Rhetorical Velocity Experiment with Statistics (45-60 min)
- Take a look at this press release from Oxfam about wealth distribution in 2017. Note the headline of the press release and the first paragraph. We are going to consider rhetorical velocity for the statistic in the headline, and use that first paragraph as needed as we re-compose that first paragraph (or parts of it) for a new context.
- With a partner or two, you will take on the role of one of the following: USA Today news report, Wall Street Journal news report or op-ed, New York Times news report or op-ed, HuffPost or Fox News news report or op-ed, a Twitter user, a Facebook user, or something else if we think there is another cool angle here.
- Once your role is set, draft a portion or the entirety of your genre of writing using the press release statistic. Remember our week on quantitative rhetoric! Think about what way to express this statistic makes sense for the role you are taking on and the situation you are writing in. Have some fun with it!
- Once you are finished, paste the portion with the statistic to our Rhetorical Velocity Google Doc.
What differences can we sort out between these different versions of this statistic? What do you think about how the press release was written: was it composed well with re-composition in mind? Why or why not?
If time: go to prnewswire.com or any government agency website and check out some press releases. Copy a sentence that you think is “sticky” and see if it was grabbed and pasted elsewhere. Was it? Why or why not do you think?
What are various ways to consider rhet. vel.? (10-15 min)
-speech
-print documents
-digital documents (text-based, audio-based, image-based, video-based, mixed-modes)
Break (15 min)
Workshop: Writing with images and within design (30 min)
Wanted you all to take a look at two pieces from your classmates that I thought did some cool things and that made me think about how we write within specific environments. One is a factsheet and another is a Tumblr blog (which I think are technically called Tumblogs? But I’m not going to call them that).
Read both documents and consider these questions:
-How do they utilize the genre they are writing in to do some effective things rhetorically? What specific aspects can you point out to support your claim?
-What points of revision do you have in mind for these writers, if they revise these pieces? Keep in mind both design elements as well as stylistic elements on the sentence level. Also, keep in mind the overall argument that you think is being made by the blog or factsheet on the whole, or within a bulletpoint for the factsheet or post for the blog.
Thinking ahead: Pedagogical Object (15-20 min)
3/27: in-progress campaign piece 2 draft
3/28: campaign piece 2 draft due
3/26: blog posts due
3/27: comment due
4/3: pedagogical object proposal due
4/3: informal presentation on campaign plan
4/10: final campaign plan due
4/17: informal presentation on pedagogical object
4/17: informal report on writing to a public
4/24: Revision of letter into a campaign piece largely reliant on alphabetic or alphanumeric writing
4/24: Revision of campaign piece one or two
4/24: Pedagogical object
4/24: Brief reflection on revisions, course, group work
–Informal work/lower-stakes work
—Major work/higher-stakes work
Pedagogical Object Proposal. About 250 words. How can you position yourself as both an expert who has walked out of class with some gained knowledge but also as, simultaneously, a novice—that is, still one who can learn more?
As a capstone to the course, you will (either independently or collaboratively) create a “pedagogical object” that incorporates your own writing from the semester. This object “teaches,” that is, it will illustrate key principles in public writing through activities and examples to someone else who wants to know more about public writing.
You will first list out independently or come to a consensus as a group about key elements of public writing that you value. In this proposal, you will write to me about these values and your rationale on how you came to them.
Next, you will briefly get into some ideas you have brainstormed on how you would teach these aspects of public writing. For instance, you might make a “mini-textbook” with activities or assignments as well as examples from your own writing. Or, you could create a website that explained the key values with video and games. Maybe you produce an instructional video or record a podcast.
Be as creative as you want. I’ll offer feedback to get you from what you value to how to teach it. IMPORTANT: the only rigid requirement for the final pedagogical object is that you must incorporate your own writing (e.g., white paper, campaign piece, writing done in class, blog posts) into the pedagogical object in some way.
Pedagogical Object Presentation. 5-7 minutes for presentation. will present it to the rest of the class on the last day. The presentations will be informal. This will function as a “work-in-progress” presentation, as was the case with the campaign plan presentations.
Pedagogical Object. The pedagogical object will be negotiated in regard to “length” or “amount of work.” As stated in the prompt for the proposal, you will come to a consensus about what you value in public writing and then you will figure out ways to teach those values/principles of public writing.
You need to make an object that allows the student to experience the value and really “do” it in a scaffolded way. What I mean by “scaffolded” is that it is a good practice to allow the student to do a little bit at a time, to be guided through a process of thinking about your public writing values/principles.
You will submit the object on CourseWeb (if in a group, just one of you has to submit). IMPORTANT: the only rigid requirement I have is that you must incorporate your own writing (e.g., campaign piece, other public writing done in class, blog posts) into the pedagogical object in some way.
Admin (5-15 min)
At part of semester where we are starting to move toward revising. This means reaching back and thinking about what you think now that maybe you didn’t think a few weeks ago. Use that to help guide your revisions. First up along these lines is the final draft of the campaign plan for 4/10, but keep in mind some challenges/questions you have when you present on your campaign plan on 4/3.