Quantitative Literacy (10 min)
sample size (too small, subject to high variance)
not a representative sample (population looks very different from sample)
unfair comparisons (e.g., batting averages of hitters and pitchers, fat content of ice cream and pretzels)
losing context of study or figures (e.g., chocolate — study talks about associations between chocolate and weight loss, but reported on as chocolate causing weight loss…thus, study’s results are oversold)
Are the methods appropriate? (How’d they measure? Does it make sense?; e.g., associations between chocolate and 18 other variables in the study made it likely that there’d be an association somewhere: see this article on an experiment in media coverage of a p-hacked study)
What else?
Questions to ask:
- Ask “Who Says So?”
- How Do They Know?
- What’s Missing? (something being left out that could explain a point of emphasis?)
- Did Somebody Change the Subject? (the author tells you how to interpret the figures, and maybe the interpretation and what comes after it don’t quite match up)
- Does It Make Sense?
Potential outcomes:
- These numbers don’t look right to me, I don’t trust this author’s competence.
- I do not understand this statistic, I don’t trust my competence.
- I understand this statistic. I trust my competence and, correspondingly, the author’s.
- These numbers don’t look right to me, I don’t trust this author’s integrity.
- I do not fully understand this statistic, but I trust the author’s integrity.
- I understand the statistic, but don’t like the implication–perhaps my integrity is compromised by bias.
*Start with a combination of your gut and your ability: do I trust it or should I dig deeper?
Quantitative Rhetoric (30 min)
Activity: What are all the other possible ways you could express “there’s a 98% chance everything is fine”?
With a partner, think of all the alternate ways you could express this statement. We’ll talk about if they “mean” the same thing, and what their effects might be.
Have at least 3 alternatives posted on this Google Doc.
Activity: With a partner or two, pull a statistic from something one of you have done thus far (e.g., campaign plan, blog post, letter to a classmate). Think of 3 ways or more to rewrite the statistic while maintaining mathematical equality. And think of all the possible effects that these alternatives might have; list them out.
Now, try to make a visual. Like last week, where you tried to make a visual out of the letters you wrote, make a visual out of this statistic. Keep track of your decisions. Have a title.
Questions to Discuss with Group:
Of these (at least) four alternative versions of the initial statistic, which one does your group like best? Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each expression?
What general rules can you think of about word choice, syntax, use of visual rhetoric, mathematical expression (e.g., ratios, percentage), and contextual information based on this exercise? What sorts of things do you think are important when working with numbers rhetorically?
Let’s talk about some take-aways about writing with numbers, and let’s see some of your visualizations
Graphs, Graphics, and Infographics (20-30 min)
What qualifies as an infographic? What are its characteristics? How are they different from things like bar graphs that you can generate from Microsoft Excel or a table that you can make in a word processor?
Are there conventions as a genre you can begin to see as you compare these four infographics?
Think about these questions as you and your group look at the following infographics:
Caffeine in food and drink industry (scroll down for the larger graphic).
Acquisition strategies of tech companies
Let’s try to define some conventions for this genre and what is possible when composing an infographic. What should we keep in mind in regard to the following?:
Color?
Typography?
Arrangement?
Size?
Use of text?
Use of images?
Motion?
Where does an infographic go? For what purpose? For what kind of rhetorical situation (problem, constraints, audience)? What media can utilize it?
Why would you do an infographic and not an APA table or graph? What is the difference between an infographic and such a thing? How about a bar graph with some nice design elements: infographic or not?
Activity: Go back to the visual representation you made earlier. Would you call it an infographic? Why or why not? Go back and revise it–infographic or not–and make some changes in light of what we have talked about so far.
Break (15 min)
Peer Response for Campaign Plan (30 min)
I asked each of you to print out a hard copy of your in-progress campaign plan. I want you to share your plan with your pen-pal (i.e., the person you wrote your letters to). When everyone has a copy of a campaign plan in front of them, I want you to do two things when you read it:
- Think about how much the plan addresses each of the below questions:
-What attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, behaviors would you like to change or encourage?
-Who do you hope to reach? Why is this audience key to addressing your topic?
-What kinds of documents will your group be producing?
-Multiple media and compositions are typically used to address modern issues. What media will you use?-What modes (e.g., sound, static image, video, alphanumeric writing)?
-How will your documents reach your target audience? How will they see it, how will it get to them? In other words, how will you attempt to circulate these documents?
-What “themes” might bleed over across documents and how will you make that happen?
-Have a rationale. Why did you choose this kind of writing and media? For instance, why did you decide that your audience would respond better to a poster rather than a video? Why deliver this document at this time? Why these documents in this order? Why that document in that medium? Why do you believe your strategies for circulating your writing are effective?
-What have other people and organizations produced about this issue? What genres of writing? What sorts of audiences have they targeted? What media was used? What modes (sound, image, video, alphanumeric writing, etc.)? How might you adapt/build on what others have done? Or, how might you do something very different?
- How realistic are the sorts of things and what is missing? How much can be actually done by 2 or 3 students at Pitt? Not trying to crush anyone’s spirits here! But I want us to lean into something that you could, one day, if you wanted, do yourselves. That is: realistic publications, realistic audiences, realistic ways to reach those audiences, etc. Then, what logistical pieces in respect to circulation (how will things reach people?) and in terms of access (what channels would you have to go through to get this writing to the people you want to see it in the way you want them to see it?–e.g., permits for a public event, permission to offer materials to high school students in a school setting). What might they be missing?
Take notes readers!! Then, meet with your partner to discuss what you found.
Finally, groups should synthesize what they heard if we have time in class. If not, you might make some time to meet with one another in person or online to make some finishing touches on the plan. It is due by tomorrow at 11:59pm. Only one group member has to submit (just like we did last time for the proposals).
What Sentences Can Do: An Example from Your Letters (15 min)
Thinking about syntax, punctuation, and sentence type as a way to change rhythms of your writing. Have some sentences from your letters this week that I wanted to talk about.
Admin (5-15 min)
-Should be getting your interviews underway by now!
-We have people up for writing blog posts next week for readings on design and accessibility. Check the schedule on CourseWeb. For those not writing blog posts, you are up for comments. Blogs due 10am Monday, comments due by 4pm Tuesday.
-I’ll have thoughts on your campaign plans by the end of this week or early next week.
-Campaign pieces are due 2/28 (with in-progress drafts brought in for class on 2/27). Get going if you haven’t already!
–IMPORTANT: email me your idea for your first campaign piece. Email me no later than Monday, 11:59pm.