Nosich Day Handout

CRTW 201

Dr. Fike

 

You need to have Nosich's book or a copy of chapter 4 today.

 

Announcements:

CHAPTER FOUR

Important points: Take two minutes to identify a couple of statements that you marked as highly important. (Mine are on 140, 153, 155, and 157.)

Note "Evaluating Around the Circle on 155-56 and the "Standards Check" on 158-59.

Standards Exercise

Some additional standards: page 153.





WRITING PAPER 2

How is Bordo's text relevant to the Paper 2 assignment?

FOCUSED TOPIC: You may write about an advertisement or other cultural image. What she does in her text should give you some ideas about how to analyze a visual image. WA 142ff. gives an example of analyzing a visual image (the book is on reserve at the library).

KEY CONCEPT: Her text is shot through with concepts, but some are stronger than others. Think back to all the concepts and cultural codes in Bordo's text. Also think about what Nosich calls "fundamental and powerful concepts." One of these can make your thesis statement controversial and unify your paper. (Make a list of the text's concepts. Then mark a subset of these concepts. The result will be a short list of FPCs.) You can put a concept such as a specific cultural code in your "because" clause in the thesis; however, do not say "because of a cultural code": say, for example, "because of cultural codes related to 'beauty'" or "because of the Boy Code."

CONVERSANCY: Here are two ways of establishing "conversancy with material you have read" (WA 107).

ONE: WA 117: "When we ask ourselves what a work (and, by implication, an author) might not be aware of communicating, we are reading against the grain."

Here is Bordo's invitation in The Male Body to read against the grain: “You may not see the same thing in this ad that I do. Representations of the body have a history, but so too do viewers, and they bring that history—both personal and cultural—to their perception and interpretation. Different viewers may see different things. In pointing to certain elements in ads, or movies, or fashion, I’m not ignoring the differences in how people may see things, but deliberately trying to direct your attention to what I see as significant.”

She is getting at the importance of point of view and context. You can direct HER attention to what she has overlooked, as a male African American colleague does on page 220 of her chapter.

TWO:  WA 118-19 discusses: "Using a reading as a lens means literally looking at things as the reading does, trying to think in its terms." This strategy involves reading WITH the grain.

Here is the point: When you incorporate Bordo, you can agree or disagree with her.

 

Discussion of the structure of paper 2:

Also remember: Include at least one SEE-I and at least one quotation from Nosich and one from Bordo. It is best to work with these quotations, not just to include them without any commentary.

Stuff not to do:

 

 

WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT YOUR SECOND PAPER ASSIGNMENT OR THE GROUP PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT?

 

 

Discussion of an advertisement:

But there is a step that you must follow before you can apply the elements. See WA 60 and 144 for "The Method."

Repetitions: What repeats? So what?

Strands: What goes with what? So what?

Binary oppositions: What opposes what? So what?

Anomalies: What does not fit? So what?

Copy these questions into your notebook. Now, in groups, use these five questions to discuss the images and text in the

B&B ad. Each group can start with a different question. 10 minutes. We will not finish all the items below, but they are important to consider as you work on your own advertisement.

 

 

 

 

Re. the ad:

Connection to Bordo:

What concepts from our reading are relevant? Think about the list of concepts you did as for our previous class session.

 

 

 

 

Analyze:

Now turn to Nosich 68. Using what you have just generated, answer the 10 questions about the elements.

Each group should start at a different point on the list so that we cover all the questions in a short time.

 

Evaluate:

Next, ask yourself: Who is the target audience? Does the ad's pitch achieve its goal? How does it measure up to the standards? (Think "dual marketing.")

 

 

 

 

Thesis Statement:

What kind of thesis statement would you write about the B&B ad if it were your focused topic? Give it a shot.

I will use the standards of [pick two] to argue that [my focused topic, whatever it may be] effectively reaches [its target audience] because of  [some factor or concept from our reading--a cultural code, cultural mystification, dual marketing, etc.].

So here is your thesis: I will use + two or more standards + to argue something about the B&B ad + because of a concept related to your focused topic.

 

 

 

 

Other things that we might do if time allows:

Culture, many argue, is the adhesive binding together of the world's diverse social fabric. A cursory read of the daily newspaper, however, raises questions as to whether the world is literally coming unglued since the frequency and the intensity of cultural conflict seems pervasive and ever-increasing. With the recent rise of global communication systems (satellite TV, movies, video, etc.) stereotypic Western culture is spreading at a rapid pace. While this is willingly accepted by many throughout the world, other groups and countries resist this new form of cultural imperialism through protests, censorship, and restrictions on film, TV, and music.

Identify the element in each sentence.

Apply the standards of clearness, accuracy, importance/relevance, sufficiency, breadth, depth, and precision.