Introduction First Weeks: Introducing Concepts & Short Texts  Week 1 - Introducing the Course & Key Concepts Weeks 1 - 2: Using Kristof, Rifkin, Bleich, Parry & Other Short Texts to Introduce Concepts & Prepare for Assignment 1 Other Short Texts & Materials - Praxis, FrankenReader, & intro texts Short Texts from Debate Sites Short Texts about the Environment & Social Justice Calls to Action Climate skeptics & their critics - could be used to have students summarize and evaluate positions Other Short Texts & Materials Analyzing Multimodal Rhetorics Using Infographics

 

 

Introduction

In the first two weeks of class you will go over the syllabus and assignments, explain some basic concepts (rhetorical situation, argument, claims, evidence, appeals, strategies) and apply them to short texts (op-eds and advertisements are useful). In short you will help students start to think about texts as situated and rhetorical (as doing particular kinds of work, achieving specific effects, aiming to persuade particular audiences in a particular context). As obvious as this may seem to you, remember that your students will have spent many years working primarily with textbooks, and in these textbooks knowledge is presented as fixed, settled, uncontested and decontextualized. It is unlikely your students will have been asked to think much about the author of a textbook, her audience, and the way the textbook persuades or draws on rhetorical strategies.

You will model close reading and basic rhetorical analysis. (Don’t feel insecure - as a graduate student you have a lot of experience with close reading). This is best done by working on some short texts in class. There is a collection of short texts and some teaching material (class activities, exercises, and homework) below. You are welcome to use any of these short texts or select texts of your own. The RWS course reader contains handouts and teaching materials that you can use with the short texts (e.g. material on charting, questions to ask a text, how to locate claims, etc.).  

In addition, there are some textbook excerpts you may find useful and can make available to your students.  You do not have to use these – the course reader and material on the wiki should suffice. But if they seem helpful you can read them, use a few sections, or assign some chapters to students. Some excerpts are password protected.

1. Ellen Carillo’s open source textbook A Writer's Guide to Mindful Reading, https://wac.colostate.edu/books/mindful/. The most useful chapter is likely  “Chapter 2: Developing a Repertoire of Reading Strategies.” It focuses on close reading strategies (previewing, skimming, say/do analysis, appeals, mapping, and the believing/doubting game) that are similar to the ones described in the RWS course reader. However, Chapter 1. Annotating Your Way into Academic Discourse,  Chapter 4. Writing and Revising Academic Projects, and Chapter 5. Working with Sources are also very useful and in line with our pedagogy. 
2. Parfitt’s Writing in Response adopts a similar framework to ours.  Chapter 2, "Active Reading" (47-79) introduces close reading, annotating a text, posing questions, analyzing argument, and constructing a “says/does” chart (we use this to get students thinking rhetorically, and similar materials are in our course reader).  Parfitt uses Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” for examples, a text we will read later.
3. Losh and Alexander’s Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide is designed to look like a comic book. Chapter 1 briefly introduces rhetoric as a field, discusses Aristotelian appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and outlines some basics of rhetorical analysis. Chapter 2 introduces rhetorical analysis and critical reading.
4. Lunsford et al’s Everything’s An Argument is a more “traditional” textbook.  Chapter 6, “Rhetorical Analysis” is helpful. You may also find chapter 1, Everything is An Argument a good introduction to the study of argument and rhetorical analysis.

 

 

First Weeks: Introducing Concepts & Short Texts 

• Detailed list of RWS100 teaching activities for the first three weeks of class. It uses examples from the new (fall 2018) digital reader/textbook, and
  short texts by  Kristof ("Do We Have the Courage?” and “Some Inconvenient Gun Facts for Liberals” and Rifkin ("A Change of Heart About Animals") 
• RWS100 (fall 2016) Overview of teaching schedules and teaching activities for weeks 1-3 (starts with plan for semester, then overview of first 3 weeks then first 3 weeks in detail).
• RWS200: overview of entire semester plus detailed description of classroom activities, exercises and homework assignments for weeks 1-4.  (Spring 2018) 

 

Week 1 - Introducing the Course & Key Concepts

• First Day of Class - Matt Breece composed this very useful checklist, summary of activities, and a short writing task for in-class (or for Homework). 
• Powerpoint that introduces rhetoric, why writing classes and argument are important, and gives an overview of 200. (Could be adapted for 100).
• Detailed class plans for first three weeks from RWS100 for fall 2018, and  fall 2016
• Icebreakers - exercises and games you can play to introduce class members to each other.
• Class materials for the first week

  1. First day class plan

  2. The "email exercise" you can use to introduce rhetoric and some course concepts. Another resource for the email exercise that breaks down PACES.

