Project One: Introduction to [Visual] Rhetoric
Part C: "ReVision" & the Visual CoOperative
Weight: 5%
Deliverables:
- Revision of a visual image from the Visual CoOperative site
- 500-700 word paper analyzing the image you choose to work with and documenting the rationale behind your alterations.
Over the last six semesters, many members of my classes volunteered to contribute their digital projects to my pet project: the Visual CoOperative. My general idea is this: we place too much importance on who “owns” intellectual work. While it is important to give credit when we use something, we should have more freedom to manipulate works that we encounter—to get our hands dirty. School work should belong to the school—and all the people in it. I have been working to put these ideas into practice, and the result of that labor is the Visual CoOperative site.
Project One, part C asks you to investigate a past project and figure out how to do something new with it. Specifically, your manipulations should be rhetorical—they should explore what audience the original piece targeted and either 1) select a new target audience or 2) find a way to make the piece better address its original target. In addition to manipulating an existing project, I will ask you for a paper detailing the following:
- Give a rhetorical analysis of the original picture (analyze the picture as in part one of the project). Your focus is on message and audience. What do are they attempting to accomplish? Does their visual essay accomplish what they are attempting to accomplish?
- Discuss the various ideas you had for the picture. Did you notice "disconnects" between what the author wished to attempt and what they produced? Did you try to correct the production, or did you alter the message? Could you make the project apply to a new audience or make changes to the picture to make it better apply to the original artist’s target audience?
- Take into account the other revisions for your piece—if you are going to work with an image, you will have to argue for why your revision is necessary and prove that it hasn’t already been done!
- Discuss the alterations you make in terms of rhetorical goals (why did you change whatever you changed?)
At the completion of this stage, you will have the option of contributing your revision to the coOperative site. I want to assure you that you are under no complusion to do so, and that your decision to post your work to the coOperative will not affect your grade. I will collect signatures from those of you choosing to donate your project.