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Section 0101
Heavilon 210
T/Th 12:00 - 1:15

Dr. David Blakesley
Off. Hrs: T/Th 11-12, 3-4
Office: Heavilon 302c
Ph: 765.494.3772
Fax: 765.494.3780
blakesle@purdue.edu
IP Address (for ViaVideo):
65.6.224.125

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This course focuses on the rhetorical and philosophical problems posed by the visual turn; the role of perceptual processes, time, movement, and memory in the act of seeing; the interanimation of the verbal and the visual in representation; the circumstances of visual culture and art; visual communication in print and on the Web; and identification as a visual/rhetorical process.

Digital Course Pack (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)

Barry, Ann Marie Seward. Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image, and Manipulation in Visual Communication. SUNY P, 1997.

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulations. Trans. Foss, et al. NY: Semiotext[e], 1983

Blakesley, David. Illuminating Rhetoric: A Guide to Seeing, Reading, and Writing (draft). San Francisco: Mayfield/McGraw-Hill. Forthcoming.

Lynch, Patrick J., and Sarah Horton. Web Style Guide. 2nd ed.. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2002.

Miller, Jonathan, et al. On Reflection. London: National Gallery, 1998.

Mitchell, J. T. W. Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995.

Robbe-Grillet, Alaine. The Voyeur. Trans. Richard Howard. NY: Grove Press, 1958.

	Vertigo (Hitchcock)
	The Usual Suspects (Singer)
	Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (Glassman, et al.)

Bi-Weekly Written and Graphical Responses
Every other Thursday beginning in Week 2 (January 17), I would like you to bring to class a one-page response that addresses important issues in visual rhetoric and composition that arise from class discussion (face-to-face or in WWWThreads) or in course readings. Because you will need to distribute paper copies to your peers for their response, you should keep these weekly responses to 250 words or less. Feel free to include images when necessary. Generally speaking, aim for concision and specificity, not breadth. Cite the readings as needed. It may also be helpful to focus your response on a particularly interesting quotation from the readings. Your peers will read and respond to these responses by the following Tuesday. (5 of 6 responses will count for 20% of course grade.)

Discussion Forum
I have set up an online discussion forum to facilitate ongoing dialogue about course content. I would like you to participate in the threaded discussion regularly, begin new threads when appropriate, and respond to questions that I ask about the readings. Check the forum regularly so that you stay tuned to this ongoing dialogue. You're expected to post at minimum 3 messages per week, beginning Week 2, through the end of the semester. Your posts should follow the protocol that the class establishes in Week 2.

The forum is powered by software called "WWWThreads" and allows you to post and reply, edit, and delete your messages, and use HTML and images in the body of your messages. To use the forum, you will need access to a Web browser (e.g., Netscape or Internet Explorer) and a connection to the Internet. You will also need to register as a "User" in order to post messages. (3 posts required per week, starting Week 2; 20% of course grade.)

Go to the English 680 Discussion Forum.

Research Project
Prompt: Throughout the semester, I would like you to work collaboratively or independently on a project, paper, or hypertext that examines the nature and/or function of visual rhetoric in print, film, art, photography, performance, or electronic media (or in some combination of these forms). In the end, your finished project will need to be very sharply focused and draw on the readings and concepts discussed in class, as well as any relevant outside sources. One purpose should be to articulate the way or ways that the visual and the verbal interanimate each other as part of a wider rhetorical system, of which the visual is but a part.

Steps in the Process: I would like you to complete the final project in a series of steps, as outlined below. By the midterm, you will have made good progress on the project and at that time will be asked to provide the rest of the class with an update. (5 Steps; 60% of course grade)

1. A Contract Proposal in which you explain your subject, suggest some parameters for your research, and indicate why the subject interests you and how studying it will be beneficial. (Suggested length: 250 words. 5% of course grade. Due: Thursday, January 24.)

2. A Clarification Project in which you explain what you already know about your subject, reflect upon your feelings and thoughts about the subject, and suggest how you might develop your understanding of the subject. (Suggested length: 500 words. 10% of course grade. Due: Tuesday, February 5.)

3. An Information Project. Find out what is already known about your subject and communicate that knowledge concisely in 2,000 words or less. The form of this portion of the project could be an annotated bibliography, a bibliographic or informative essay (i.e., a review of the literature), or some other format conducive to conveying information. Your purpose at this stage will be to inform, not to take a critical stance. This stage will culminate with a 5-10 minute oral presentation on your subject to the rest of the class.(Suggested length: 2000 words. 15% of course grade. Due: Thursday, February 28; presentations, Tuesday, March 5.)

4. The Exploration Project will be the stage when you foster intellectual "turbulence" by investigating the many facets and problems of your subject, asking a number of questions and offering a number of answers for each question, without feeling the need to present these questions and answers in a tightly organized essay. I want to see 10 questions, with 1-2 paragraph answers each. (Suggested length: 2,000 words. 10% of course grade. Due: Tuesday, March 26.)

5. A Working Document Project where you will present the results of your inquiry in a format and with the depth that suits it. If you use a traditional format, think of your working document as the draft of a journal article. If another format, you'll just need to be careful to cover your subject matter effectively, given the medium and your purpose. A website or other multimedia presentation is possible. (Suggested length: 4,000 words. 20% of course grade. Due: Regularly scheduled final exam time during the week of April 29 - May 3.)

To participate actively in course activities and projects, you will need to become proficient at sending email with attachments (in Word or PDF format), at accessing and posting messages to WWWThreads, at using the course's PUCC resources, and at opening and reading documents in PDF format via Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free browser plug-in) or Adobe Acrobat. You will be shown during class time how to use these technologies. It will be important for you to spend some time early in the semester making sure that you have access to these technologies from home or in a Department or PUCC lab. You will have access to the Instructional Multimedia Preparation Lab (IMP) in Heavilon 402, which has any technology you might need.

All major assignments will be graded on the standard letter-grade scale: A=100-90 B=89-80 C=79-70 D=69-60 F=59 or below.

Attendance is required at all scheduled meetings. Three absences may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences may be granted for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date.

The majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to a deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted. Note: Bi-Weekly Writing and Graphical Responses cannot be turned in late; participation in the WWWThreads discussion forum also needs to be continual, with at least three posts per week required.

As you complete the readings and course projects, you will certainly have questions. Questions about the readings and class discussions can be asked on WWWThreads (if appropriate). Questions about your own work, about the assignments, or anything else related to the conduct of the class should probably be directed to me via email (blakesle@purdue.edu), by phone (494-3772), or in person (Heavilon 302). In addition to my posted office hours, I will be holding weekly one-hour tech-help sessions in IMP (Heavilon 402) at a time I will announce in class.

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