1. Visual Communication Guidelines
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate that you can accurately interpret a visual graphic. This is a state assessment requirement, i.e., the State of Texas wants students in intro-level courses to be able to accurately interpret a graphic
The Assignment: Analyze a political cartoon
Search the internet for political cartoons—they are typically easy to find
Write 1-paragraph (~3-5 sentences)
Paste the cartoon into a Word or PowerPoint file, then upload the file to the Discussion Board on Canvas, or you can paste the cartoon into the dialogue box on Canvas if you don’t want to post a Word or PowerPoint file
In your write-up, capture what is immediately obvious to you in the cartoon. Then, after studying the cartoon, report what is more subtle about its message
Be sure to identify the symbolism of different aspects of the cartoon, e.g., the donkey represents the Democratic Party and the elephant represents the Republican Party
Be sure to include the source of your graphic (e.g., a link to a website where the political cartoon is posted)

2. 2016 Presidential Campaign
Political Cartoons
2016 Presidential Campaign

3. 2016 Presidential Election Cartoons Republican Candidates
Do you recognize these two Republican candidates?
Why is the dark-haired candidate referred to as “Aqua Man?”
What is the blonde-haired candidate drunk on (the hiccups imply he is drunk)?
– see the SNL skit on Rubio’s sip of water.
Here’s a sample write-up: Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are competitors for president on the Republican side, and both have been feuding recently. Trump has called Rubio a “lightweight,” and Rubio has said that Trump is “very insecure.” Of course, Trump is labeled as “Macho Man” because of his tough talk, and given how much he brags about himself and his wealth; he is drunk on his “ego,” implying he is an ego maniac. Rubio is called “Aqua Man” because he took a sip of water when he gave the Republican rebuttal/response to President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address.

4. 2016 Presidential Election Cartoons The Democratic Frontrunner
Why is this Democratic candidate being slowly erased?
Put another way, the gradual erasure is symbolic of what?
Did this candidate ever say “Wiped? You mean like with a cloth?”
Here’s a sample write-up: Hillary Clinton is in hot water because as Secretary of State, she maintained a private server, and it turns out that some of the s that she deleted were classified and should not have been sent over a private server but an alleged more secure government server. The gradual erasure implies that her actions are leading to her elimination as a presidential candidate. Clinton may have broken bookkeeping laws by deleting s with official state department business, especially ones that were classified, and the FBI investigation of her actions could lead to her demise as a candidate.

5. 2016 Presidential Election Cartoons The Press v. Republican Candidates?
Who is throwing the grenades?
What does the grenade symbolize?
What is a GOP candidate?
What is a “gotcha” question?
Here’s a sample write-up: The media has asked some of the Republican candidates some “gotcha” questions, intended to catch them saying something that could damage their candidacy. For instance, Donald Trump was asked about why he didn’t correct a questioner who referred to Obama as a Muslim and one who was foreign-born. Ben Carson was asked if he would support a Muslim for president, and Carson had to clarify his initial statements to survive the ensuing controversy. These types of questions have nothing to do with how these candidates plan to grow the economy or fight ISIS or address other important issues of the day.

6. 2016 Presidential Election Cartoons The (Former) Republican Speaker of the House
Who is the politician who is crying? Why is he crying?
Does the capitol building in the background symbolize anything?
Who are holding the signs “burn,” “slash,” “torch,” etc?
Here is a sample write-up: The capitol building is symbolic of Congress, so the guy crying must be John Boehner, who recently announced his resignation from Congress. He is crying because he is often mocked for openly crying in public numerous times during his tenure as Speaker. “It’s their party” implies that the people in the background holding very hostile signs are members of Boehner’s Republican Party, who wanted him gone from not accomplishing enough as Speaker of the House.

7. Political Cartoons
ISIS Terrorist Threat

8. The ISIS Terrorist Threat The U.S. Response to ISIS
Who are these two men?
“Dumb” says “I start fires.” What does that statement symbolize?
“Dumber” says, “I ignore fires.” What does that statement symbolize?
What does the fire symbolize?
Here is a sample write-up: “Dumb” is former President Bush, and “Dumber” is President Obama. “I start fires” refers to the Iraq War. Bush took us to war in Iraq and one of the negative consequences was to inflame the Middle East, which some argue inflamed more terrorist recruiting, perhaps eventually leading to the rise of ISIS. “I ignore fires” implies Obama has not adequately addressed the ISIS threat. Obama withdrew our armed forces from Iraq in 2011, and some argue that the vacuum created by the absence of the U.S. led to the rise of ISIS. Since then, Obama has been very reluctant to reintroduce American ground troops in Iraq and Syria to address the ISIS threat. He has authorized airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, which has not been enough to defeat ISIS to date.

9. The ISIS Terrorist Threat The U.S. Response to ISIS
Who is most likely to win the fight—the scorpion or the toy soldier?
What is the implication of the toy soldier—that it is adequate enough to defeat the scorpion, or not?
What is the symbolism of the border? Does the man commanding the toy soldier look confident? Reluctant? Or what?
Here’s a sample write-up: The scorpion represents ISIS, which is large and formidable. The toy soldier represents the U.S. response to ISIS to date, which appears to be woefully inadequate in the face of the scorpion. The man commanding the toy soldier looks concerned, even reluctant to take on the scorpion. The bottom line is that the U.S. response to ISIS has weak and highly unlikely to result in the defeat of ISIS.