveRhetor, an online
publication covering the rhetorical situation in our city.
• Project 2: The Ethnography of the Polis
In this project, you’ll design and conduct a social scientific research project on an aspect of urban life.
• Project 2: Writing in Public
This project asks you to intervene in a civic debate of your choosing by creating and intervening in your own
rhetorical situation.
• Project 4: Teaching a Public
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://writrhet.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 1622 is intended for advanced first-year students. It emphasizes the development of rhetorical
strategies suited for different academic and civic audiences and purposes, critical reading and analysis, and
research. Students who take this particular section of WRIT 1622 are expected to enhance their capacity to
compose persuasively in a variety of modes and media.
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
Tuesdays and Thursdays and between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. It’s to your advantage to come talk
with me about your work; serious students 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 your absences 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 be graded down a third of letter (e.g., from an A to an A–, from an A– to a B+)
for each day it’s late.
• 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 6; revised draft: April 8; final draft: June 4. 150 points 15%
Project 2 First draft: April 27; revised draft: April 29; final draft: June 4. 250 points 25%
Project 3 First draft: May 13; revised draft: May 18; final draft: June 4. 250 points 25%
Project 4 First draft: May 25; final draft: June 4. 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
Tuesday, March 23 Introduction: Introduction
Thursday, March 25 Discussion: The rhetorical situation revisited
• Texts: Lloyd Bitzer, “The Rhetorical Situation;” Bill Clinton, speech at DU.
Tuesday, March 30 Discussion: The city as artifact: textual invention (1)
• Texts: H.D.F. Kitto, “The Polis;” Lewis Muford, “What Is a City?”
Thursday, April 1 Discussion: The city as artifact: textual invention (2)
• Texts: Found objects
Tuesday, April 6 Workshop:
Draft of Project 1 due in class.
Thursday, April 8 Discussion: Ethnographic invention

Draft of Project 1 due TO ME and ONLINE by the start of class.
Tuesday, April 13 Discussion: The city as practice: ethnographic invention (1)
• Reading: Lewis Wirth, “Urbanism as a Way of Life;” Jane Jacobs, from The
Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Thursday, April 15 Workshop: The city as practice: ethnographic invention (2)
• Reading: David Pinder, from Visions of the City; Michael J. Dear, from The
Postmodern Urban Condition.
Tuesday, April 20 Workshop: Writing ethnographies
Thursday, April 22 Workshop: Writing ethnographies
Tuesday, April 27 Workshop:
Draft of Project 2 due in class.
Thursday, April 29 Discussion: The city and the classroom: community-based invention

Draft of Project 2 due to me via email by the start of class.
Tuesday, May 4 Workshop: Library workshop: We’ll meet in the Research Instruction Room in Penrose
Thursday, May 6 Workshop: Preparing to write in public
Tuesday, May 11 Workshop: Preparing to write in public
Thursday, May 13 Workshop:
Draft of Project 3 due in class.
Tuesday, May 18 Workshop: Teaching a public (1)
Draft of Project 3 due to me via email by the start of class.
Thursday, May 20 Workshop: Teaching a public (2)
Tuesday, May 25 Workshop:
Project 4 and Final Revisions
Thursday, May 27 Workshop:
Project 4 and Final Revisions

ALL FINAL DRAFTS OF ALL PROJECTS DUE TO ME BY NOON ON FRIDAY, JUNE 4.