In todays multimedia world,
effective arguments rely increasingly on the power of images to persuade
their audience. Think about the many different visually based arguments
that you encounter everyday: a television commercial showing Michael
Jordan sweating fluorescent Gatorade green; an editorial cartoon of
Harry Potter, his lightning bolt scar replaced with a large dollar sign;
war protest footage in System of the Downs music video
for Boom; the cover of Sports Illustrated, featuring
tennis star Anna Kournikova posed alluringly in an off-the-shoulder
blouse and a seductive smile. Each of these images presents an argument;
each of these texts uses visual rhetoric as a means of persuasion. In
this course, you will work toward creating your own powerful arguments,
both about and through visual rhetoric. Youll begin by becoming
proficient readers of visual arguments. Well analyze comic strips
and cartoons on a variety of subjects for instance, George Bush,
education, cloning, the War in Iraq, student life and then move
to advertisements from Got Milk spots to movie trailers for The
Matrix Reloaded. As we examine the ways in which images are used
to persuade, youll select your own example of visual rhetoric
to analyze, first informally in class, then more formally in an essay.
of PWR1 (from
courses aim to develop students skills in incisive analysis
and substantive research-based argument; drawing on well-defined
and time-tested rhetorical principles, students learn to present
ideas with the intellectual and stylistic force expected of members
of the university academic community.
Toward these ends, PWR 1, the required first-year course, focuses
on elements of academic analysis and argumentunderstanding
a writers stance, developing a supportable argumentative thesis,
discovering, developing, and deploying cogent proofs, making appropriate
organizational and stylistic choices, and writing for a range of
audiences. A major component of PWR 1 is research-based writing,
including the effective use of print and non-print sources, primary
and secondary sources, and data based on fieldwork. By the end of
PWR 1, students will have carried out significant research and used
it as the basis for a polished and persuasive research-based essay.
In the second part of the quarter,
our attention will shift to different media (photography, propaganda,
architecture, and film) and to the complicated process of constructing
a research-based argument. Youll
generate your own research topic on a subject that interests you. You
might decide, for example, to look at the medias influence on
public opinion about the war on Iraq; the interrelationship between
video games and high school violence; the protest art of the Guerrilla
Girls; Native-American team mascots and cultural stereotyping; weblogs
and modern self-expression your topic can focus on science, film,
sports, advertising or even Stanford campus life as long as long as
it engages visual rhetoric as a form of argumentation. The research
process itself will involve many stages: from writing a proposal, to
selecting and contextualizing your sources, to outlining, drafting and
revising your paper. Our last day of the course will be devoted to a
showcase of student work and to reflecting about the principles and
uses of visual rhetoric at Stanford and in the world beyond.
About PWR1H - Section
3: The Program
in Writing and Rhetoric is offering a limited number of PWR1 honors
sections this quarter. According to the PWR course description,
sections are offered for students considering majors in which
writing figures prominently and other students with strong
backgrounds and interests in writing. The accelerated pace
allows for greater scope and depth in research projects.
If you opt to enroll in
PWR1H, section 3, you can anticipate a class with a more intensive
focus on writing issues; this focus will be reflected in classroom
discussions, the writing assignments, and the required reading.
There are two required course
texts for Section 1; there are three for Section 3. The Gibaldi and
Williams should be available through the Stanford Bookstore by the third
week of classes -- or, you can order them through amazon.com
if you prefer. The text of Envision is available on-line through
the link in the left frame of the course webpages. All supplementary
readings will be distributed to students or made available in .pdf form
Sections 1 & 3
Sections 1 & 3
Recommended: Section 1
Alfano & Alyssa O'Brien. Manuscript.
Gibaldi, Phyllis Franklin. The MLA Handbook for the Writers of Research
Papers. 6th ed. MLA 2003.
Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 7th edition.