  3. The Marlboro Man advertisement, which can be used for homework or as a class exercise.

  4. Introduction to Rhetoric & Key Terms (from course reader) and an overview of RWS100/200

  5. A powerpoint introducing basic concepts.

  6. Intro to 100, the program and materials for introducing rhetoric large powerpoint file from TA orientation spring 2010

  7. A handout listing resources your students can use to get help over the semester

  8. A Syllabus Contract with an activity to help students go through the syllabus thoroughly and hone in on key course goals and objectives.
• Ethos, Pathos, Logos Workshop (Review): Worksheet with notes and without and analysis/practice on short text "Katniss Wouldn't Like It" 
• How to set up a Wordpress blog site that students can use to post homework and build a portfolio.

 

Weeks 1 - 2: Using Kristof, Rifkin, Bleich, Parry & Other Short Texts to Introduce Concepts & Prepare for Assignment 1

• Powerpoint files: using rhetorical concepts to examine advertisements and short texts. File 1, and File 2.
• Kristof: Applying basic concepts to short text - Kristof's "War & Wisdom."
• Kristof - context, genre, rhetorical situation, etc.
• Kristof - map of project, argument, claims, evidence and strategies, plus text charted.  
• Kristof, "Do We Have the Courage to Stop this?" Teaching Notes - can be used to help identify claims, evidence, moves, strategies and critical questions, plus powerpoint with discussion of context, genre, and audience.
• Kristof, Teaching Notes “Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?” and “Some Inconvenient Gun Facts for Liberals”
• Mullainathan’s “Racial Bias, Even When We Have Good Intentions” and Teaching notes on Mullainathan’s text (by Piera Pincock)
• Law Professor's Response to Black Lives Matter T-shirt Complaint (professor analyzes student's argument and writing; the professor's text can also be evaluated).
• RIFKIN, "A Change of Heart About Animals."  Rifkin's text, plus letters responding and critiquing his argument (use to model evaluation).
• Teacher guide for analyzing Rifkin, by CSU Task Force on Expository Reading and Writing. Contains introduction to appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), how to read op-eds, and
  suggestions for introducing students to analysis and rhetorical reading. 
• How to chart a text, plus Rifkin charted (from course reader)   
• Introducing Key Concepts with examples from Rifkin - descriptions of charting, project, argument, claims, evidence, and strategies, with examples and model paragraphs that use Rifkin. (By Melissa Watson - still in draft phase, feel free to improve, remix and re-post.)
• The Rhetorical Precis + Drafting Paper 1 Using Rifkin as model. Draft introductions, discussions of textual organization and strategies using Rifkin. (By Melissa Watson - still in draft phase, feel free to improve, remix and re-post. Also, this page has a list of videos that could be used to introduce Rifkin. By Karen Malfara)
• Reading, discussing and analysing Rikfin: Some discussion starters, strategies for reading, and a homework assignment. 9 Sample analyses of Rifin, and yet more sample student analyses. 
• Todd May, "The Stories We Tell Ourselves" Here is a writing exercise that draws on May's article. It asks students to write a rhetorical summary of May’s text, then describe a story that "you or
  someone you know tells that resembles those described by May. How does this story express values? How does it make claims, or persuade others to see the teller in a certain way?"
• Teaching Notes for Hari's “The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, & it’s Not What You Think.” 
• Student election signs - can be used to introduce strategies. 
• BLEICH, "California's Higher-Education Debacle: Watching the decline of the California State University system from within its boardroom mirrors the erosion of the California dream." LA Times. Original online version on LA Times site is here. See also a list of LA Times reader comments that respond to the op-ed by Bleich. A detailed analysis of claims, evidence, strategies etc. exists and will appear here soon.
• Bleich Charted - Here is the chart for Bleich that we completed in ITC 
• Parry's "The Art of Branding a Condition." Short text written by a medical marketer revealing some of the rhetorical strategies used in drug advertising and marketing. Can be used to introduce rhetoric and rhetorical strategies. Also, Discussion ideas, exercises, homework and group work that uses the Parry text, and More activities and exercises that use Parry, and some class activities or homework.
• We often use texts that are “self-reflexive,” that self consciously reveal rhetorical devices and persuasive strategies.  Advertising and marketing that does this can be fun to examine, and a good way to introduce rhetoric. The Kotex tampon commercials So Obnoxious and “How Do I Feel About My Period?" are entertaining. So to is Vince Parry's “"The Art of Branding a Condition” (above) and the short video SubText (see below).
• "Using Advertisements to Introduce Rhetoric," Sandra Effinger. 
• David Foster Wallace's Commencement Speech "This is Water"  Alicia Upano has prepared a batch of teaching materials for this: 

