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Dr. Joe Wilferth |
E-mail: Joe-Wilferth@utc.edu |
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Office: Holt Hall 229B |
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Office Phone: 425-4621 |
Office Hrs: MW 1:00-3:00 |
Course Description : Visual
rhetoric? By now, you are familiar with the term rhetoric
– its casual (if not entirely pejorative) usage as well as the
term's use in academia to point to a field of study that has
historically focused on the role of language in society.
This course, you will find, is somewhat unique in English studies as it
borrows from other disciplines and seemingly diverse theoretical
foundations to explore the use of and the role of images in
our culture, specifically the role of images in communication. That
said, our course begins with the assumption that rhetoric works
according to multiple symbols systems—including spoken and
written language, of course—and those symbol systems also include
images, icons, photographs, video, text messaging, and more. Whereas
Roland Barthes so emphatically asked, "Why not wipe out the difference
between literature [that which we so value in English studies] and
painting in order to affirm more powerfully the plurality of texts?"
we continue his work to acknowledge, analyze, and produce texts
that, like works of literature, employ metaphor, employ hyperbole, move
viewers to action, to anger, to empathy, and more. We are here to study
visual rhetoric.
Visual texts should be considered among the "available means of persuasion" that Aristotle described in his treatise on rhetoric, but we must acknowledge that visual rhetoric neither displaces nor functions in isolation from other modes of communication, e.g., written captions, campaign slogans, etc. By studying visual rhetoric in the context of contemporary, popular culture—study that takes us across new technologies of mediation and production—we will discover how frameworks used to explore spoken and written communication are sufficient for some discussions but insufficient for others when studying visual rhetoric.
We begin our course by exploring definitions of visual rhetoric and the argumentative or persuasive potential of images. In doing so, we shall become over the course of the term familiar with the most current scholarship on the subject, scholarship that is often written from multi-disciplinary perspectives and experiences. Some questions we shall consider by the end of the term: Can images argue? Do images function rhetorically? How do various technologies impact the rhetorical potential of images? What are the relationships among visual, spoken, written, and digital rhetorics? What does it mean to read in a modern western culture? What does it mean to write in a modern western culture? What influences do screen-based technologies and multi-modality have on visual rhetoric? And how do we participate in the discourse of a global village? The course does not require any previous experience or expertise with digital technologies, though a willingness to explore and experiment with readily available composing technologies is expected.
Recommended Books
Required (or otherwise strongly recommended) Technology
Open Source (or otherwise free) Resources
GIMP (for photo editing)
Photo Story 3 (free for Windows)
Audacity (for sound editing)
NVU (for web design)
Dreamweaver CS3 (for web design - free trial)
Visual Analysis 10%
Select an image from contemporary popular culture and write a short (3-4 pages) analysis that explicates a plausible or intended meaning. In doing so, make clear the critical lens, i.e., the method of criticism, you use to analyze the image—e.g., feminist criticism, ideological criticism, etc. Whereas not all analyses are equally enlightening or convincing, you should choose carefully both your image and your method of analysis. As you begin your analysis, you may find it useful to include background or contextual information for the image and/or for the method of analysis.
Logo/Icon Design 5%
Using your initials (e.g., JMW ) and an icon that represents your personality or a hobby (e.g., a musical note, a butterfly, a boat, a Chinese character), design your own logo. The logo may be in color or in black-and-white; it should be of good quality in terms of resolution; and it must, in the end, be transparent in the "dead space" (determined by file format). Image size: no larger than 3" x 3". File type/format: .jpg, .gif, and .tif. (You will actually produce three versions of the same icon.) File size: respectable for format.
Photo Essay 15%
Develop a photo essay from original digital photographs (or from original images digitized by scanner) combined with original written and/or audio communication. You may use outside sources in addition to your own texts just as you would in a traditional essay; provide appropriate documentation as necessary. Your photo essay should combine elements of exposition and elements of persuasion that are designed to engage an intelligent reader/viewer who is interested in the topic of your photo essay. That said, consideration of audience is key to your success in this assignment. Completed photo essays should include a minimum of 10 photographs. You are welcome to use original or existing (i.e., "found") digital video, but it is not required for the project. (We will use in class Photostory 3 as we storyboard and draft our photo essays, but you are welcome to use any program you like to generate your final copy.)
Short Silent Movie or Music Video Montage/Mash-Up 20%
This project, regardless of the option you select, will include storyboarding and video editing. For those who choose to do the music video montage, sound editing (and somewhat cautious use of copyrighted materials) will be required. These projects should range between 3 and 5 minutes in length. More guidelines to be provided in class.
Public Service Announcement (PSA) 25%
Write a public service announcement (PSA) that is expository and persuasive in nature. This project will include storyboarding, video editing, and sound editing. Your PSA must ultimately be posted on YouTube and/or made available through your electronic portfolio (the final project for our class).
Keep America Beautiful
I learned it by watching you…
David Lynch's "Clean up NY" PSA
Dwight Schrute Bear Attack PSA
The Colors Don't Run PSA
UNICEF USA "Child Survival" PSA
ONE.org PSAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md0UHOUN6iE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbkETxo4RA0&mode=related&search =
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFfIIW_xQq4&mode=related&search =
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eih_ybKdVXU&mode=related&search =
Final Project 25%
Option A: You may write a 10-12 page essay (expository or argumentative/persuasive) on a subject related to our course theme. The subject and the essay itself should be written for an audience of peers. You may, in fact, wish to collaborate with peers to develop a cohesive panel presentation for a regional or national conference.
Option B: Develop a web-based or electronic portfolio that contains your work from this term. What exactly are electronic portfolios? Like all true portfolios, they contain several distinctive features. That is, they typically reflect a collection of work, a selection of work culled from an archival collection, a diversity of works, some reflection on the development process/development of the portfolio itself, as well as an evaluative section that aims to demonstrate what is valued by the portfolio's author. The portfolios will ultimately be presented to the class in our last days of the term. This presentation is to be considered somewhat formal; you should be organized and efficient with our time.
Campus E-mail: To enhance student services, the University (and therefore I) will use your UTC email address (firstname-lastname@utc.edu) for communications. (See http://onenet.utc.edu for your exact address.) Please check your UTC email on a regular basis. If you have problems accessing your email account, contact the Help Desk at 423.425.2676.
Late Work: All of your work is to be turned in on time. If, for emergency reasons, you are unable to uphold this course policy, please inform me immediately. I would prefer that you contact me 24 hours prior to when an assignment is due so that we might make necessary arrangements.
Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability ( e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, etc .) and think that you might need assistance or accommodation in this class, call the Office for Students with Disabilities/College Access Program at 425-4006 or visit their office in 110 Frist Hall.
Getting Started...
VisualLiteracy.org (Maps)
Viz. (Rhetoric,
Visual Culture, and Pedagogy) - a portal for teachers and
researchers of visual rhetoric; hosted by UT-Austin
Visual Essays
TIME Magazine's Photoessays
Indivisible.org ("Gallery")
Design
Getty
Images
Articles we'll use in class...
Daniel Anderson's "Prosumer Approaches to New Media Composition: Consumption and Production in Continuum" Kairos 8.1Anne Wysocki's "Monitoring Order: Visual Desire, the Organization of Web Pages, and Teaching the Rules of Design" Kairos 3.2
Ellen Cushman's "Composing New Media: Cultivating Landscapes of the Mind" Kairos 9.1
