I think Wysocki’s visual argument activity is an intriguing one, an assignment I might use in my own classroom. I appreciate the time and involvement the activity requires, since I believe most students will need more than a quick introduction to visual arguments (I certainly did). I also like that students may revise their arguments according to Blair’s definition OR the definition established in class discussion. Throughout the semester, I hope to show my students the fluidity that accompanies argumentation, as I’ve encountered many first-year students who believe strong essays take one strict form (i.e. the five paragraph essay). I’d like to relate this assignment somehow to poetry, if possible. I would be very interested to see what sorts of visual arguments a poem inspires. Many websites, for instance, alter the standard textbook font and add graphics, pictures of the poet, audio clips, and other features. It also might help students to consider how their conception of a poem changes when read online with these appendages.
Wysocki’s article reminded me of an excellent assignment I encountered in the Writing Lab, one that required students to address self-representation and it’s relation visual argument. The instructor required students to pair up and interview each other, noting likes/dislikes, personality traits, mannerisms, etc. Students were then required to view their partners’ MySpace profiles, which they had created earlier in the course. Their subsequent essay assignment asked the writer to evaluate his/her partner’s ‘real-life’ and virtual selves. I was fascinated by this assignment because I hadn’t previously considered how all the ornaments of MySpace—backgrounds, scrolling banners, photos, etc—help construct an identity. My tutee’s partner, for example, was in person a very shy and quiet kid. His MySpace page, however, was very flashy—the background was a bright red Cardinal’s baseball pattern, with a scrolling marquee that simply read “DRINK BUDLIGHT!!!!!!!”. He was quite obviously inebriated in his profile photo, which pictured him standing on a table in a bar, beer can in hand, singing. In short, his MySpace profile depicted him as an outgoing, fun-loving, often drunk college boy. The assignment forced my tutee to analyze how the layout of MySpace altered one’s conception of its maker. It might be a good introduction to visual arguments, as many students already have MySpace or Facebook profiles.
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4 comments:
Liz,
I think this is an interesting assignment as well, and it really points to a key concept of "when is argument believable or not" that so many assignments do not get.
I did hear stories about students with this assignment in the WL, however, who responded very strongly to differing information presented in the interview vs. on the MySpace (eg., "He was LYING the WHOLE TIME!"). Of course, those problems of "which argument do you believe/find more convincing" could be incorporated to class discussion...I would expect the students would believe the words/interview rather than the images/web site.
I have a WL story about that assignment-- another day, different space lol. However, there's something about using MySpace and Facebook to teach argument that scares me... I think it's def. an interesting assignment, but I feel that it's somewhat an invasion of privacy, especially if it's a formal writing assignment for a grade. I would hate to be reading a paper and a student expose how another student gets drunk every night and has the picture album to prove it... I feel out of sight, out of mind. However, I may use Facebook of MySpace as a teaching tool as far as posting lectures, a better-quicker way to contact students, etc.
Visual argument crossed with poetry also would work with those poems that look like the thing they're about- can't remember a title, but I know my Norton anthology has one shaped like a swan and its reflection (John Hollander maybe?). I've always resisted these because I feel poetry should be more of an aural form than a visual one, but some things you certainly grasp better visually: line length for one, and looking at "Howl" vs. "This Is Just to Say", or even vs. "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower" tells you more than just listening to a poem. But I really like recasting the poem in a different visual format as part of the reader's interpretation of it.
Liz,
I plan to use Facebook for an informal assignment for three reasons. One, I think that it might lead them to think about the visual without my having to tell them to. Two, it will incorporate social development into the class. Three, it will let them see that while Facebook is a great tool for cyberstalking and all, it airs their dirty laundry in public. They need to know now to be cautious of it, even as much as they might enjoy using it. While I think that the latter is not necessarily an academic lesson, per se, it is definitely a professionalizing one. They need to be aware (and beware) of their potential audience when they publish something online.
I'm really excited about using Facebook. I haven't decided whether or not to let them be my friends while I'm teaching them, however. Because, if I do that, then I can't air my dirty laundry...
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