& University Policies and Resources
- All PWR classes abide by specific
University and Program policies. For a list of these policies and
resources for first year PWR students, go to the Policies
attendance & participation
- Our class attendance and participation
policies are fairly straightforward: I expect you to be on time and
attend all our course meetings, conferences, and peer reviews. If
you do miss a class, you must make it up and you also must still turn
in any work due that day on time. Please keep the lines of communication
open: if you know in advance that you'll miss class, let me know;
conversely, if you unexpectedly need to be absent (because of illness,
family emergency, etc.) let me know as soon as possible so we can
determine a make-up plan for the work that you miss.
- Since we have a small class,
class discussion is an important facet of the learning experience,
and I have no doubts that you all will contribute actively to our
conversations. Remember, however, to be respectful of your classmates;
negative or demeaning remarks - even if you mean them in a "good-spirited"
way - don't have a place in our classroom.
For further clarification
of attendance policies, please consult the PWR
- Wallenberg & Computing
- We are fortunate to have been
assigned to a state of the art computer classroom. During the quarter,
we will have the opportunity to work with laptops, plasma screens,
a smart panel, and two large interactive Webster computers, controlled
by a stylus. However, with great technology comes great responsibility.
Please take and boot up a laptop at the beginning of each class, unless
otherwise directed; at the end of the class session, you should shut
down the computer - not just close it up - and stow it again in the
laptop cart, hooking it up to the appropriate power cable for the
shelf you chose. Remember: you should be gentle with these computers,
and under no circumstances are you to take them from the room.
- In terms of computer room etiquette,
you must not surf the web (unless directed to do so) or check your
e-mail during class; anyone who does so may be demoted to pen and
paper for the rest of the class session. In addition, when we start
working with the collaborative software on the computers, you should
be respectful in sharing the computer screens and should not "seize
control" of a screen, unless you have been directed by me to
- Finally, this is a WRITING
class, not a COMPUTER class. Accordingly, I will not be teaching "how-to"
lessons on using technology, beyond the most necessary skills. You
should make friends with your RCCs and familiarize yourself with the
Meyer Help Desk and the Acomp
website for help on technology related issues. I also will make
myself available outside of class on an individual or group basis
for some tech-help. Look at the Tech Resources
list on the Policies & Resources page
for additional tech support options.
on ethics & image use: As part of an academic community,
you need to use source material ethically and appropriately. Just
as you would not plagiarize another writer's words, so you should
not use someone else's image without giving him or her credit.
Accordingly, for every image that you use in class - whether it
be for a class exercise, a paper, or a visual project - you should
keep records of where you got it from and when you accessed it
(if it's an on-line image). Keeping clear records from the start
will prevent hassles later.
- One of my goals for this class
is to move toward having a paperless classroom. You will receive very
few handouts in class; all of the course materials will be available
through this website. To facilitate your own "paperlessness",
I have set up a PanFora
forum for our section. PanFora is a Stanford-designed and hosted
on-line bulletin board environment that allows students to store documents
and post/reply to messages through a designated class web-space. We
will be using our Panfora space as a forum for conversation and peer
review, and as an archive for student work. The PanFora button, located
along the left margin of webpages for this class, will connect you
to our forum. You are responsible for posting all of your assignments
on PanFora as you complete them.
- Please note:
- Apple users should access
PanFora through Netscape
- PC users should use Explorer
- Apple users should be sure
to include the .doc extension on all documents posted to the class;
alternately, they could save attachments as .rtf documents (rich
text format) or .pdfs to allow viewing across different computer
- All students should routinely
back-up their work, using CDs and/or their personal Leland space
in addition to their PanFora archive.
& Rhetoric Assignments
- For this class, you will complete
a series of both informal and formal assignments that will work together
to help you experiment with, develop, and refine skills and strategies
that you will need to do powerful and purposeful research and to construct
forceful arguments. You will move from a rhetorical analysis of a
piece of visual rhetoric to a complex and sophisticated research project
on the topic of your choice. Since these assignments work cumulatively,
it is important that you stay on schedule and turn them in on time.
For my part, I will return your papers to you within 7 to 14 days
after I receive them so that you can incorporate my feedback in your
future writing projects.
