Personal Statement

Although the semester started only four months ago, I feel that I have truly come a long way both as a person and as a writer in that short amount of time. On the first day of class, I thought I knew what multimedia literacy was, but at this point, I now have the opportunity to look back and reflect upon all that I have learned, and I have come to realize that I have learned more than I could have imagined. I now understand that multimedia literature can take almost an infinite number of rhetorical forms, ranging anywhere from a simple photograph to a building to a song to a social media profile. I have also gained a better understanding of the necessity of being multimedia literate in today’s rapidly modernizing world. In my opinion, “multimedia literate” is a term that applies to those who are successfully able to interpret the rhetoric of various media and who are also able to utilize various media to make a rhetorical statement of their own. Over the course of the semester I believe that I have really improved my multimedia literacy skills and through this portfolio I intend to display the improvement I feel I have made.

The first assignment we completed was the audio narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment because it exposed me to a medium I had never used before. I also really liked that it gave us the opportunity to develop a narrative about ourselves, rather than just a report on an assigned topic. This particular assignment taught me a lot about the writing process because I had to adapt the process to “fit” the assignment and the medium. For most standard papers, I follow a standard process. However, for this assignment, I had to write in a different way that was conscious of the delivery method of the narrative. The fact that my words would be delivered verbally as opposed to on paper made me think differently about things such as word choice and the ordering of points I wanted to make. I also had to consider aspects such as expression and tone of my delivery, which to me, was an entirely new component that had to be added to my writing process.

Our second major assignment was the rhetorical analysis assignment. For this assignment we wrote two papers: one in which we analyzed the rhetoric of a photograph of our choosing, and another in which we analyzed the rhetoric of the film “The Social Network.” In most of the other assignments, we focused on using multimedia forms to convey a rhetorical point of our own, but in this assignment, we used a traditional media of delivery to discuss the rhetoric of a multimedia form. The papers I wrote for this assignment are the pieces that I am most proud of from this semester because in the past I had never really considered myself a very analytical person, but I feel like I really succeeded in thinking critically about and discussing the rhetoric of each piece and that that ultimately helped me grow as a writer.

The next assignment was the researched argument in which I discussed two prominent, but opposing philosophies that have been adopted by architecture schools across the country. This assignment really challenged me to improve my research skills and to develop my personal writing process. Overall, I feel that this assignment really taught me about the importance of critical reading and it taught me that research is not simply reading relevant information from books or websites, but that it can also involve personal experiences such as my experience so far studying architecture at Notre Dame.

Our final assignment this semester was the multimedia essay or “TED Talk.” I chose to make my presentation a sort of adaptation of my research paper as it was still a topic of high importance to me and a topic that I was very interested in. Though I was initially wary of this assignment, I came to really enjoy it because it served as a grand finale to the course in the sense that it challenged us to build upon everything we had learned and to incorporate everything into a ten minute presentation. For example, my presentation incorporated a brief narrative at the opening for which I had to draw upon skills I developed through the audio narrative assignment. I also had to interpret the rhetoric of various buildings and for this I relied upon skills I had developed throughout the process of the rhetorical analysis assignment. I also had to utilize the research and critical reading skills I had developed during the researched assignment in order to enhance my presentation. I feel that this assignment really built upon all of the previous projects because it required many of the skills we had been working to develop. Not only did it challenge us to use these skills, but it also challenged us to demonstrate them all using a form of multimedia delivery, which really brought us back to the main theme of the course and helped me to deeply consider the role of multimedia in the development of reading, writing, rhetoric, and research skills.

In conclusion, I believe that I have made significant improvement throughout this semester. I have developed a greater understanding and appreciation of multimedia literacy and I have learned a lot about rhetoric and its relation to multimedia literacy. Through each of the major assignments I have come to establish my own personal writing process and I have learned to apply and adapt it for various assignments. Finally, I also believe that I have grown as person and not only as a writer because in only four months,  I learned more than I could have imagined and I accomplished many things that I never believed I could have succeeded at. Thank you for all of your help and for a wonderful semester Dr. E!

Multimedia Essay Proposal

For my multimedia essay, I would like to explore a topic closely related to the one I researched for the previous assignment. I would like to discuss the role of classical architecture in today’s rapidly modernizing world and the necessity of traditional classical training for aspiring architects. I believe this is a relevant topic because many people today falsely believe that classical architecture and the classical tradition are outdated and no longer of any significance. I feel that I can utilize this assignment as an opportunity to persuade people of this mindset to see otherwise–that in fact, classical architecture and the classical tradition are still highly significant in the modern world.

