1. Art (“Techne”) of Teaching Writing: Introduction to Rhetoric
Jim Dubinsky
Virginia Tech
Warm-up exercises
Shown below is the Roman numeral IX. By adding only a single line, turn it into an six. SIX
An eccentric old king wants to give his throne to one of his two sons. He decides that a horse race will be run and the son who owns the slower horse will become king. The sons, each fearing that the other will cheat by having his horse run less fast than it is capable, ask the court fool for his advice. With only two words, the fool tells them how to make sure the race will be fair. SWITCH HORSES
Begin with story from MASH and #s) to highlight importance of instructions/language
96% of VT alumni report that strong writing abilities are important or very important in their jobs. In a survey of engineers averaging 33 years of experience on the job, 95% said writing abilities are critical to success.
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2. Overview Rhetoric—what is it and why does it matter?
Classroom Strategies: Composition
Workshops: making them work
Peer Conferencing/Review
Commenting on Student Paper
Creating Grading Rubrics
Teaching Style
Classroom Strategies beyond Composition
Teaching online
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3. Introductory Writing Assignment
What is rhetoric?
What is role of teacher in writing classroom?
What makes a good writing classroom?
Here I’m using a technique called a background knowledge probe—these are useful early in semester.
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4. Rhetoric / Techne
The aim of a skillful performance is achieved by a set of rules which are not known as such to the person following them Rules of art can be useful, but they do not determine the practice of art; they are maxims, which can serve as a guide to an art only if they can be integrated into the practical application of the art Michael Polanyi
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5. Rhetoric
The faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion” (Bizzell & Herzberg)
The function of adjusting ideas to people and of people to ideas (D. Stewart)
The art of written & spoken discourse (T. Crusius)
Language can be separated from immediate experience and examined as an artifact
Language forms and strategies can be described, codified, and used to develop expertise
Rhetoric: Greek words (rhema) a word / rhetor (a teacher of oratory)
rhetorike techne (art of the rhetor or oratory)
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6. Canons of Rhetoric Invention (Inventio) Arrangement (Dispositio)
Style (Elocutio)
Memory (Memoria)
Delivery (Pronuntiatio / Actio)
Inventio: an orator could talk about any subject, because rhetoric, as such, had no subject matter
Cicero—speaker relied on native genius/art/diligence to find arguments
{a system to find argument}
Topics
Artistic proofs: logos, ethos, pathos
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7. Invention Topics (topos or locus—place or region)
Special topics (forensic, ceremonial, public forum)
Common topics (more or less; possible & impossible; past fact and future fact; greatness or smallness)
Artistic & non-artistic proofs
Artistic
Appeals (logos, ethos, pathos)
Non-artistic: laws, witnesses, contracts, oaths
Deliberative (public—political, hortative, and advisory)
Forensic (legal or judicial)
Ceremonial / Epideictic
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8. Organization Beginning, middle, and end Introduction (exordium)
Statement or exposition of case (narratio)
Outline of points or steps (divisio)
Proof of case (confirmatio)
Refutation (confutatio)
Conclusion (peroratio)
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9. Style Classification (low, middle, high)
Plain for instructing
Middle for moving
High for charming
Choice of words, arrangement of words, figures, etc.
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10. Memory and Delivery Memory Delivery Practice and mnemonic devices
Comes from practice
Actio (management of voice/gestures)
In written texts, we talk about document design
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11. Rhetorical Triangle Subject Matter Speaker/Writer Listener/reader Text
Key here is that all are connected, and that the text is not in isolation. A key word is transactions, building on reader knowledge.
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12. Liveliness is got by using the proportional type of metaphor
and by being graphic (e.g. making your hearers see things).
Aristotle, Rhetoric
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13. Overview Discuss Rhetorical Situation
Use two texts to illustrate
familiar text (Letter from Birmingham Jail)
unfamiliar text (NASA memo–Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster)
Highlight importance of both textual strategies and design strategies to help readers see things
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14. Thinking Rhetorically
Balances purpose, audience, and context
Focuses attention on--
what the text should say
how the meaning should be presented (arrangement, delivery & style)
when the message should be delivered (kairos)
why that message and presentation strategy are appropriate
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15. Writing is a Social Act
“Every utterance is oriented on intercourse, on the hearer, on the reader, in a word, on another person, on social intercourse of any kind whatever.”
Bakhtin & Medvedev (1985)
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16. Beyond Plans & Goals (Authorial Intent)
Writing as interactive phenomenon
Relationship of writers to discourse community
Problem of genre
Understand context (personal, social, political, cultural)
Relationship of writing to reading
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17. Understanding rhetorical situation
Ask a few important questions:
Why is writer writing (purpose)?
Who are the readers of the text?
How will those readers read?
What situational constraints, if any, exist?
How will these constraints affect the role or identity the writer establishes?
What presentational strategies should the writer consider?
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18. How will those readers read?
How familiar are they with the subject?
What does writer know about them that she can/should take into account?
What questions will they ask while reading?
How will they search for the answers?
How will they use the information?
What are their expectations? Beliefs?
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19. Rhetorical Situation MLK’s “Letter From the Birmingham Jail”
Describe rhetorical situation (what do you need to know?)
Why is he writing?
To whom?
How does text reflect King’s attitude toward intended audience?
What role or identity does King establish?
Constraints?
Analyze it for persuasive appeals: Ethos, pathos, logos
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