English 5361: Post 1 - Possible Assignments

I found the concept of creating my own assignments daunting for some reason, perhaps because I lack a true focus or sound base in Rhetorical Theory. So, here are some attempts at assignment generation.

1. Analyze the rhetoric of a paper or book, for example, a primary research article from Science, Psychology, etc. Do the analysis within the context of a specific rhetorical period.
2. Complete an audience analysis of a primary research article. Describe how the article would need to be changed for a lay audience.
3. Create a podcast or video explaining some rhetorical concept or term for a lay audience.
4. Create a profile of a rhetorician, including proposed theories, writings, etc., and how they impacted current rhetorical theory.
5. Compare the rhetoric of an older paper or book with a modern paper or book within the same field.

Some of these are ones that I heard from other classmates in class and attempted to simplify to a single concept. I am sure that they will need much work and polish.

My interest personally sits with scientific communication. My first real exposure to Rhetorical Theory was in my Rhetoric of Scientific Communication class. While I greatly enjoyed the class, I often felt like I was swimming upstream against the current when it came to Rhetorical Theory, just barely keeping my head above water.

I am hoping that I can develop a more innate understanding of Rhetorical Theory through this class.

English 5361: Introduction to Rhetorical Theory

I am starting another new class on Thursday, English 5361: Introduction to Rhetorical Theory. The Instructor is Rich Rice and the course books are Herrick's The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction, 3rd editon, and Bizzell and Herzberg's The Rhetorical Tradition. Hopefully, this course will help me to fill in some gaps in my understanding of Rhetorical Theory and to flesh out my portfolio essay in the theory area.