Visual rhetoric and composition
In the field of composition studies, the place of visual rhetoric is often uncertain or contested. Proponents of its inclusion in composition typically point to the increasingly visual nature of society, and the increasing presence of visual texts. Literacy, they argue, can no longer be limited only to written text and must also include an understanding of the visual.[1][2] The exact role of visual rhetoric in the composition classroom, however, is unclear.
Despite this focus on new media, the inclusion of visual rhetoric in composition studies is distinct from a media theory of composition, though the two are obviously related. Visual rhetoric focuses on the rhetorical nature of all visual texts while new media tends to focus on electronic mediums.
Rhetoric is commonly defined as the “art of persuasion,” as it informs, motivates, or entertains an audience through the means of written or verbal communication. It can present an argument to a specific audience to convince them to think or act differently. Visual rhetoric, on the other hand, as described by OWL, Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, “has been used to mean anything from the use of images as an argument, to the arrangement of elements on a page for rhetorical effect, to the use of typography (fonts), and more (Visual Rhetoric). In other words, how a document is structured, i.e., font type, colors, layout, etc., can be meant to influence us. An ad for Coca-Cola sells soda, but it also might imply something about family values. A public service announcement about hand-washing might also imply a sense of fear about pathogens and the spread of viruses from abroad.
To understand a visual's intent of persuasion, we must consider the rhetorical situation, which is the audience, purpose, and context. Kostelnick and Roberts (1998), authors of Designing Visual Language: Strategies for Professional Communicators, suggest a few questions consider:
- Is the message intended to inform or persuade, or is it a call to action?
- Who is the message directed to?
- What is the purpose of the document and where will it be viewed?
As stated above, the components of a rhetorical situation are audience, purpose, and context. These considerations will directly affect the overall design of the project from the choice of typeface, the layout of a page, as well as the use of color and visuals (Kostelnick & Roberts).[3]
Teaching Visual Rhetoric and Composition
Scholarship has highlighted that the way students compose and interpret texts are directly related to the ideologies and assumptions they hold and how the way their experiences are culturally and historically situated. Imagery representations students receive, analyze, create or deliver would emerge from their views and knowledges within their diverse contexts and various identities. [4] Pedagogical applications of visual rhetoric have then a twofold aim: it can teach students to ‘read’ and critique the rhetorical moves and purposes within and behind certain visual representations, such as an analysis of multimodal text. It can also enable writers and designers to process their own rhetorical choices as they design their own visuals, bringing to their process aspects of their multiple social-cultural backgrounds as their lived experiences become starting points for knowledge construction.
Visual rhetoric, especially in digital environments, is also aligned with the notion of a commitment to diversity as students become designers, invoking a rhetoric that attends to abilities encopassing other definitions of literacy beyond verbal reading and writing. [5][6][7] For example, sequential narrative assignments were well received by students as an easier alternative to rigid structures of traditional academic essays.[8] The multifaceted nature of these miscellaneous representations creates an arena for discussions on political, historical, social and cultural impacts behind those choices to take place in the composition class. Working towards raising students’ awareness of the impact their diverse backgrounds have on their rhetorical choices, teachers will be contributing to forming more conscious and perceptive consumers and composers. [9]
See also
References
- ^ a b George, Diana. "From Analysis to Design: Visual Communication in the Teaching of Writing." College Composition and Communication (2002).
- ^ a b Hill, Charles. "Reading the Visual in College Writing Classes." Intertexts: Reading Pedagogy in College Writing Classrooms. Ed. Marguerite Helmers. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003.
- ^ "Visual Rhetoric".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hocks, M. E. (2003). Understanding visual rhetoric in digital writing environments. College composition and communication, 629-656.
- ^ Hocks, M. E. (2003). Understanding visual rhetoric in digital writing environments. College composition and communication, 629-656.
- ^ Kress, G., & Selander, S. (2012). Multimodal design, learning and cultures of recognition. The internet and higher education, 15(4), 265-268.
- ^ Arola, K. L., Ball, C. E., & Sheppard, J. (2014). Writer/designer: A guide to making multimodal projects. Macmillan Higher Education.
- ^ Gatta, O. (2013). English 3135: Visual rhetoric. Composition Studies, 41(2), 78-86.
- ^ Gatta, O. (2013). English 3135: Visual rhetoric. Composition Studies, 41(2), 78-86.