In this presentation I would like to use a combination of arguments, narratives, quantitative, and qualitative research to make my claims and inform my audience. The narrative I would like to begin with is the story explaining how this topic directly relates to my life and how I came to understand the lasting pertinence of classical architecture. From there, I will take some time to provide quantitative and qualitative evidence that I have come across throughout the research process to forcefully convey my claims. After presenting this information, I will spend the final minutes concluding and reviewing my claims and arguments. 

Some of the major points I will touch upon throughout the my discussion include the timelessness and permanence of classical architecture, the historical relevance of classical architecture, and the rhetoric of classical architecture. Another main aspect will be the argument over the correct approach to training young architects. For this I will mainly discuss the fact that knowledge of the classical tradition provides a strong foundation of off which architects can do anything they chose because classical conventions and principles can be applied to nearly every architectural style. The evidence I use to support this claim will include mostly examples of situations in which this proved to be true. As for the design aspect of the presentation, some of the images that I believe will be most effective are photographs and sketches of some of the buildings I discuss so that audience members can have a visual guide as I discuss certain aspects and features. I also plan to have some slides with key words, phrases, and quotes to emphasize the main points that I make. 

Synthesis Paragraph

In this paper I plan to argue that studying classical architecture is the best way to train young architects for their future careers because unlike knowledge of only modern architecture, a firm understanding of classical conventions can be applied to all styles of design and forms a stronger base of skill sets. Many people today consider classical architecture to be something of the past, when in reality it is still very present in our modern societies. Authors such as John E. Ziolkowski in his book Classical Influence on the Public Architecture of Washington and Paris, and Jack McLaughlin in his book Jefferson and Monticello illustrate the prominence of classical architecture in America through the ages. Both argue that classical architecture is far from a thing of the past, and rather that it is highly significant in modern times. For this reason, I would ultimately like to prove that the study of classical architecture is the most effective approach to the study of architecture.

Three Sources for Research Paper

The book Jefferson and Monticello: the Biography of a Builder by Jack McLaughlin and published by Henry Holt and Company in New York (1988), was one of the first sources I came across. It is a secondary academic source that gives a history of Thomas Jefferson’s life in the context of Monticello, his home in Virginia, which he designed himself. In this particular tale of the former president’s life, more detail is provided about Jefferson as an architect and builder than most other biographies would contain. There is also a great deal of information about the house itself and its classical style, considering it is one of the most significant and influential entities of classical architecture in United States  history. In general, the book synthesizes various aspects of Jefferson’s life and times through discussion of Monticello’s influence in his life and later upon the region’s architecture.  I believe this source will be helpful because it provides a great deal of information about classical architecture’s influence on the architecture of the United States and for this reason will aid me in supporting the claim that the study of classical architecture is necessary and highly beneficial for aspiring architects.

Another book I will use is The Elements of Classical Architecture by Georges Gromort and published by W. W. Norton & Co. in New York (2001). This book serves as a sort of architectural encyclopedia and offers an in-depth introduction to many principles and constructs of classical architecture from its earliest stages. The author’s intended audience is an academic audience and his purpose is to provide information about the most important features of classical architecture. This source will be helpful because it provides many examples of how fundamental features of classical architecture are still present in even the most modern architectural styles. It also gives a lot of information about concepts such as balance and proportion which were highly significant in classical architecture and are just as important today. This information can be used to support my opinion that studying classical architecture is a highly applicable way to train young architects.

A third book I will use is Classical Architecture for the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction to Design by Jean-Francois Gabriel and published in New York by W. W. Norton and Co. (2004). The author intended to have an academic audience and his purpose was to explain the significance of an ancient architectural style in the modern world. The author achieves his purpose by providing contemporary significance to what may seem like a remote and no longer relevant subject. He proves that classical architecture is, in fact, still highly relevant in architecture in the United States and all over the world. 

Potential Research Questions

September 11th Memorial Topic

1. What are some aspects of rhetoric evident in the architectural features of the 9/11 memorial? What do they communicate?
2. What is the ultimate purpose of the 9/11 memorial? What is it trying to accomplish? Is it successful?
3. Is the new memorial as widely recognized as the previous WTC?

Classical Architecture In Modern World Topic

1. Is classical architecture still relevant in today’s world in the midst of emerging modern styles?
2. Considering the modern world we live in, why is a classical approach to the education of young architects a better method of training than an approach focused solely upon modern styles?

Good & Bad Research Experiences

One research task that I did not enjoy was my National History Day project during freshman year of high school. I did not enjoy this experience for two main reasons. The first reason was that I was not really interested in my research topic and therefore could never really get myself to become fully invested in the project. The second reason was that this was the first real experience I had with research and I do not feel that we were given enough guidance as to how to approach the task in front of us. This left me unsure and floundering a little, which made it difficult to enjoy the work I was doing.

