Collaborative Advice and Signing Off the Blog!

Hi, everyone.

Here is some of the advice we have collaboratively generated this week while working on the "real" forms of the Public Awareness Project. As you can see, it is multivocal, so there is a some switching between "you" and "I/we" and an abstract third person:

RHETORICAL REVISION
--Make sure that the format of the open letter is suitable for the specific venue where it will be published or seen.

--Spelling and syntax are incredibly important in public documents, i.e., a single typo can loom very large. Beware of the homonyms (sound-alike words), such as "affect" and "effect".

--How can you avoid logical or affective fallacies in your text? Which ones do you think your reader will be looking out for? How would they read your text “defensively”?

--Clarify my aim/purpose for writing; this might be done by making it clear to the audience what would be gained by their reading it.

--Visual clarity--I need to make my visual aims as clear and focused as if they were stated with words.

--Think of incorporating sources as voices, or “acknowledging influences” (Harris, Rewriting 80). How can you acknowledge the influence of one writer’s whole claim on your own?

--How will you implicitly establish and maintain your credibility with this particular group of readers (your audience)?

LOGISTICS OF THE PROJECT
--Be sure to cite sources of images (give credit and/or include “courtesy of” statements).

--Tables, charts, or grids and other illustrations need to be cited in your document.

--How will you make it authentic and believable (i.e., you’re not just pretending)?

REMINDERS/IMPORTANT ASPECTS
--If I am creating a PowerPoint that I intend to use as part of a class discussion, lecture, or speech, I shoudl probably provide a written-out script or notes or accompanying lesson plan.

--If you are creating a visual or multimedia presentation to stand alone, then make sure it is long and in-depth enough for the reader to understand its full context (i.e., more than just 5 or 6 slides).

--Winterowd says that to fully understand a message, we should be aware of how a structure is being used to deliver it. The structure needs to be able to “speak for itself.”

Thanks for your hard work and enthusiasm this semester. I look forward to seeing your final projects next week. Signing off the blog,

Dr. Graban
12/11/08

Revision Plan

Hi, everyone.

Sometime between now and 5 p.m. Friday, please do two things in a single post:

1) write a revision plan for your Historical-Causal Analysis, a.k.a. "research form," based on how you might rework it after today's peer review. This isn't meant to be busy work--you can be concise but please be specific. In one to two paragraphs you should be able to discuss the most significant changes you will make, where in the paper you will make them, and why. As you post, remember that we need to be filled in on the details of your project and we need to understand your whole discursive aim with the paper.

2) discuss more concretely the real form(s) you would like to create (in terms of audience, aim, genre, venue, etc.). As you think about how to repurpose your historical-causal "discovery" into another form, be willing to commit to this form and be ready to discuss specific aspects of its rhetorical construction. If at all possible, as part of your post, include links or references to similar genres so that we can see what you are aiming for.

Rather than create a new post, you may feel free to "comment" on this one.

Good luck and have fun with this. The more you can show, the further along you are!

-Dr. Graban

We are One

Part One:

Ida B. Wells-Barnett states in the first sentence of "Lynch Law in America:" "OUR country's national crime is lynching." I felt as if this one sentence, which sets the tone for the entire article written by Wells-Barnett, easily fits in with Enoch's article "Becoming Symbol-Wise: Kennth Burke's Pedagogy of Critical Reflection." I really feel as if this fits into this category due to the fact that during the time this article was written, hate crimes and discrimination against blacks were on high, even forty years after the civil war. How she states "our" makes it known they are one country and this is everyone who lives in it's problem. As according to how Enoch describes symblolism, Wells-Barnett is symbolizing her entire work with the first word, she is symbolizing this is on the national scale and this is everyone's issue, not just the people who live in Jonesville.
The next point that I thought fit into symbolism here is Wells-Barnett's use of "unwritten law" in scare quotes. I feel she did this for the very purpose of scaring people. The symbolism from this writting technique I feel made people feel as if this is something serious that is happening, which it there was, people were being killed from petty things based on race. But what she is doing by this is showing that if this is happening now with no repercussions, then what is going to happen and be allowed next.

