The (Rhetorical) Situation

When we were given our assigned key terms, it was about 10:20 am on either a Tuesday or Thursday in our Writing, Editing and Print for Online class. I can't say that anyone in the room was excited about the project itself, but we sat in anticipation for our keywords. Probably all sharing a thought similar to "I hope mine doesn't suck." Sure enough, my name is called and I'm assigned to one of the more interesting key terms: the rhetorical situation. While not totally thrilled about the assignment, I was glad that I got a "good one." I thought that if there were a God, he was on my side for this assignment.

Alright, cool, I got this. We spent forever reading and learning about the rhetorical situation. That and it's actually a super interesting concept. I saw an opportunity to have some fun with it and break it down to make it easier to grasp without boring the average freshman with the history of rhetoric. 

BUT WAIT! This is an awful lot of information! 

So, I naturally did what any good procrastinator would do: convinced myself it would be easier later. As if sifting through articles and theories would some how be less strenuous at some much later point in time. I did this but, to my surprise, it did nothing to consolidate the workload. 

Then, something miraculous happened. I figured out a way to break this broad term down into smaller, more processable parts. I picked out the main points about the rhetorical situation and started there. I then found a newsletter template that I thought would suit the project. From there, I composed the layout and assembled a team of specialists:

I'm kidding. This was very much a solo gig.

I planned everything out. Where the various components would go, how I was going to deliver them and how I could tied them all together for a more solid understanding of the rhetorical situation.

I gave me freshman audience a brief glance at what rhetoric is. Because, let's face it, there's no way to avoid the initial mess that is rhetoric in explaining the rhetorical situation. I introduced the student to Mr. Lloyd Bitzer, because he's the granddaddy of the topic.  I also explained the relevance of the key term and how the student could use it to their advantage. 

From there, I laid the tiles that are the foundation of the rhetorical situation: exigency, audience and constraints. For each, I gave a running real-world example to help paint a mental picture. I wrapped it all up with the essential "do's and don'ts."

 My angle with this was to try and break down the intricate concept of the rhetorical situation to make it relevant to a first year composition student. At the end of the day, I feel all right about it. I'm glad that it's over and that I have a chance to... remediate it!