07118: Communication: Rhetoric and Reasoning L

Guide to study

Introduction
Reading
Discussion/research topics
Writing
Further resources
Semester 2 schedule
Electronic newsgroup COMMA
Electronic submission of assignments

Introduction

The Study guide provides a fortnightly guide to the topics which will be introduced during that period. Each section suggests discussion topics and activities, lists readings which are to be completed for the week, suggests further readings and, when appropriate, reminders about due assignments. Each week you will find the following headings:

• Reading
• Discussion/research topics
• Writing
• Further resources

You will find that you criss-cross to various additional resources throughout this subject. This means that you will need to approach the subject in a less linear fashion that you may be accustomed to. The hotlinks provide a resource base for your study which can be accessed whenever you wish; you should find that yourself going backwards and forwards to these sites at various points throughout the subject.

Reading

The reading for each fortnightly block of classes is divided into three sections:

• Core reading
• Extension reading
• Skills reading

Each section is explained in detail below. The readings are necessary for understanding key concepts in the subject, for carrying out research and writing tasks, and for acquiring further skills and knowledge in particular areas. The readings listed in each section may come from any of the CR&R textbooks.

Be aware that some of these readings can be quite challenging, particularly if you are new to tertiary education. Nevertheless, they are not untypical of the kind of material you will encounter all through your university career, especially in the humanities and social sciences. A useful strategy in your reading is to identify what you already understand and what you do not understand. Turn what you do not understand into questions and start up or take part in an e-mail discussion via the electronic bulletin board COMMA (see below), which will give you the opportunity to share and discover ideas with other students and staff.

The entries in your Journal (see Assessment requirements) are based on your summaries of and reactions to each block of reading. You will need to keep up with the reading in order to deal with your journal in manageable portions, and to focus on one major topic at a time. You should, where possible, organise a set time each week to do the reading and make your journal entries.

Core reading

The Core reading covers the basic material dealt with in each fortnightly block and is essential for understanding the key concepts and ideas in the subject. All of the readings in this section come from the CR&R Readings textbook.

Extension reading

The Extension reading is also very important to your understanding of the subject, but it may not necessarily be dealt with in the fortnightly schedule. Note that the Extension reading is not optional reading; it is necessary to add depth to your research, writing and discussion of the topics. You may from time to time be required to do some of these readings as preparation for Discussion/research topics, in which case you should treat them as you would the Core reading. The readings listed in this section may come from any of the CR&R textbooks.

Skills reading

The Skills reading deals with essential knowledge and strategies for working effectively not only in CR&R, but throughout your university career and beyond. Readings here deal with managing your time, working in groups, effective reading and writing, and many related issues. Just as with the Extension reading, you should not regard the Skills reading as an ‘optional extra’, either, even though it is not always explicitly dealt with the the fortnightly schedule. It is therefore up to you increase your repertoire of study and writing skills by keeping up with these readings, most of which come from the Language notes and CR&R Resource material textbooks.

Discussion/research topics

This section outlines the main focus of the fortnight’s work. In general the section may involve any or all of the following activities:

• topics based on readings, findings or issues
• writing tasks designed to apply terms and concepts encountered in your reading
• exercises, demonstrations, explanations and presentations focusing on the main topic
• appraisal, feedback, editing or revision of previous work
• preparation or organisation for following sections

The outlines under this heading provide some guidelines for pursuing the topic and some background information. The specific approach to activities and actual exercises undertaken often will be governed by individual choice and the particular emphases or interests you may have in relation to the topics.

Writing

This section describes specific assignment tasks which may be:

• exercises forming part of the assessment and which are to be completed in your own time
• extension work to be followed up either in a discussion (on COMMA or elsewhere) or on your own

See under Assignments (below) for more details. Where appropriate, the Writing section also will remind you of the due dates for handing up assignments. In certain cases the exact nature of the assignment may have to be determined by you.

Further resources

Occasionally other material will be recommended as useful additional information about a skill or topic. In this online version of the Study guide this section will contain electronic ‘buttons’ which, when clicked, will lead you to other valuable resources and sites to help you with your work.

The CR&R website may be used to provide a resource base for your study which can be accessed whenever you wish; you should find that you will be going backwards and forwards to these sites at various points throughout the semester.

Sometimes, other web site addresses (URLs) will be listed in this section. You should visit these sites and see what they offer in terms of information and resources for your writing and general professional and academic skills.

Semester 2 schedule

Electronic newsgroup COMMA

Communicating effectively involves becoming familiar with a range of technologies, including electronic mail (email). As students of CR&R you have access to an electronic newsgroup called COMMA, specifically set up so that you can practise emailing skills, as well as be involved in discussions with tutors and students on matters of relevance to your research and writing.

Students taking the subject externally may use COMMA and email as a major means of communicating and submitting work. Internal students also should make use of COMMA and email to widen their repertoire of communication skills and to expand their contacts with others in the university.

COMMA may be accessed through the button in the left-hand frame of this web site. You may read other messages, reply to them, and send new ones of your own.

Remember that all staff and students have access to these messages. Do not use COMMA to carry on private conversations, and please exercise the usual standards of 'netiquette' you would use with all e-mailing: that is, adopt a cool, calm, professional approach, with no personal attacks or comments, and nothing else you may be ashamed of in future for having posted.

Electronic submission of assignments

This web site has a function which allows you to send assignments electronically, as a form of e-mail. Work submitted via the web site will not automatically go to your tutor, but to the site coordinator. Also, most formatting is lost in assignments submitted this way, as the function is not based on word-processing software. Thus an assignment may be too large or too heavily formatted to be suitable for electronic submission. Check first with your tutor before submitting assignments using this function.

It may be more suitable to submit large or heavily formatted assignments ad email attachments directly to your tutor.  If this is the case, make sure that you note your tutor’s e-mail address accurately, and that you send the assignment directly to that address.

For assistance contact: paul.skrebels@unisa.edu.au
Copyright ©1997 University of South Australia
Prepared by the Flexible Learning Centre, University of South Australia
Prepared: 28 January 1997
Revised: December 1997
URL: http://www.roma.unisa.edu.au/07118/guidest.htm