(& % of grade):
Participation - 5%
& on Panfora)
assignments - 15%
Analysis - 10%
Contextual Analysis- 20%
Research revision - 45%
Visual Argument- 5%
I will be using the
PWR Assessment Criteria for grading your assignments; in addition,
you will receive individual assignment sheets for the papers clarifying
the goals and expectations for the specific assignments.
Below are brief descriptions of
the writing assignments. More detailed assignment sheets will be distributed
at appropriate times during the quarter through our website. It is important
that you follow all directions on the assignment sheets; papers will
be marked down if they do not complete the assignment correctly - or
if they are late.
- Informal Writing Assignments:
These may include in-class exercises, free-writes, paragraphs, paper
evaluations, a "How I Write"
report, and peer review forms. Many of the assignments culminating
in the research paper fall under this category and are intended to
facilitate the student's progress through the research process. PWR1H
Section 3 will keep a writer's log that each
student will turn in at the end of the quarter. Note: these are informal,
not optional assignments: you will receive credit (though not a letter
grade) for completing these assignments.
Analysis: You will write a 3-5 page
paper analyzing the visual rhetoric of the text(s) of your choice.
will create 3 popular articles that articulate multiple sides on his/her
research topic. Each "side" will be 1-2 academic pages in
length. The project will be accompanied by a 1-2 page assessment of
the context, arguments, and kairos of this particular debate.
Research Project: Over the course of
the quarter, you will work on a research project that both engages
and utilizes visual rhetoric effectively. We will go through the process
of writing a research paper step by step, from writing a proposal,
to using the library, performing fieldwork, collecting data, outlining,
drafting, and revising. At the end of the quarter, you will produce
a piece of original visual rhetoric focused on the topic of your research
- Submission & Revision
- All paper submissions should
be machine-generated and stapled: all written assignments, whether
posted or on paper, should contain text that is 1 ½ or double-spaced,
in 12 point font, with one inch margins. Papers longer than 2 pages
should have a title page and page numbers. You should follow MLA documentation
style for the papers you write for this class. Posted submissions
should contain a relevant subject title and should also be completed
on time. You will need to scan images and save them as .jpgs for many
of these assignments; you will need to integrate these images into
your paper in a rhetorically effective manner.
You are responsible for making
additional copies of your papers at various times during the quarter
for peer reviewers and for ensuring that the reviewers receive those
- The PWR policy approach to
revision is simple: writing is a process, not a product. For
this reason, all of the major assignments in this class are incremental,
involving drafting, peer reviewing, and revision stages.
- You also may revise any graded
paper for resubmission at the end of the quarter (the deadline for
resubmitted papers is Friday, December 5th). If you decide to revise
and resubmit a graded paper, keep in mind that turning in a revised
paper does not necessarily mean that you will automatically receive
a higher grade for the assignment. Revision, as we will discuss this
quarter, involves more than editing or cosmetic corrections; it often
involves significantly reshaping your argument, structure, and style.
All revised papers must be
resubmitted in a folder containing the following items:
- The revision with a new
title page including the word "revision" and the new
- The previous, graded version
of the paper with my comments written on it and the grade sheet
- A 1-2 page letter in which
you detail what you revised, why you made those revisions, and
your final reflections on this new version of the paper and on
the assignment as a whole.
All resubmissions must be
received by Friday, December 5th.
Visual rhetoric is an exciting
field of study and a great means through which to develop your skills
as a writer, researcher, and rhetorician. What you'll find in this course
is that once we start talking about visual arguments, you'll become
even more aware of how such rhetoric operates in our everyday lives.
Bring in your own examples and experiences to share with class -- xerox
articles, clip political cartoons, show us the front page of the Daily,
jot down notes on a commercial or poster you pass on the way to class.
Our class schedule may be set, but our topics of conversation are flexible:
let's work to make our discussions as relevant to real life as possible.
Finally, to let me know
that you have read the whole syllabus, please e-mail
me with the subject header "Got to the end!".
See you in class.