Writing in a Visual Age / Edition 1

by Lee Odell

Overview

Writing in a Visual Age is the first composition rhetoric to make visuals an integral part of the writing process — showing students how words, visuals, and design work together to create effective texts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900312394973
Publisher:	Bedford/St. Martin's
Publication date:	03/28/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	752
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

LEE ODELL is professor of composition theory and research and writing program director for the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In addition to teaching rhetoric and writing, expository writing, research in composition, and related courses, he has also directed the department's off-campus M.S. program in Technical Communication and a summer workshop, the Technical Writers' Institute. He is editor, with Charles Cooper, of Evaluating Writing, and with D. Goswami, of Writing in Non-Academic Settings. The author of over 50 published articles and book chapters, Odell has served as a consultant to numerous colleges, universities, and other organizations over the past thirty years. In 1986, he was the chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and in 1980 he received the NCTE's Braddock award for the article "Teachers of Composition and Needed Research in Discourse Theory."

SUSAN KATZ is associate professor of English at North Carolina State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in composition, technical writing, and business communication. Katz spent twelve years in television and advertising before turning to the study of writing in public and private organizations. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1996. Katz is the author of The Dynamics of Writing Review: Opportunities for Growth and Change in the Workplace, a chapter of which was reprinted in the anthology Professional Writing and Rhetoric: Readings from the Field. Katz is the recipient of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Achievement Award for New Scholars in the Humanities and the Arts (2003) and several other awards.

Table of Contents

Note: Each chapter in Part I has the same basic structure as Chapter 2. For the sake of brevity, the recurring structure is not repeated in this abridged table of contents.

1. Introduction to Writing in a Visual Age

PART I. WRITING PROJECTS

2. Profiles
Providing an Insider's View Profiles in Context
Audience
Circumstance
Purpose
Visual Information in Context: Profiles
Reading to Write
Thomas Fields-Meyer, Elizabeth Velez, and Mary Boone, From Welfare to Washington
Robert Mackey and Naomi Harris, E. R. Unscripted
Dan Rather, The Road to Kabul
Tom Junod, Can You Say... "Hero"?
Stephanie Guzik [student], Behind a Plain White Lab Coat
Assignment: Profile Guide to Writing a Profile GETTING STARTED
Selecting a Topic
Analyzing Context
DRAFTING
Developing Your Topic
Engaging Your Audience: Writing an Introduction
Creating an Appropriate Voice
Providing Structure
Concluding Your Profile
Designing Your Profile and Integrating Visual Information
FINISHING UP
Creating a Review Draft
Getting a Final Review
Revising Your Profile
Taking Stock of Where You Are

3. Reports
Reports in Context Reading to Write
Claudia Kalb and John McCormick, Bellying Up to the Bar
Diane Turner-Bowker and William L. Hamilton, Cigarette Advertising Expenditures before and after the Master Settlement Agreement
Edward Barnes, Slaves of New York
Michael A. Levi and Henry C. Kelly, Weapons of Mass Disruption
Margaret Tomeo [student], ACL: The Curse of Women Athletes
Assignment: Report Guide to Writing a Report Taking Stock of Where You Are

4. Position Papers
Position Papers in Context Reading to Write
Ellen Goodman, SUVs Belong in Car Ads Only
Steve Sack, SUVs [Cartoon]
Sierra Club, New Roads Are Not the Answer
Charles Krauthammer, Yes, Let's Pay for Organs
Jose A. Bufill, Human Organ Donation: Gift or Graft?
Anti-Defamation League, School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice for Public Education
Fred LeBrun, Up in Arms over Decision
Nathan Swinton [student], Striking a Balance in Multicultural Education
Assignment: Position Papers Guide to Writing a Position Paper Taking Stock of Where You Are

5. Evaluations
Evaluations in Context Reading to Write
Consumer Reports, Cream of the Crop
Roger Ebert, Dr. Strangelove
Seth Shostak, You Call This Progress?
Patrick Vitarius, Breakfast at Manory's
Julie Kirgo, A Storm Brings Culinary Clear Sailing
Ron Sessions, Ford Expedition
Ryan Flori [student], Where Is Your Future Going? Is ROTC for You?
Assignment: Evaluations Guide to Writing an Evaluation Taking Stock of Where You Are

6. Proposals
Proposals in Context Reading to Write
Nathan Burstein, Applying to College, Made Easy
Paul Oyer, Barriers to College
Robert W. Poole Jr. and Viggo Butler, Fixing Airport Security: 21st-Century Strategies for 21st-Century Threats
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, From America's Front Line Against Crime: A School and Youth Violence Prevention Plan
Richard D. Emery, Cameras in the Station House
John Kleinig, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Videotaping the Police
Amanda Griscom and Will Dana, A Green Ground Zero
Max Zujewski [student], Making the Most of the Rensselaer Advantage Card
Assignment: Proposal Guide to Writing a Proposal Taking Stock of Where You Are

7. Instructions
Instructions in Context Reading to Write
Crystal Gilson, Assessing the Cranial Nerves
K'nex Corporation, Sky Warriors
Caroline Rego, The Fine Art of Complaining
MaryBeth Rajczewski [student], The Basics of PowerPoint
Assignment: Instruction Guide to Writing Instructions Taking Stock of Where You Are

PART II. STRATEGIES FOR DESIGN AND RESEARCH
8. Designing Pages and Screens
9. Starting Research and Finding Sources
10. Conducting Field Research
11. Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes
12. Using and Documenting Sources

PART III. STRATEGIES FOR SPECIAL WRITING SITUATIONS
13. Writing for the Classroom
14. Writing Portfolios
15. Writing for the Community
16. Making Oral Presentations

Glossary of Visual and Rhetorical Terms
Index