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Visual Essay
Due Mon, 12/3, by 11:55 p.m. (Sakai)

Dietel-McLaughlin / Writing & Rhetoric / Fall 2012

A picture is worth a thousand words.

This old adage reflects a popularly held belief that some of the most powerful thoughts and feelings human beings can experiencefrom moments of personal triumph, to the horrors of war and famine, to perspectives on popular cultureare often best expressed in images. In the 21st century, images are perhaps more important than everwith image-driven arguments influencing much of what we buy, how we vote, what communities we join, and which causes we support. Like traditional writing projects, image-driven texts require attention to issues of audience, purpose, arrangement, development, and convention for maximum effectiveness. Thus, to further experiment with these rhetorical principles and how those principles apply across different media platforms, this assignment will give you an opportunity to experiment with the process of composing an essay that relies on images for the bulk of its rhetorical impact. In the process, you will draw attention to and make a statement about an issue that is of significant importance to you.
Photo Credits: McCurry, Steve. Afghan Girl. June 1985. National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Web.19 Oct. 2010. Rosenthal, Joe. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. 23 Feb. 1945. Associated Press. Web. 19 Oct 2010. (via Concourse unless other arrangements are iPod advertisement. Sept 2003. MacWorld Magazine. Macrumors.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.

DUE: 11/16, by 11:59 p.m.

made).

Requirements & Grading

Your visual essay may take any imagedriven format that seems appropriate for addressing your issue and should include a combination of image and text (sound may also be used). Some options might include: A Prezi slideshow (4-5 minutes) A video essay ( 4-5 minutes) Your finished piece will be evaluated on the following criteria: 1) Focus/Purpose: The essay must present a clear perspective on the topic 2) Arrangement/Design: The elements of the essay should be arranged in a way that enhances the piece through a pleasing/interesting design. 3) Development: The essay should offer claims, evidence (including library research), and reasoning in support of the main ideas. 4) Conventions: The essay should be error-free, and all media/source material should be cited within the visual essay. 5) Written essay: The visual essay should be accompanied by a 2-3 page written essay (MLA format) that explains the visual piece and the process that went into producing the visual essay.

If you would like to choose another format, then please let me know. You are welcome to use any kind of software you are comfortable with to produce your finished product. You may shoot your own photos/video or use existing media, but ALL borrowed material must be cited properly and must follow Fair Use guidelines (we will discuss these in class). Your finished product must be available in a digital format. You also have the option to work in pairs on this assignment.

Need Help? Ask!

Dr. E: edietelm@nd.edu Writing Center: writingcenter.nd.edu Librarian: MElizabeth.VanJacob.3@nd.edu

Image Credit: Fighting to Restore Vision. Photo. University of Notre Dame Video Channel. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.

Supporting Assignments
You will be required to complete smaller projects along the way, much as you did in support of your print-based research essay. These tasks are designed to help you manage the writing process by organizing your thinking and resources, and those smaller assignments will be factored into your final point total for the essay. We will talk more about these smaller assignments in class.

Choosing a Topic and Purpose

Note: You are free to use the same topic you chose for your research paper; in fact, you are encouraged to do so, as long as it works for a visual essay. If you are looking for a new topic (or new approach to your existing topic), consider some options. One option might be to analyze a visual text (or series of related visual texts) and make some claim about the way those texts communicate. In this scenario, the visuals in your essay would likely be the artifacts under analysis (paintings, advertisements, billboards, music videos, architecture, or pretty much any other artifact). For example: What kinds of racial stereotypes exist in campaign ads addressing immigration issues? How do movies like Avatar and The Social Network reflect current, cultural attitudes and anxieties about technology? What kind of cultural benefit do humorous viral videos provide a democratic society?

Another approach would be to make an argument about a particular issue (an existing policy, an overlooked social issue, a current event, a historical movement, etc.) and use images as a way to provide evidence for or rhetorical power to your argument. For example: How can the Notre Dame administration better support its student-athletes? Why should more people be aware of the crisis of street children in Pakistan? How is a new technological development helping to improve the life of a local community member?

Whatever approach you take, be sure to choose and issue or population that is of interest to youyour essay should reflect your passion!

Resources
Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org): Find works that you can use without seeking permission. Note: You must still give credit to the original creator. Flickr (http://www.flickr.com): Many images on this photo-sharing site are licensed under CC licenses and may be used in your essays. Content Directories Wiki (http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Content_Directories): A list of websites utilizing CC licenses, sorted by type of media. Google Advanced Image Search (http://www.google.com/advanced_image_search?hl=en): Under the Usage Rights dropdown menu, select either labeled for reuse or labeled for reuse with modification to filter your image search results. 3