CO150 Day 4

1. CO150 Day 4

2. Who Are You and What Are you Doing Here? (good question…) By referring to your HW assignment, let’s determine the rhetorical situation for this article… • Who is the author of this piece? What do we know about him? • What are some things we can learn about him through the context of the article, without formal research? • Who is the intended audience/readers? • What do we know about the text/genre of this piece? • Author’s purpose for writing the article • What is the context in which this article was written?

3. The Rhetorical Triangle Text/Genre: Article in the Oxford American Context: A lot of factors to consider; rise in tuition and student loan debt at universities because of the recession; also society’s value for monetary outcomes, etc. Purpose: To encourage incoming first-year students to explore why they are seeking a college education. Audience: incoming college students; also look at media press kit for OA readership Author: Mark Edmunson and whatever info we find out about him

4. Homework • Read pp. 18-24 in JTC about genre and design. As you read these pages, consider how you might use this information as you design your own PSA for P1. • Find an example of an interesting and/or provocative PSA that’s in print form (either one you print out or find already printed, like a brochure) and bring that to class for an activity we will be doing. • Review Project #1 and begin making some choices about the PSA you will be composing. Think about, then write down (handwritten is fine) • Which article you’ll respond to; • Your focus (i.e., whether you’ll agree, disagree, or “qualify” the author’s position); • What audience you think needs to hear your message; • Which genre you’ll use for your PSA (website, brochure, poster, video, facebook, etc.)

5. CO 150 Day 5

6. Pair and Share PSA activity • I will divide you into pairs. You and your partner will decide on which PSA you will look at closely for this activity. You will then discuss the following questions then write your responses on one sheet of paper • Purpose: Describe the author’s overall purpose with the PSA. • Is it to inform? Explain? Explore? Argue? Other? • Was the author effective in achieving his/her purpose? Why? • Audience: Who is the intended audience? (Be specific here – don’t just say “the general public” or something vague.) • What assumptions does the author make about the reader’s knowledge or beliefs? • Text: How did the author shape the text to achieve the purpose with the audience? • Consider the way the author put the PSA together. What colors did the author use? Is it mostly pictures? Mostly text? A balance of the two? Why is the text effective or not? • Context: What are the historical, social, or cultural circumstances surrounding this text? • Consider: what is/was going on in the world/society that might influence the way the author creates the text and/or the way the audience understands the text?

7. Making your own (rhetorical) choices

8. Homework • Read pp. 152-161 in JTC about brochures and websites • Read p. 406 and look at the ads on pp. 407-410 in JTC. • **Bring your copy of JTC to class next time!** • Work on your PSA for P1. If you haven’t already done so, choose which article you’ll use to craft your PSA, re-read it, decide on your position (agree, disagree, or qualify) and begin drafting your Public Service Announcement. • Work on your Rhetorical Choices Grid. This is a process tool to help you get your ideas organized for the Critical Analysis portion P1, so use it that way! If you’d prefer to type, there is a blank copy under “Class Files”—I will collect it on our workshop day, September 16

9. CO 150 Day 6 Genre Conventions for P1

10. The Brochure: features • Compact/ easy-to-carry— • usually a tri-fold piece of paper, but can be a single piece of paper—sometimes even double-sided • Brief content • Informative, but not over the top: they encourage readers to seek more information about the subject • Offer websites, phone numbers, contact information • One panel can contain narrative (paragraphs), but more than one can be too overwhelming for readers who are giving it a quick glance • Bullet points and pull-out quotes are good strategies

11. The Brochure: features • Frames to be read in a particular way • What should be read first, second, or last? • What sequence should the information be presented in? • Emphasizes key points • Pull-out quote boxes or bullet points work well • Images are also effective for emphasis

12. The Brochure: design • Headings • Use large font to call attention to the heading • Use color that contrasts with the rest of the brochure • Titles & headings should be descriptive yet concise • Illustrations/Images • Real photos or images are more effective than clip art • Place images logically—these are read just as much as text • Keep the images clean • Images need to relate to the information and support the information

13. The Brochure: design • Color • Contrasting colors are most effective • Bold colors • Maintain a consistent color scheme • The text can be colored Font • Readable • Varied sizes • Keep style consistent for various items Above: Peace Corp brochure utilizes several languages to communicate their message

14. The brochure: design • Pull-quotes • Information you want to highlight • Create a text box, and then place it • Contrast these from the rest of the text on the page • Layout • Sequence the information they way you want the audience to read it • Clutter is distracting

15. COMPARING BROCHURES • Examples: • La Guardia College Academic Honesty • University of Windsor: Academic Integrity • Both are from higher education institutions and both are about maintaining academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism and other dishonest academic acts. Which is more effective? Why? • How does the effective brochure meet the audience’s needs? If you are planning to create a brochure, what elements will you need to consider?

16. The Website (screen shot only): features • Linked pages organized through a home page and navigational devices– www.redcross.org • Menus, tabs, table of contents, site maps • Main pages provide broad overviews of topic; related pages add detail • Interactive • Links • Chat • Share • “Donate”

17. The Webpage: design • Heavy use of images • Images as links • Banner(consistent throughout whole site) • Contains text and images • Identifies site and publisher • Menu/tab bar • Provides links to major sections and contact info • Search tool box • Optional—depends upon page, content, purpose, audience

18. Example Webpages • Look at the following website examples in Joining the Conversation: page 21; page 614. • What works? What could work better? • How do these sites meet the needs of the audience? • If you are planning to use a website as the genre of your PSA, what elements will you need to consider?

19. The Poster: features and design • VISUAL with some text • Images and illustrations are the main focus • Images convey information more quickly than text does • Usually contains a simple argument • an implied visual claim • an explicit text claim • Must convey message quickly, since readers don’t typically spend a lot of time critically considering the poster

20. Poster Examples • What works? What doesn’t? • Who’s the audience? • Is the poster effective for its audience? Why?

21. Poster Examples

22. What are the rhetorical choices of the posters on posters on pp. 407-410? • Purpose • Describe the author’s overall purpose (inform, explain, explore, argue) • Was the author effective in achieving his/her purpose? Why? • Audience • Who is the intended audience? (be specific) • What assumptions does the author make about the reader’s knowledge or beliefs? • Text • How did the author shape the text to achieve the purpose with the audience? • Consider the way the author put the PSA together—colors, font, images, text, etc. Is this design effective? • Context • What are the historical, social, and cultural circumstances surrounding this text? Consider what is or was going on in the world or society that might influence the way the audience understands the text.

23. Poster Examples

24. Programs to Use for PSAs • Website: • Wordpress • Tumblr • Other easy to use or free blog programs • Posters/Brochures • InDesign (on some library computers) • Photoshop • Word and Microsoft Paint (you’d be surprised what you can do with simple programs!) • Picmonkey.com—very simple way to edit photos, overlay text etc. • Flickr (be sure to cite photos and check rights for using) • Videos: • Vimeo/Youtube • Vine app (for short videos)