Taurus Topos

Topos: a mental "place" where an argument can be found or the argument itself
(Aristotle's Rhetoric II.23)

This topos, or site, is occasionally maintained as a service to my students and to students and faculty at Valdosta State University interested in professional writing, linguistics, and/or rhetoric-composition. Forget Not

Lee Campbell
jlcampbeATvaldostaDOTedu

Contents Contents

? Vita

PhD Purdue University, 1990; MA, BA Illinois State University, 1983, 1981. Author of articles on dialects and teacher education, applied linguistic theory of rhetorical argument, argumentation theory and research, history of rhetoric, and composition. Scholarly papers on argumentation and composition theory, history of rhetoric, linguistic pragmatics, stylistics, dialectology, and history of English. Areas of interest: applied linguistic theory, argumentation and rhetorical theory, history of rhetoric, and stylistics. Teaching responsibilities at VSU have included first-year composition, advanced writing courses, introductory linguistics, sociolinguistics, history of the language, and grammar of English. Brief resume.

 

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Professional Writing


Linguistics


Rhetoric-Composition


General Education


Read the syllabus Course Descriptions and Syllabuses

English 1101--Composition I: Introduces students to academic reading and writing at the college level. Class members will read professional essays critically and then engage the readings as they produce essays for a variety of purposes in response. Besides improving core writing skills (formulating a thesis, developing the thesis, paragraphing, crafting sentences, proofreading, and documenting sources), members will also improve skills in critical reading, oral communication, and word processing.

English 1102--Composition II: Aims to develop class members' skills in

  • reading
  • informed discussion
  • critical thinking
  • argumentative writing
  • research (print and online)
  • documentation.
These skills will be improved as members read literary texts and support arguable interpretations of them. The focus of the class will not be how to read literature per se, but how to argue for and research potentially disagreeable opinions. Class members will write argumentative essays on short and longer fiction, poetry, and/or drama.

English 2000--Writing for Teachers: Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ENGL 1101 and 1102. A writing-intensive course focusing on the analysis and production of discourse in various genres. Required for ECE and MGE majors. Students in ENGL 2000 will write in a variety of genres that early childhood and middle grades education teachers might require of their students, such as drama, essay, journal, narrative, and poetry; develop fluency in writing, reduce writing anxiety, and improve their self-image as writers; engage in a reflective writing process characteristic of good writers, including determining a purpose, considering constraints of different genres, and revising based on reader response; work effectively in cooperative writing groups; gain confidence in presenting or publishing their writing by various means; develop a sophisticated awareness of their own problems with standard edited English and methods to address these problems. SUMMER 2007 SYLLABUS

English 3010--Writing for Business: Aims to improve class members' abilities to produce some common--and very useful--forms of written business communication. It is a practical course not only because the assignments are directly applicable to students' careers, but because class members' writing skills will be improved primarily by practice and critique of real writing rather than by the presentation of theory or by the completion of exercises. Five components of successful business writing will be consistently emphasized: style, chunking (organization and design) of information, audience appeal, message, and purpose. Members will be advised on all phases of their writing processes and will engage in both collaborative and individual work. Secondary aims of the course include raising class members' consciousness of business communication as a critical part of their lives in the workplace and developing members' abilities with word processing software, e-mail, and the Internet. SYLLABUS

English 3020--Technical Writing: This course aims to improve class members' skills in technical communication, both in technical writing (the creation of documents) and technical editing (the revising of documents).  To this end, class members will create and edit a variety of technical documents, including memos, descriptions, procedures, manuals, and/or Web pages.  Members will complete documents with real-world applications as well as preparatory exercises and engage in collaborative as well as individual work.  Using a best-selling text on technical editing, class members will gain experience in all elements of technical communication:

  • developing and managing a technical documentation project
  • creating and editing reader-oriented, purposeful text
  • collaborating with writers and other editors
  • editing paper and electronic text for organization, visual design, style, and mechanics
  • creating technical documents with attention to organization, visual design, style, and mechanics.
    • SYLLABUS

English 3080/Journalism 3080--Grammar and Editing: The course sets two goals. First, it will develop in students an advanced ability to analyze, describe, and discuss the grammar of English as it is actually spoken and written, including syntax (sentence structure), morphology (word formation), and lexicon (vocabulary). This portion of the course will be devoted to descriptive grammar. Second, the course will develop students' ability to make linguistically sound and rhetorically effective choices as they edit English prose for correctness and stylistic felicity. This portion of 3080 will be devoted to prescriptive and rhetorical grammar. Few subjects are as shrouded in myth and ignorance than is the English language and its "correct" usage. How does the English language really work, and, on the basis of answers to that question, what should English teachers be teaching their students? SYLLABUS.

English 4610/English 6000--History of the English Language: Why do Hamlet and his mother use second-person singular pronouns differently when talking to each other?  The Queen, for example, urges her son, "Good Hamlet cast thy nightly colour off, " while he replies, "I shall in all my best obey you Madam." Is it illogical to use a form like yourn or theirn (both based on analogy with mine), as in Wycliffe's Bible (1380): "Blessed be the pore in spirit, for the kyngdam in hevenes is heren [theirn]"?  Why do some old timers say holp instead of helped?

These and (billions and billions of) other questions can be answered by the study of the history of the language. On one level, the history of English is simply a fascinating field with which any English or English education major should be acquainted. On another level, knowledge of the history of English is a valuable tool for critical readers and teachers of critical reading and for any writer or teacher of writing. For example, consider the italicized verb in this sentence: I request that the manager write  me a letter of apology.  Should that be writes because the the subject is singular?  Just how "ignorant" is it to pronounce ask with a ks consonant cluster rather than sk?  The only way to pass an informed judgment on the matter is to know something about the history of the language.

Using a standard text on the history of English and an accompanying workbook, students--and instructor--will investigate, among other things, the commonly identified periods of English (Old, Middle, Early Modern, Modern), the relationship of English to other Indo-European languages, contemporary changes in English and the general ways in which languages change, and attitudes toward change. Students will do exercises, write a couple of exams, and complete a written project that explains an aspect of Present-day English (such as the plural geese) by tracing the history of the phenomenon.  SYLLABUS

ESOL 4020/6020--Cultural Perspectives for ESOL Teachers: Culture and the relationships between culture, language, and education.  Prospective ESOL teachers will investigate theories related to the nature and role of culture and cultural groups in the construction of learning environments that support linguistically diverse learners.  The course will address developmental aspects of language and literacy with emphasis upon specific ways in which cultural identities affect language learning and school achievement.  This course is designed for ESOL endorsement candidates.  SUMMER 2008 SYLLABUS

 

ESOL English to Speakers of Other Languages Endorsement

The Department of English and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages offer a three-course sequence in linguistics and foreign language education leading to an endorsement in teaching English to speakers of other languages. This is a valuable add-on credential available to any undergraduate or graduate student working toward or possessing certification in a teaching field.

For more information: ESOL Endorsement from Valdosta State University

 

PKPPhi Kappa Phi at VSU

Valdosta State University hosts Chapter 156 of the The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the largest and most highly respected academic honor society recognizing and promoting academic excellence in all fields of higher education. Membership in Phi Kappa Phi is the highest academic honor awarded at VSU. Learn more about PKP at VSU.

 

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