Part 2:

The one thing I always have a huge issue with is coming up and finding topics for projects, this one is no exception. Though I am not an education major, both of my parents and my sister are educators, so this is something I have taken to heart and have heard issues dealing with throughout my entire life. A project that I did for a class last spring semester dealt with school buildings and conditions, why are some schools comparable to resorts while the school down the road is being held up on cinder blocks. I am now feeling as if I am wanting to look into schools and what kind of funding they recieve and why they recieve what they do. Why are schools funded based on the wealth of the surrounding community. If these children are the future, why are they being held back due to the fact they live in a poor community. The best genre that I feel would be effective for this type of discourse would be a study based on the conditions these children are put in front of compared to a study basing on a school funded to have everything. I really feel the audience I would persue are leaders who over-see the education system or those who really see education as a very important asset to our future generations. Any suggestions? I'm putting this out there.

Rhetoric and Adolescent Pregnancy

Part 1

In Winterowd's "The Rhetoric of Beneficence, Authority, Ethical Commitment, and the Negative" he explains to the reader that there are many different objects that appear in discourse or forms of writing that make sentences much more than simply words that have been uttered or written. His main point is that sentences do not and cannot stand alone and carry any real meaning. He explains that word placement and context are crucial to understanding what a sentence it doing and what meaning it carries. Without knowing the intention and without knowing the meanings that certain performative verbs carry, the reader would not properly be able to determine what the writer or speaker was trying to convey.

Part 2

I was thinking that for my historical-causal analysis I would examine teen and young unmarried adult pregnancy. This is a really big issue in our society today and I think that there are many causes and many solutions, but a lot of people are oblivious to these so this is continuing to be a problem. I would gear this project towards adolescents as well as parents. I think this issue is something that everyone needs to be educated about and everyone needs to try to solve. The main points I will most likely examine will be methods of prevention, not just birth control methods, but education methods for young people and for parents. I would also probably examine the problems with abortion and how it condones teen pregnancy, while still supporting that abortion is better being legal. It's a complicated issue. Lastly I would pose some new solutions for how this issue can be argued. I am not exactly sure that this is the issue I will choose, I have a few others that I was thinking about, but so far this is my top choice. 

Discrimination Used as Symbols

Part 1:

After reviewing the article written by Enoch, entitled “Becoming Symbol-Wise” I began to think about how Barack Obama used the idea of symbols in his speech, “’A More Perfect Union.’” Obama spoke of “discrimination” (Obama 2, 3) as a way to unite the ideals and values of all Americans. This tactic portrays “good” public discourse because it allows the audience to view discrimination in a completely different way. When thinking of this word, one would immediately think of African Americans and the struggle that they endured to overcome this obstacle; however, Obama used discrimination to relate to all Americans, whatever racial background they may have. He stated that “a similar anger exists within segments of the white community (par. 35). This helps the audience to visualize discrimination as an American problem, one that is not just limited to African Americans. Ultimately, this idea furthers Obama’s aim by uniting Americans on their ideals and values, things that we all care about, equality for us all. By using the word “anger” (par. 35) to describe the effects of discrimination, Americans can see that this issue is bad for us all because it pertains to us all. Obama also states that “to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding” (par. 37). “Legitimate concerns” lets us know that our anger, as Americans that are sometimes discriminated against, is justified; and that through the idea of “’a more perfect union’” (par. 1) we can eliminate this negative thing that holds us back from our day to day lives. Obama reinforces the idea that discrimination is a negative aspect of all our lives by using other symbols and other select words to portray this concept and lead us to think this way. This ultimately allows us to see how Obama is trying to unite us as Americans with the same ideals and values.

