English 680V: Visual Rhetoric in a Technological Age (Purdue)

To fully understand a subject, it is important to consider it from alternative perspectives, ones that may not be immediately obvious. The prompts and questions below should help you think of ways to formulate new and interesting questions about your subject. For the Exploration Project (Step 4), answer at least 10 of these questions, with a variety of terms and a paragraph devoted to each.

Expansion Paragraphs

Select a key term or concept and/or action associated with your topic (not necessarily the main topic), and insert it into the blank. How would you answer the question? To generate more answers, simply use a new concept or action or use variations of these questions. Not all of the questions will be relevant to every concept or action.

1. What are some past uses of _________?
2. What is the role of ________ in a personal experience of yours?
3. What are the social consequences of _________?
4. What are the ethical consequences of _________?
5. What are the educational consequences of _________?
6. What are the psychological consequences of _________?
7. What are the political consequences of _________?
8. What have others who have written about _________ said (quotations)? What is your reaction to what they have said?
9. What is another concept that is broader and more important than ________?
10. What is a particular instance of ________ occurring in public life?
11. How is ________ is defined or understood in an other culture?
12. What is a good analogy to _________?
13. What is the future of _________ likely to be?
14. What might people gain if ___________ continues?
15. What might people lose if ___________ continues?
16. Why do people value _____________?
17. Why might people fear ____________?
18. What preconceptions or stereotypes do people have with regard to _____________?
19. What is ____________ a symptom of?
20. What are five things everyone should know about ____________?