Writing and Rhetoric Workshop: Language, Literacy & Civic Action.
MW 10:30-11:45, in person (Face-2-Face)
Writing Intensive
When was the last time you heard or read something that moved you to do something—donate after a a disaster, buy something, volunteer, pick up that piece of trash, vote, or just think differently? Have you ever heard different calls for the same act: donations after a weather disaster for example? Did one message persuade you more than others? That persuasion that moved you to act is rhetoric at work. Rhetoric, as Aristotle defined it, is the faculty for observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. This course will focus on the role of communication in addressing social, political, and environmental issues both locally and globally. We will engage readings on literacy (i.e, Street, Gee) and language politics (i.e., Anzalzúa, Canagarajah, Silva, V. Young) to examine how linguistic repertoires are mobilized in calls to action, particularly civic action. Our examinations will move from reception to production: we will first work to understand which messages resonate in our communities and why certain rhetorical artifacts are more effective at motivating someone to act than others. A significant part of the course will constellate around identifying causes important to us and determining how to increase the effectiveness of calls to action.
A Sample of Readings Topics we will engage:
Literacy, Autonomous and Social models (B. Street, J. Gee);
Language Politics (G. Anzaldúa, N. Silva,)
Contemporary Rhetoric (K. Burke, D. Baca, V. Villanueva, G. Gilyard, S. Lyons)
Civic engagement (M. Cooper, E. Cushman, L. T. Smith)
Assignments:
Leading Discussion with Activity
In Process Writing (annotations, in-class freewrites)
Rhetorical Investigation into the messaging of a non-Profit Org., PSA funder., or government agency (5-6 pages)
Design of a rhetorical intervention (i.e., PSA, community workshop, call to action) to promote Civic Engagement (10 pages)