  1. The text charted,

  2. A breakdown of Foster Wallace's argument 

•  If you'd like a video that provides a 14 minute introduction to rhetoric as a field, Clemson University graduate students have produced a very useful and thoughtful piece. 
  It's a sophisticated, scholarly and somewhat less entertaining way of introducing rhetoric. You may want to start at 1.30. 
   

 

 

Other Short Texts & Materials - Praxis, FrankenReader, & intro texts

• You will find a number of short texts you can use in Praxis: A Brief Rhetoric, by Carol Lea Clark. For example, page 22 contains a transcript of Obama's election speech, followed by a detailed analysis of it. If you are interested in using this speech, you may also find this site useful - http://changingminds.org/analysis/obama_victory_speech.htm This contains video of the speech, the full text, and more detailed analysis of it (something like "charting").
• The FrankenReader - this is a collection of excerpts from popular rhetoric/composition handbooks you may find useful for teaching 100 and 200. It includes a section on short texts that are "charted" (the main moves and strategies are described). The table of contexts is listed on the wiki, but you'll need to go to Blackboard to access the files (there's also a print copy in the RWS office you can photocopy).
• A helpful guide to introducing rhetoric using examples from advertising, by Sandra Effinger 
• The rhetoric of football coaches- New York Times story that decribes how Jets coach Rex Ryan inspires his players, focusing on the speeches he gives. The success of the coach is discussed in terms of his rhetoric.  "William McGurn does not follow football. But before he wrote for The Wall Street Journal, he once served as chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He knows what separates a great speech from a good one. It starts with a purpose: to inspire, to explain, to persuade or, in the case of Ryan and most coaches, to exhort. To achieve that purpose, there must be an issue, context, something to overcome. Delivery, structure, all the elements of a great speech, matter only as they relate to purpose. From "Channeling Churchill, Ryan Inspires His Team," by Greg Bishop. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/sports/football/08ryan.html, 
• RENAMING & REFRAMING ECONOMIC ISSUES: these two New York Times articles discuss how using language to strategically rename and reframe issues can be powerfully persuasive. The first, ("The Debt Trap") provides a history of how Americans were persuaded to change the way they thought about debt, mortgages, and their homes. (See esp. the section called "Changing the Language") In particular, it considers how the second mortgage (synonymous with financial trouble) was renamed a "home equity loan," and the role of this in a series of marketing campaigns (think also of how high interest loans are renamed "cash advances"). The second ("Bailouts Reframed as ‘Orderly Resolutions’") by economist Robert Schiller, talks about how politicians and the Federal Reserve have come up with a set of terms to rename "bailouts" so that they do not cause outrage.   

 

Short Texts from Debate Sites

If you want to take you class in more of a traditional debate direction,  there are 3 very useful sites.

1. IQ Squared, by PBS, presents Oxford-style debates on key topics, and often features some famous names. There's videos and transcripts, and some good debates on the issues we're tackling this semester. See http://intelligencesquaredus.org/, and also http://intelligencesquaredus.org/index.php/past-debates/global-warming-is-not-a-crisis/ for a debate on global warming. 
2. Procon.org - maps out common claims on multitude of issues, plus background info, analysis of source reliability, etc. Here's the one on climate change http://climatechange.procon.org/#arguments 
3. Debatepedia.org - main page contains list of all most currently debated topics. Also has pages specifically on climate change, eg http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Is_climate_change_chiefly_human-caused%3F

 

 

Short Texts about the Environment & Social Justice

 

