William Schraufnagel
PORTFOLIO
ENG 1000: Intro to Academic Writing
"Overall, this was an effective class, and Dr. Schraufnagel appears, on the basis of this observation, to be an effective teacher."
"He is a really good prof and he really cares about his students and their success and also cares about English a lot and like breathes words."
"I was going through a dark and depressing time prior to being in this class, and now I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I owe this to professor Schraufnagel. Without him, I would not have regained my will to live and learn to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Fall 2017
“Thank you for a great semester. I appreciate you not getting upset with constructive criticism and being available for your students,” Fall 2018
“Papers were tough but challenging. Helped me learn and advance in my writing I felt. I appreciate your realness and teaching style,” Spring 2019
"He used excellent examples and stories to make a dull topic interesting," Spring 2019
COMS 401: Criticism of Public Rhetoric
COMS 400: Rhetorical Theory
ENG 120: Research and Writing
ENG 110: Critical Reading and Writing
Your two major speech assignments, to inform and to persuade, position you toward listeners in slightly different ways. In both cases, however, you should reflect on your audience's prior knowledge, interest, and potential feelings about your topic area.
"The session with Bill greatly helped me. I felt inspired, and received many great suggestions. After the session with Bill, I have made vast improvements in my work."
COMM 2381: Oral Communication
In this course, you will explore the art of public speaking via analysis, composition, and performance.
Class time will cover theoretical issues involving ethics and the communication process, as well as practical matters of topic selection, research, arrangement of material, and preparation for classroom delivery.
"He was both patient and encouraging with student questions, and nicely incorporated current events into the discussion. Bill's biggest pedagogical strength, by far, is how quickly he thinks on his feet and how disarming he is before his students."
- Professor Antonio de Velasco
"This professor was great. He united the class and made us feel open about talking with each other and with him. He is by far the most proactive teacher I`ve ever had at this university," Spring 2014
"Instructor became a role-model of sort. The Professor had a strong presence in class, which made it fun to learn," Spring 2015
"I really enjoyed the honest feedback. It wasn`t harsh or critical, just honest. I liked that. And he was excited about his material! And...he took the time to memorize everyone`s name the FIRST day of class. No other professor has any idea what my name is, and that is huge. It shows a genuine desire to teach," Spring 2015
ENG 15: Rhetoric and Composition
The goal of this course is to help you to become a stronger, more confident, and more flexible writer and reader. We will focus specifically upon recognizing and producing effective rhetoric. Acquiring skill in rhetoric means learning to write with a coherent sense of audience, purpose, and context. It also means learning to read (and listen) rhetorically, with a critical understanding of how others use methods of discourse. By the end of the semester, you should be better able to articulate your own ideas clearly, persuasively, and eloquently.
At Penn State, I routinely scored the highest in two categories: Willingness to help students make progress, and Knowledge of the subject matter.
I believe they accurately reflect my priorities, and probably the most “native” qualities to a teacher. I mean, the qualities that rely the least upon one's relationship to institutional factors.
Perhaps I take my own relationship with students too much for granted, I rely too stubbornly on my experience (and even nostalgia) as a student. Often I feel left in the cold regarding a student's actual relationship to the institution of college, and I could surely increase my sensitivity in that regard.
"More willing to help than many others and I could tell he really loved his job," Fall 2008
"Very focused on the student, highly intensive," Spring 2010
"Opened up with me and was very provoking in his questions. He really helps get to thought process in motion," Fall 2010
"Brought new perspectives to my ideas and thus triggered new sub categories for my works," Fall 2010
"This course allows students to think for themselves which is good and not seen in other courses," Fall 2010
Arnold-Ebbitt Interdisciplinary Rhetoricians
Scholars of rhetoric in this country typically organize into what were once known as "Speech" departments -- at Penn State, now Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) -- and "English" or literature departments which in the 20th Century came to assume the responsibility of teaching writing at many large universities. As a dominant educational tradition from Ancient Hellenism to the European Renaissance, "Rhetoric" is also related to Classics, Philosophy, and the Christian Church.
Today the field is marked by innovation in many directions. Although a national and international infrastructure of academic courses, books, journals, conferences, and tenure-line faculty positions has grown steadily since the 1970s, I have found no common agreement on the definition of "Rhetoric" or the job of "Rhetorician." In fact, most people I meet seem to delight in the ambiguity of terms, and the opportunities made possible by their uncertainty.
AEIR is a registered graduate student chapter of the Rhetoric Society of America (RSA), and its purpose is to promote and enhance the community of graduate students at Penn State devoted to the study of rhetoric.
To strengthen the contribution and community of graduate students, AEIR organizes both formal and informal events to support research, teaching, professional development, and social camaraderie.
Most of us believe in rhetoric because we believe in communication, the idea that if no common ground exists, or seems to exist, we can build one starting now by speaking, writing, listening, and never stinting to discover “the available means of persuasion.”
Watch: I am featured in a video promoting rhetoric.
RWS 100: The Rhetoric of Written Argument
Speaking for myself and others I know, writing can help give shape to life that may otherwise appear chaotic or directionless.
In a basic writing course, I would have three primary, ideal, goals for my students: 1) to read texts that both challenge them and have some relevance to their daily lives; 2) to build confidence, over time, in their own capacity for “discovery”— the exploration of topics and the formation of arguments; and 3) to internalize basic features of structure— the arousal and fulfillment of audience expectations—along with a sense of the potential power of writing.