Derek Tremblay Help Received:
Major Garriott ERH 101: Section 18 class
ERH-101-03 Conferences with Major Garriott (General Advice)
17 October 2016
Rhetorical Analysis of Professor Bednar’s
“Economics 301: Business Economics”
The Elon University School of Business includes the economics department at Elon University. The purpose of the economics department is to, “Develop your critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. Learn the skills needed to understand changing economic conditions, what drives institutional change and how consumer behavior may change over time.” (Economics) Economics 301 is a required course to receive a business degree at Elon, it is neither an advanced class nor an introductory class, but more of a middle of the road class. Dr. Steven Bednar, a Yale graduate, is the class’ instructor. The course explores questions such as, “What functions do firms serve, and where do firms fit in a market economy?”, and analyzing two main perspectives. One perspective deals with “maximizing profits subject to the constraints of demand, production, cost and market structure.”, another with strategy and value maximization. (Economics) The general type of assignments are recurring exams that account for 60% of the final grade. Dr. Bednar engages the students of Elon in rhetorical discourse about economics through six homework assignments, newspaper responses, and quizzes, as well as three exams. The expectations of Dr. Bednar are that the students show up for class and conduct themselves in an adult manner. He implies in the syllabus that students should act like adults and put in work, even if it doesn’t count for or against their grade. He outlines his expectations for students like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed. (My Expectations of you) Dr. Bednar has a professional attitude through the text and he expects students to act like a professional in a workplace. The professor outlines in the text his expectations for behavior and for learning in a professional manner throughout the syllabus. Dr. Bednar’s clarity and professionalism leaves a positive attitude with the students and gives them a sense of urgency to begin and start taking the class. He implies in the syllabus that students should act like adults and put in work, even if it doesn’t count for or against their grade.
Goals of the syllabus are for students to develop skills necessary to “make optimal managerial decisions given different situations, and environments.” (Course Description and Objectives) These goals focus on the students learning the real life skills needed to be successful in business, not just memorization of knowledge or terms. Dr. Bednar is showing his expertise in the field because he understands that the students need to be taught more than just useless terms to be successful.
Dr. Bednar sets high, but reasonable, expectations for his students. He expects them to attend class and participate even though it won’t directly affect their grade. He expects maturity and he expects students to be held accountable for their work and their exams. Dr. Bednar outlines the policies for missed work stating that “there is no make-up for quizzes or newspaper articles” (Attendance) Dr. Bednar than, as a helpful note, says that “Historically, students who consistently skip Econ 301 lecture have either failed or barely passed. This is not a class that you can show up only for the exams and expect to do well in.” The professor is attempting to make a personal connection with the students to seem more friendly as he is giving them advice to help them pass the class. Treating the students more as peers than novices improves the moral and attitude of students entering the course. Dr. Bednar, rather than placing himself above the student as many other professors do, outlines expectations for himself such as preparing for the class and showing up on time, grading work in a timely manner, and offering support outside the classroom. (Expectations of me) In return, Dr. Bednar outlines his expectations for students like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed. (My Expectations of you)
In the syllabus text Dr. Bednar uses technical business terms because this is not an introductory course and the students should already be familiar with appropriate business lexis. Dr. Bednar is well versed in the business discourse community, and he establishes his knowledge throughout the syllabus. In the section “Course Descriptions and Objectives” he talks about “applying (the) microeconomic theory”, interpreting demand functions and elasticities, recognizing market structures, and calculating market powers. I am an Economics and Business major who hasn’t taken any business courses yet and I don’t know the meaning of most of the terms used. A beginner, such as myself, unfamiliar with the discourse community would be confused by the syllabus and would probably be unable to get a good grade in the course. Dr. Bednar is an expert in the field of business and economics, as he graduated from Yale in 2010 with a PhD. (Faculty and Staff Profile) Yale is one of the top schools in the country and it gives Dr. Bednar credibility in the econ and business discourse community.
The syllabus calls for use of rhetorical discourse in order to explain to the students the purpose and mission of the class. Dr. Bednar displays exigence as he goes over the Course Description and Objectives by using his expertise in the Economics and Business discourse to outline the course to the novice students. He is trying to give the students a basic understanding of the class to the students so they can be more prepared for the class their taking. The audience Dr. Bednar seems to have in mind is strictly the students about to take his class. He uses “I” and addresses the student as “you”, suggesting he intends to be speaking directly to them. Dr. Bednar expects the students, based on lexis used, to already have a basic understanding of economics and business. The professor does a good job in the syllabus establishing his ethos, Dr. Bednar has “the reader’s best interests at heart and is not purely self-interested.” (796)
Dr. Bednar’s syllabus for Economics 301 at Elon University is descriptive and helpful to the students taking the class. The professor’s expertise, evident by his use of lexis, and his expectations for the students outline the professional behavior Dr. Bednar requires for his class.