Hi, Class. To get us started thinking about what is communicated in the symbols around us, let me share a few of the rhetorical choices I made in setting up this space.
LAYOUT:
- I wanted the class blog to be friendly, so I chose warm colors.
- But I also wanted it to be serious so I opted out of "cute" or comic templates.
TEXT:
- The theme "word+remedy" is consistent with the title of the course on the syllabus. This repetition is intended to reinforce the simplicity and centrality of rhetoric to the course (in-class and in the Angel work space, I explain that the title comes from I. A. Richards' definition of rhetoric as "miscommunication and its remedy").
- The course title of this+that also implies the fluid, evolutionary process of writing which we will embrace through the drafting process.
- Lastly, the "+" sign is a nod to the influence/evolution of writing in digital spaces. Throughout the semester we will discuss, and maybe even argue, about what academic composing should look like and what "counts" in the Academy.
IMAGE:
- This is a piece of a photo I took in Ethiopia of a young man headed to market with a bundle of chat on his head. In the original photo the yellow and red bags set against the green chat reflect the Ethiopian flag.
- But chat is a narcotic leaf with complicated social and political implications on a national scale. The picture speaks to me of the tough choices farmers with hungry children make.
- Because I couldn't fit the whole photo in the blog header I cropped it so that it becomes even more anonymous and universal, eliminating most of the face of the young man and all of the background.
So, we are off. As you come across rhetorically significant images or videos in the next few weeks, bookmark them for use in class later. Looking forward to your thoughts.
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