Unit 1: Reading America
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Doubting & Believing Games
Peter Elbow introduced the “doubting” and “believing games” in the 1970s to make critical thought conscious and easily practicable. As Elbow described it in his 2008 address to the CCCC, the doubting game is “the disciplined practice of trying to be as skeptical and analytic as possible with every idea we encounter. By trying hard…
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Kairos in Action: Horror Movies
To be successful in our communications, we must learn how to extrapolate the values and fears of our audiences. This slideshow offers examples of successful horror movies that managed to do that.
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Ads for Rhetorical Analysis
Marketing executives play on cultural values and beliefs to stimulate desire. Analyzing advertisements is therefore a fairly reliable way to gauge the emotional climate of American life.