This is an assignment I would use in a 308J course on the rhetoric of satire. We would be focusing primarily on modern American satire, examining and comparing the techniques and strategies of various satirists. We would also be discussing the social complexities of satire: how it is a genre that necessarily separates an us from a them, but how it can also provide a "safe" means for marginalized people to express social or political criticism. At this point in the quarter, students would have already analyzed examples of satire exhibiting the techniques and strategies I want them to employ, and they would have already written at least one alphabetic imitation of a satirist.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteCool project! Perhaps you could add a note about the importance of backing up their work on a flash drive or an external hard desk. Also, I think including something about saving the changes they make immediately and saving often would remind them how unreliable technology can be.
Jon,
ReplyDeletethis is a really interesting assignment. I think you manage to keep it relative simple (which isn't easy with a multimodal assignment).
A few ideas: define "target-rich" idea more, I was a little confused by this.
I think you do well to tell student that they'll need to "practice, practice, practice" and record several times. I think it's implied that students will be listening to these drafts several times but you might want to spell this out more explicitly--what should they be listening for as they listen to their own scripts, etc?
You also say that sound effects and music are available in the public domain. can you give your students a more specific direction? Creative Commons, maybe?
The last thing i wanted more of was a little more about why it's important to understand and create satire. What are some of the specific connections between satire and rhet/comp.
Really cool project!
I'm curious--will they have to write drafts of the script? Is this an individual project? What about discussing vocal inflection? Sound is much different than the written word.
ReplyDeleteJon,
ReplyDeleteAs you might expect, I like this project. I like things dealing with audio. The first question that comes to mind for me is equipment. On the day that your students have a tutorial of Audacity you mention that they can record on the computers, but not while others are there. What about other recording options, like digital recorders and mp3 players with microphones?
Like Matt, I was also unsure of what you meant my "target-rich."
Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteMatthew and Ashley, I don't want to specify what they should listen for nor say anything about vocal inflection because I want them to feel that there is some room to be creative and base those kinds of decisions on their own sense of aesthetics and rhetorical effectiveness.
Also, Matthew, remind me to give you my spiel on the cultural and rhetorical significance of satire.