Unit 1: Reading America
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Everything is an Argument
Because our way of creating and interpreting meaning is inescapably metaphoric and associative, learning how to consciously translate the meanings around us prevents some of the psychological harm inflicted when we process them subconsciously. I teach the “Everything is an Argument” lesson using the below slideshow. It contains insights adapted insights from the Everything is…
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Reflexive Phrases/Appositives
You can sell this activity to your students as “How to strengthen your ethos.” Together, look at page 108-109 of Everything is an Argument (or the slideshow “Everything is an Argument“) to see how Swarthmore professor Timothy Burke used reflexive statements to underscore his right to speak on a particular topic. Then divide the class…
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Rhetorical Analysis of “Snowy Day” Nike Ad
With the whole class, watch the first three minutes of this video, which show the Nike ad without the analysis. Ask them how the commercial makes them feel before you begin analysis of how these feelings are created. Use this slideshow of images from the video. Ask students to write responses, dialectical-notebook style, about each slide.…
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Rhetorical Analysis of “The World is Yours”
Materials: Official music video of Nas’s “The World is Yours,” slideshow “The World is Yours.” The slideshow will give students essential backstory on this video, including the fact that “the world is yours,” is a recurring refrain of Tony Montana, the violent protagonist of the movie Scarface, who was willing to attain power and privilege by…
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Everything Is an Argument
Optional materials: slideshow “Everything is an Argument,” Understanding Analysis handout. I use the actual textbook, Everything is an Argument, but it’s not necessary to do so as you can discuss the book’s essential argument without reference to the book itself. The first slide in “Everything is an Argument” lists artifacts and asks students to explain what…
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Introducing Yourself to Different Audiences
Encourage rhetorical awareness by asking students to introduce themselves twice, adjusting their introductions for different audiences. For the first introduction, they’ll follow standard protocol, introducing themselves to their actual peers. They’ll give their pronouns, say where they’re from, what their interests are, what they’re interested in studying, etc. For the second introduction, they’ll pretend they’re…
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Introducing Yourself, Two Truths & a Lie
Objective: Students get to know one another while also gaining awareness of their rhetorical decisions. Everyone takes a few minutes to write a paragraph that describes two things they want (anything from a mocha Frappuccino to a specific career is fair game) and one thing they definitely don’t want but that their peers might think that…
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Rhetorical Context: National Values
Materials: Slideshow of contemporary U.S. advertisements for analysis. YouTube video of Japanese advertisements. You may also want to provide students with the handout “Questions to Ask When Conducting a Rhetorical Analysis.” Objective: Students make connections between what an audience values and the rhetorical strategies rhetors use to appeal to them. Whole class discussion: Think of the national…