Part 2:

I’m not quite sure what question I would love to pursue for my historical-causal analysis, but I would love to explore the idea of childcare. Maybe my possible question could be “What are the effects of placing your son or daughter in childcare?” If I don’t explore this idea, I would love to use the idea of what causes women to be either pro-choice or pro-life. I realize that this concept would obviously be extremely controversial, but I think it would be interesting to see why women support one value over the other. It’s obviously a level 5 conflict value, so it will be extremely complex, and I’m not sure if I’m being overly ambitious about this project. The real forms will obviously be geared towards women, probably those who have children or are of childbearing age. Perhaps I could write an article for women explaining the benefits or costs of placing her child in childcare. On the other hand, if I were to use the idea of the causes of pro-choice or pro-life I would love to use a handful of ads to portray this concept. I would want to keep in mind, that parents, especially mothers, are very sensitive and defensive when it comes to their children and how they raise them. I would want to keep this in mind, and I would want to make sure that I keep my biased opinion out of the analysis. I would also want to express both the positives and negatives of each side to help further the argument that I am trying to make. This genre form would need to be able to appeal to all women in order for it to be effective. It will need to be able to let women see the other side of the issue, and why some women feel the way that they do about raising their children, and how this benefits or hinders their children. I would also need to appeal to the emotions of my audience because I feel that when it comes to raising a child, a mother uses her emotions more than anything to do what’s best for her offspring.

Last blog and Idea

In David Neeleman's apology letter to JetBlues Customers he uses the expressed transition (Winterowd 44) and. He uses it between talking about the movement of aircraft then to "more importantly" (Neeleman) the stranded pilots and crew members. This transition of "and, more importantly," sets up that the real problem was not that planes could not get around but that JetBlue's infrastructure to deal with large scale storms and delays was flawed.

My idea for the final project is looking at what's possibly going to happen to the car industry as stricter mpg averages and other emissions regulations are put on the books. This issue is important because the US auto industry is very important to the economy, especially here in the Midwest. I intend to look back at the last big transition in the auto industry which was safety. Car manufactures had to really rethink things to make the cars as light and as safe, in compliance with the governments new stricter regulations of the late 60's through the mid 90's. I will research more about what those regulations were about, what prompted them and how the car companies tried to deal with them. This will be my research form. My real form will possibly be a editorial in an automobile magazine such as Car and Driver It will look back fondly on how cars used to be, and then talk about how much improved they are today and that the car must continue to evolve and that car enthusiasts need to lead the way.
I'm not sure if this will be my real form or exactly the direction I want to go but something close to it. Any suggestions?

Last Blog Post!

I believe that Laurence Musgrove's article "The Real Reasons Students can't Write" is a piece of "good" public discourse partly due to its form. W. Ross Winterowd describes different types of form in his article "Dispositio", but Winterowd's concept of recurring images, symbols, and ideas as creating form is a concept that creates form in Musgrove's article. Throughout Musgrove's article, he is trying to persuade his audience that students cannot write for a specific reason without placing this problem completely on the students. He also places some blame on the teachers/professors , and then proposes a possible, yet midly sarcastic solution. However, throught this article, the idea that students writing habits are not up to par and need to be addressed for their benefit is a recurring theme or idea present in the "The Real Reasons Students can't Write", which creates a sense of form throughout.

For my historical-causal analysis, I wish to analyze how the No Child Left Behind Act has affected low-income schools, administrations and students, negatively. I think that my idea for a real form, would have been more effective before Barack Obama won the election, since I am from Illinois and would like to write a letter to a senator as to how this is an important issue that needs to be addressed at the national level because it is a national law. I believe that I will need to construct my article to show the inner-city schools effectively as to appeal to administrators and parents of these schools, as well as appeal to my main audience of middle-income/high-income, generally white parents and administrators of schools and districts that do not deal with the NCLB daily. I would like to introduce the schools and students who deal with NCLB with a sense of objectivity, before showing the negative effects of NLCB. This would help keep the main audience since many people who do not associate with NLCB believe that it is a positive and effective plan. This genre form will need to convince the Illinois senators that NLCB has not been effective on low-income schools, and has, in fact, hurt the schools, students, and administrations more than it has helped.