Agenda
What is Rhetoric?(and why should we care?)Thursday, September 1,
2011andTuesday, September 6, 2011
AgendaReadingsAgendaReadingsSelecting Project One Groups
AgendaReadingsSelecting Project One Groups ExercisesAgendaOur
Readings So Far:What is Rhetoric?RhetoricExcepts from Aristotles
RhetoricA Few Definitions of Rhetoric websiteGeneral
IntroductionBitzers Rhetorical Situation
What is rhetoric?We hear this word all the timeeven today.
But what does it really mean?A Few Definitions of
RhetoricRhetoric is buffeted by storms of signification coming from
two directions. From one direction comes the general publics
perception, reinforced by the popular media, of rhetoric as
bombast, figurative language designed to cover up either deception
or shallow substance.
Keywords in Composition (213)
A Few Definitions of RhetoricA rhetoric is a social invention.
It arises out of a time and place, a peculiar social context,
establishing for a period the conditions that make a peculiar kind
of communication possible.James Berlin, Writing Instruction in
Nineteenth-Century America 1
A Few Definitions of RhetoricRhetoric is the study of
misunderstandings and their remedies.I.A. RichardsThe Philosophy of
RhetoricA Few Definitions of RhetoricRhetoric is a primarily
verbal, situationally contingent, epistemic art that is both
philosophical and practical and gives rise to potentially active
texts.William Covino and David Jolliffe,What is Rhetoric? (5)A Few
Definitions of RhetoricEvery rhetoric. . . Has at its base a
conception of reality, of human nature, and of language. In other
terms, it is grounded in a noetic field: a closed system defining
what can, and cannot, be known; the nature of the knower; the
nature of the relationship between the knower, the known, and the
audience; and the nature of language.
James Berlin (Writing 2)
A Few Definitions of RhetoricRhetoric, was, first and foremost,
the art of persuasive speaking.
Bizzell and Herzberg (1-2)
A Few Definitions of RhetoricRhetoric selects, from the vast
realm of human discourse, occasions for speaking and writing that
can be regarded as persuasive in intent.
Bizzell and Herzberg (2)
A Brief History of RhetoricClassical RhetoricA Brief History of
RhetoricClassical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricA Brief History of
RhetoricClassical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricThe RenaissanceA Brief
History of RhetoricClassical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricThe
RenaissanceThe EnlightenmentA Brief History of RhetoricClassical
RhetoricMedieval RhetoricThe RenaissanceThe
EnlightenmentNineteenth-Century RhetoricA Brief History of
RhetoricClassical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricThe RenaissanceThe
EnlightenmentNineteenth-Century RhetoricModern and Post Modern
RhetoricA Brief History of RhetoricWere going to spend some time
working in groups talking about most of these periods. Each group
will be given a portion of the Introduction to review with their
group and then you will briefly present to the class, highlighting
and describing key ideas.Group 1: Classical Rhetoric: up to and
including ArrangementGroup II: Classical Rhetoric: from Style to
end of sectionGroup III: The RenaissanceGroup IV: The 19th
CenturyGroup V: Modern and Post-Modern What is rhetoric?The value
in understanding rhetoric in this class is an awareness of the
theory behind the production of effective, rhetorically-aware
texts. We do this in order for us to become even more self-aware
and reflexive producers ourselves.As it says in our syllabus, the
goals of this course are: (1) to increase your composing-designing
proficiency within and across different media, (2) to increase your
editorial/editing proficiency, and (3) to increase your awareness
and control of the rhetorical principles that infuse each.To begin
this course, we need to become familiar with those rhetorical
principles and key terms, and we need to see how they work in
practice.What is rhetoric?In this class, we will be producing texts
in different modesin print and onlineand learning how to
effectively design them. However, design is virtually useless if it
doesnt take into account the needs of the situation and doesnt
articulate a fitting response to it.Take a look at
this:http://vimeo.com/4246943
What is Rhetoric?Take a few minutes to write about your
readings, using your readers notebook as a guide. Id like you to
write:One question about the texts that you can share with the
class.Something about the texts that was unclear, confusing or
dense that youd like to crowdsource to clarify.Then well all share
and discuss what youve written.AgendaReadingsSelecting Project One
Groups ExercisesAgendaExercises:
AgendaExercises:Is This Rhetoric?
AgendaExercises:Is This Rhetoric?Keyword Imaging
Is This Rhetoric?
Is This Rhetoric?Take a listen to Aragorns speech from The
Return of the King.Is this rhetoric?If it is rhetoric, how can we
apply some of the terms weve just discovered to what Aragorn is
doing? Lets try.Is This Rhetoric?How about the facebook home
page?
Or this famous poster?
What key terms can you apply tothese examples?
Keyword ImagingSo weve read four texts with lots of keywords
that youll all be writing about with your Keyword Cheat Sheets. Id
like to begin your work on Weekly Project One by asking you to
think about a term in a unique wayI want you to draw an image or a
series of images that explain the term Ive just given your group.
The written word is not allowed.Youll all be given paper and
crayons to complete this task. Ill give you all ten minutes or so
and then Id like you to briefly present your work to the class.What
is Rhetoric?(and why should we care?)Thursday, September 1,
2011andTuesday, September 6, 2011
