Links pertaining to our discussion of visual rhetoric!

A Visual Essay by Scenic America on Urban Sign Pollution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTEK9yr8zR4

Adbusters: “The Good Consumer”
http://www.adbusters.org/abtv/featured

Adbusters: Spoof Ads
http://www.adbusters.org/gallery/spoofads

Guide to Basic Analysis of the Layers of Meaning in Ads
http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/pages/howto.htm

Presentation on Color Theory by the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/715/01/

Jose Cuervo Google Image Search:
http://images.google.com/images?q=jose%20cuervo%20ad&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7DKUS&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Reading Response #4 Prompt

What are each of the central claims in Mangu-Ward, Joh, and Quarmby? Analyze the kinds of research (primary, secondary) and evidence (personal experience, facts) the authors use in support of their claims. How much are you influenced by the kinds of research and evidence provided? Why or why not? How do your prior values and beliefs affect how you read these essays?

2006 Rosebowl Pregame: ethos, pathos, & logos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETLXMT2sAl4

Prompt for Reading Response #3

How do Casassa and Dudley enact what you learned about ethnography in Chapter 10? What are some effective ways that they describe the culture they are studying? Cite examples. What evidence do the authors provide for their interpretations of the culture they are studying ? Give specifics. What kinds of specific research can you do to provide similar evidence for your own potential topic? Why?

Here are some helpful resources on the web to help you with Essay 3 (clink on the links below to visit each site):

A link to TCU student organizations (this is a great and exhaustive list of on-campus groups and organizations, divided into sub-categories like "Cultural/International," "Religious," and "Political." You might be surprised by how many groups there are that you've never even heard of):
http://www.sds.tcu.edu/organizations/organization_list_of_orgs.asp

A link to the Wikipedia entry on subcultures (it includes a list of subcultures that might help you as you brainstorm possible topics):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_youth_subcultures

Another, more regional/local list of possible subcultures (examples of ethnography topics from an anthropology class at UT Arlington):
http://www.sil.org/~headlandt/students.htm#scenes

This story is about Tongan football players at Trinity High School in Euless (it might help you to think in new ways about our own "tribal rituals":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95295728

Katie Couric's profile of Trinity High School and the Tongan members of the football team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbHffGdbEpw

Air Guitar Nation trailer:
http://www.airguitarnation.com/new/

King of Kong trailer:
http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/06/18/the-king-of-kong-movie-trailer/

Young at Heart trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UNEqfYwb6c

Jesus Camp trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOaaLN5vvk

Discovery Essay "Tentative Topic" Blog

Here's what to include in the short blog I assigned in class on Monday:

1.) Tentative topic for your discovery essay

2.) Tentative research question (the "focusing question" that will guide your research)

3.) Rationale: Why does this topic matter (to you? to other people?) What are your reasons for exploring this topic in your essay? (This part only needs to be a couple sentences)

Be sure to read 456-57 in Ballenger--this section will help you to determine if yours is a "researchable" question. It will also help you to think through the "rationale" portion of your blog.

Remember, your topic and research question are tentative at this point--not written in stone. You may very well take a new direction once you get into the thick of doing research.

TO GIVE YOU MORE TIME TO THINK THROUGH POSSIBLE TOPICS, THIS BLOG IS DUE BY 5 pm on FRIDAY (9/26)

Question Prompt for Reading Response #2

Before I give the prompt, I wanted to encourage you all to check out Geoff's blog. It's really cool. He shows how you might take advantage of the online medium by incorporating images into your response. Also, his blog is a good example of how the "look" of your writing (format, etc) can make it more accessible (and appealing) to readers.

As you write your reading response, be sure to cover everything included in the following prompt:

Show and explain how Garrett-Brown and Holmquist are discovery essays rather than traditional research papers. What is the overall controlling idea of each, and how does each author show and support it? The two authors include their own voices but still employ research: how do they do that successfully (or not)? How do these essays—and Ballenger’s suggestions for research papers (p. 429-33)—help you think about how you might approach Essay 2?

Question Prompt for Reading Response #1

In what ways do Hogg and Black demonstrate the features of the form Ballenger talks about on p. 94? Be sure to give specific examples. In what ways do they differ from his description? Finally: what do you think is the controlling idea (the “so what”) of Hogg’s and Black’s essays?

Feel free to deviate from this structure--it isn't a rigid formula, just something to get you thinking along productive lines for your response. However you choose to structure your post, though, I do want you to make connections between Ballenger and the two essays we're reading for Wednesday. That said, you can decide how much time you want to spend with each text.

Please email me this week (or over the weekend) if you have any questions or concerns about assignments, due dates, etc. I'm happy to help.

Welcome to our ENG 10803 course blog!

Please check this page regularly and often. I will often post instructions here for informal writing assignments and will sometimes--though not always--provide question prompts to guide you in your reading of course texts (and to provide possible jumping-off points for your written responses). I will try to let you know in class (or via email) when I have posted, or will post, assignment-related material on our course blog.

After class today, I will post a few question prompts related to the course readings you will complete for our next class meeting (Wednesday, 9/3). Feel free to use these as you compose your first reading response.

REMINDERS:

FOR THIS FRIDAY (Aug 29): By Midnight!!!

[1] Email me your "Elbow" free-writing assignment as a Microsoft Word attachment (aleisa.schat@tcu.edu).

[2] Set up your individual blog for the course and provide me with your blog's address by clicking on the "comments" hyperlink below this post.

FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY (Sept 3):

[1] Read Chapter 2 of CW (without exercises)

[2] Read Chapter 4, 91-95

[3] Read essays by Black (B11) and Hogg (B1) (located in the back of your textbook)

[4] Write your first blog post--briefly introduce yourself to the class (due by class time!!!)

[5] Reading Response 1 due (posted to your blog by 10 AM today)--700 words minimum


Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone! I'll see you in class next Wednesday!

-Aleisa