In this essay, I argue that the queer phrase "it's giving" can teach the concept and practice of rhetorical criticism while also performing a queer rhetorical pedagogy. The proposed activity proceeds in three steps: teaching queer histories, defining rhetorical criticism in queer terms, and practicing criticism queerly. This approach…

Courses: Rhetorical Criticism, Cultural Rhetorics, Public Memory Studies. Objective: This activity introduces undergraduates to ideological criticism as a method of rhetorical criticism by illustrating the co-constitutive nature of ideology and rhetoric to universities occupying colonized lands, waters, and airways.

Courses: Rhetorical Criticism, Communication Theory, Communication Research Methods, Introduction to Communication Studies. Objectives: This is an introductory exercise that acquaints students with rhetorical criticism as a means of communication inquiry. By the end of the exercise, students will be able to: understand symbols as connected and…

Courses: Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetorical Theory, Rhetoric and Public Memory, Rhetoric of Space/Place. Objectives: This unit introduces critical regionalism as a methodology for rhetorical analysis. By encouraging students to see regions as rhetorical constructions, critical regionalism teaches students to recognize and analyze the inevitable…

Courses: Rhetorical criticism, public address, persuasion, public memory theory, argumentation. Objectives: Through analysis of public controversies about Confederate monuments on college campuses, students will: (1) explore the concept of "public memory," how groups of people form shared interpretations of the past; (2) examine how…

Courses: Public Speaking, Rhetorical Criticism, Persuasion, Political Communication, and Media Communication. Objectives: By the end of this activity, students should be able to: explain the key components of Lloyd Bitzer's rhetorical situation; assess and navigate various conditions affecting various speaking situations; conduct audience analysis…

Help students to explore the intertextuality of literature and to think more deeply and compassionately about the world. This book shows high school teachers and college instructors how to foreground a work's cultural context, recognizing that every culture has its own narrative tradition of oral and written classics that inform its literature.…

Courses: This single-class teaching activity was designed for courses on public speaking, rhetorical criticism, and critical thinking. In addition, instructors can adapt this activity for online or face-to-face courses on intercultural communication, organizational communication, listening, and political communication. Objectives: By completing…

Many U.S. politicians have criticized the trade relations between the United States and countries like Canada, Mexico, and China. They argue that more is imported into the United States from these countries than is exported to these countries from the United States. Political action is needed, they claim. This article is designed to help educators…

Courses: Communication Theory, Nonverbal Communication, Public Speaking. Objective: At the end of this activity, students should be able to define key components of expectancy violations theory and apply the theory to analyze violations that occurred in Clint Eastwood's speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Greenwashing is defined as "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service" (UL Environment, 2013). As "green living" has become a marketable concept, and desirable consumers seek to enact a green identity, more companies are utilizing…

The cell is the fundamental basis for understanding biology much like the atom is the fundamental basis for understanding physics. Understanding biology requires the understanding of the fundamental functions performed by components within each cell. These components, or organelles, responsible for both maintenance and functioning of the cell…

Courses: Argumentation, Public Speaking, Political Communication. Objectives: After completing this unit activity, students should be able to (1) demonstrate comprehension of Burke's (1941) concept of terministic screens; (2) apply the concept of terministic screens to write a brief political autobiography of themselves that analyzes the history…

The purpose of this course is to revive the commonplace book and revise it for the digital age. Though by the early modern period (c. 1500-1800) assembling quotations and other material had long been a trusted means of moral and rhetorical development, it was during that time that so-called "commonplace books" came into being as…

The first edition of this bestseller was featured in "The New York Times" and "The Boston Globe" for its groundbreaking research on the positive effects of art education on student learning across the curriculum. Capitalizing on observations and conversations with educators who have used the Studio Thinking Framework in diverse…