Calls to Action

• The Meatrix , a series of short animations about factory farms. Have been viewed millions of times, and included as bonus material on the DVD for Fast Food Nation. There is a wikipedia article on the animations. The animation worried meat producers, and the Pork Board responded by taking surveys to see how many children had seen the animation, and by producing counter-movies. See this article for more info.
• This video by Chipotle, "Back to the Start,"  connects directly with issues raised in Food Inc. It's cleverly made, and makes interesting use of Willie Nelson singing Coldplay. Chipotle was, I believe, a sponsor of Food Inc.  
• Bill McKibben, "Global Warming: Get Up, Stand Up!" From the Spring 2007 issue of OnEarth magazine. An urgent call to arms/manifesto about the need to embrace immediate action on global warming.
• Paul Krugman, "Betraying the Planet." New York Times op-ed. June 28, 2009.
• Al Gore, "We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change." (see also annotated version of Gore's op-ed produced by Joe Romm,
• "An introduction to global warming impacts: Hell and High Water" A blog post by Joe Romm, March 22, 2009 (“The Web's most
  influential climate-change blogger” — Time Magazine).
• Must-Read Study: "The Media's Decision to Play the Stenographer Helped Opponents of Climate Action Stifle Progress" A blog post by Joe Romm. May be useful to read as an introduction to Oreskes, as it analyzes why the media has done such a poor job talking about global warming - an issue discussed by Oreskes.
• Thomas Friedman, Seeds for a Geo-green Party.  New York Times, June 16, 2006.
• Thomas Friedman, "Hope for a Hot, Flat and Crowded World." Interview with Elizabeth Kolbert for Yale Environment 360 magazine.
• Chris Mooney, "On issues like global warming and evolution, scientists need to speak up." Washington Post, Sunday, January 3, 2010.

 

Climate skeptics & their critics - could be used to have students summarize and evaluate positions

• John P. Holdren, Convincing the climate-change skeptics." The Boston Globe, August 4, 2008
• Jeff Jacoby, "Where's global warming?" The Boston Globe, March 8, 2009.
• "The Galileo of Global Warming," American Spectator editorial, May 2001. Deeply critical of claims about global warming, the
  editorial states, "Overall, the situation is simple. Politicized scientists with government grants and dubious computer temperature models persuaded the world's politicians to make pompous fools of themselves in Kyoto. Socialist politicians were happy to join an absurd movement to impose government regulations over the world energy supply and thus over the world economy. The scientific claims and computer models have now blown up in their faces. But rather than admit error they persist in their fear-mongering. When this happened with DDT, hundreds of millions of people died of malaria. They continue to die. How many people would die as a result of an energy clamp on global capitalism?"
• GEORGE WILL, "Dark Green Doomsayers" Washington Post, February 15, 2009.Will's op-ed was highly controversial,
•  caused outrage, and prompted a torrent of criticism against the Washington Post editors for publishing it. A few responses are below.
• CHRIS MOONEY "Climate Change Myths and Facts" - responds to Will. Washington Post, March 21, 2009. 
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032002660.html
• Joe Romm,"Is George Will the Most Ignorant National Columnist?" Washington Post, February 15, 2009
• "A Suggested Correction For Will’s ‘Dark Green Doomsayers’ Column",  by Think Progress writers. Feb 22nd, 2009.
• Erich Vieth "George Will’s irresponsible article denying climate change and the Washington Post’s irresponsible fact-checking." Blog post by on March 04th, 2009.

 

Other Short Texts & Materials

• SubText, a short video that is good for introducing rhetoric, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=400w4XnjElI

• Kid Rock, "Citizen Soldier" video A music video produced by Kid Rock as a recruiting tool for the National Guard. The video was shown often in cinemas before the start of movies several years ago. It is a rich text for discussing issues of persuasion, argument, rhetorical strategy, audience, etc. Also comes with Video of Kid Rock talking about making of "Citizen Soldier", shooting the video with the National Guard and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• Animation based on Peter Singer' book The Life You Can Save - video of the book's argument in 3 minutes, plus
  the web site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onsIdBanynY&feature=player_embedded#! Also, check out this web site http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/

• Brooks, "The End of Philosophy." Op-ed about study of morality from evolutionary perspective.

• “Would You Slap Your Father? If So, You’re a Liberal.” NICHOLAS KRISTOF, NYT, May 27, 2009.

• Kristof, "When Our Brains Short Circuit," http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/opinion/02kristof.html

• David Barash "The Roar of the Crowd: Sports fans' primal behavior." The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 20, 2009.
• Citizen Enforcers Take Aim."  NYT article about patterns in the way people, and some animals, approach revenge, justice, and forgiveness.
• Marketing, Shopping & Evolution http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/science/19tier.html?em
• Peter Singer, "The Singer Solution to World Poverty," New York Times Magazine,September 05, 1999
• From Elle magazine, an article on High School Musical. Text only version here.

 

Analyzing Multimodal Rhetorics Using Infographics

• Class activity with reading notes
• Arola, Sheppard, and Ball Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects- Chapter 1: "What Are Multimodal Projects?"