Course Description and Learning Outcomes
Description
This course introduces students to the study of visual artifacts from a rhetorical perspective. You will become familiar with the basic principles of rhetoric, visual grammar, and visual semiotics, and then use those principles to analyze the rhetorical workings of visual artifacts in a variety of media, including two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and digital works. In addition to practicing visual analysis, you will also be using your knowledge of visual rhetoric to create a visual product of your own.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you will be able to do the following:
- Use a variety of methods to analyze visual artifacts and understand how they function rhetorically.
- Employ those tools to create rhetorically effective visual products of your own.
This online course was developed by Bruce Dadey, with instructional design and multimedia development support provided by the Centre for Extended Learning.
Grade Breakdown
The following table represents the grade breakdown of this course.
| Activities and Assignments | Weight (%) |
|---|---|
| Discussions | 10% |
| Rhetorical Theory Analysis | 15% |
| Close Visual Analysis | 15% |
| Journal Assignments | 15% |
| Visual Rhetoric Analysis | 25% |
| Visual Production |
20% |
Materials and Resources
Readings
All readings and resources for this course will be accessible through the course LEARN site.
Resources
- Library services for Co-op students on work term and students taking online courses
Course Schedule
Important: ALL TIMES EASTERN - Please see the University Policies section of your Syllabus for details
| Module | Activities and Assignments | End / Due Date | Weight (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1: Introduction (Complete all material as shown in Course Content) |
Groups for Discussions and Visual Production will be created by Technical Support | Check after Monday, May 10, 2021 at 8:00 AM | |||
| Discussion 1.1 - Introduce Yourself | Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | |||
| Discussion 1.2 - Visual Rhetoric | Posts | Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, May 14, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 2: Rhetorical Theory and Visual Artifacts | Discussion 2.1 - Analyze Visual Pathos | Posts | Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | |
| Replies | Friday, May 21, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 2.2 - Analyze Visual Ethos | Posts | Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, May 21, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 3: Logos and Visual Arguments | Discussion 3.1 - Analyzing Visual Arguments | Posts | Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | |
| Replies | Friday, May 28, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 3.2 - Analyzing Topics and Figures | Posts | Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, May 28, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 4: Visual Analysis | Rhetorical Theory Analysis Proposal | Monday, May 31, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | ||
| Discussion 4.1 - Analyzing Content | Posts | Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 4, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 4.2 - Analyzing Symbols | Posts | Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 4, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 5: Visual Grammar 1 | Discussion 5.1 - Audience Attention | Posts | Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | |
| Replies | Friday, June 11, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 5.2 - Proportion and Arrangement | Posts | Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 11, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 6: Visual Grammar 2 | Rhetorical Theory Analysis | Monday, June 14, 2021 at 11:55 PM | 15% | ||
| Discussion 6.1 - Contrast and Colour | Posts | Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 18, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 6.2 - Style and Other Visual Tools | Posts | Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 18, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Week 7: Visual Semiotics | Close Visual Analysis Proposal | Monday, June 21, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | ||
| Discussion 7.1 - Visual Semiotics | Posts | Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 25, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Discussion 7.2 - Visual Semiotics 2 | Posts | Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 10% | ||
| Replies | Friday, June 25, 2021 at 11:55 PM | ||||
| Weeks 8-12 In weeks 8-12, you will be choosing your own topics for completion. For each week, submit the appropriate assignment for that week's chosen topic. |
|||||
| Available Topics: Fine Arts Photography Sculpture and Monuments Graphic Narratives Film Digital Media |
Week 8 READ FIRST:
|
Visual Rhetoric Analysis Proposal | Monday, June 28, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | |
| [Chosen Topic] Journal Assignment | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | |||
| Week 9 | Close Visual Analysis | Monday, July 5, 2021 at 11:55 PM | 15% | ||
| Visual Production Proposal | Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 20% | |||
| [Chosen Topic] Journal Assignment | Friday, July 9, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | |||
| Week 10 | [Chosen Topic] Journal Assignment | Friday, July 16, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | ||
| Week 11 | Visual Rhetoric Analysis | Monday, July 19, 2021 at 11:55 PM | 25% | ||
| [Chosen Topic] Journal Assignment | Friday, July 23, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | |||
| Week 12 | [Chosen Topic] Journal Assignment | Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:55 PM | part of 15% | ||
| Visual Production | Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:55 PM | 20% | |||