On the other hand, one research task that I did enjoy was my National History Day project during sophomore year of high school. I believe that I enjoyed this project much more than the previous one because I was able to learn from my mistakes. This time knowing what the project entailed, I put more effort into choosing my topic because I knew I would be spending a lot of time with it. Having a topic that I was actually interested in made it a lot less painful to sit down, do research, and get my work done. Also, by the second year, I had learned more about the research process in general and felt that I knew what was going on now. This helped me see the project in a brighter light and made me feel more comfortable with my work, whereas the previous year I had simply afraid of the entire concept of a research project and paper because I did not really understand what they entailed.  

Visual Analysis Scratch Outline

Tentative Thesis: Using the photograph of an oil pipeline near White Earth, North Dakota, photographer Terry Evans urges viewers to consider the changing nature of the relationship between humans and the environment. She articulates her view that humans are infringing upon the environment by emphasizing contrasts in scale, color, and form. —persuades others to see this

-“…rhetoric is a mode of altering realty…by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action. The rhetor alters reality by bringing into existence a discourse of such a character that the audience, in thought and action , is so engages that it becomes mediator of change” (4). —The Rhetorical Situation, Bitzer

Supporting Point #1: The photographer’s use of scale shows contrast between the environment and human infringements, thus characterizing the human-environmental relationship as severely unbalanced.

-general size of landscape (look at trees and how small they look)

-size of the pipeline trench and the pipeline itself

-size of towers in the background

Supporting Point #2: The blatant color contrast between the grey land carved out for the oil pipeline set against the green, rolling hills is another attempt of the photographer to emphasize the discontinuity between the landscape and human construction.

-pipeline is gray and brown (they’re not happy colors, they are still earthy tones                    but they are more lifeless than the greens of the landscape)—-it was once green                land also, but is now destroyed

-hills and landscape are green (organic colors with a lot of life in them, more                        prosperous and shows thriving environment)

Supporting Point #3: Evans’ framing of the forms in the photograph draw attention to the organic fluidity of the landscape and the strikingly geometric shape of the pipeline land in such a way that viewers perceive the human construction of the pipeline to be a gash in the otherwise unblemished surface of the land.

-pipeline land cuts from top to bottom of image (shows it’s not small and can be                  contained, that it actually extends beyond the frame and keeps going—-gives                      viewers the impression of its size)

-she didn’t put the pipeline in the center of the frame (highlights it’s irregularity                      and that it’s not supposed to be there-it’s more like a gash in the landscape) (also                highlights that the pipeline isn’t the only focal point-that viewers are also                                supposed to look at the landscape and that each have equal weight in the                            statement the image is trying to make because of how they are paired together

-hills are rolling and have an organic movement to them, but people who dug out                   the land for the pipeline didn’t seem to care, they just went right through the land                 and cut through the little valley and didn’t seem to care about the contours of the                 landscape

-“Even when the archival materials seem simply to serve the narrative, the way                  they are presented helps establish a viewing pattern which, in other segments,                    leads to critique” (108) —The Rhetoric of the Frame, Lancioni

Tentative Thesis and Supporting Points for Visual Analysis Essay

Tentative Thesis: Using the photograph of an oil pipeline near White Earth, North Dakota, photographer Terry Evans urges viewers to consider the changing nature of the relationship between humans and the environment. She articulates her view that humans are infringing upon the environment by emphasizing contrasts in scale, color, and form.

Supporting Point #1: The photographer’s use of scale shows contrast between the environment and human infringements, thus characterizing the human-environmental relationship as severely unbalanced.

Supporting Point #2: The blatant color contrast between the grey land carved out for the oil pipeline set against the green, rolling hills is another attempt of the photographer to emphasize the discontinuity between the landscape and human construction.

Supporting Point #3: Evans’ framing of the forms in the photograph draw attention to the organic fluidity of the landscape and the strikingly geometric shape of the pipeline land in such a way that viewers perceive the human construction of the pipeline to be a gash in the otherwise unblemished surface of the land. 

“What, Who, Why” Snite Museum Image Paragraph

The image I chose was taken by photographer Terry Evans and depicts an oil pipeline near White Earth, North Dakota. It is one of many photographs that were taken to comprise a series documenting the North Dakota Oil Boom. The majority of the frame is filled with rolling green hills that appear nearly untouched by man, but their fluidity is ruined by the pipeline. This photograph makes a strong visual argument by emphasizing many different contrasts. The pipeline severely contrasts the organic nature of the landscape around it because it appears as a sort of gash that literally cuts and rips through the previously uninjured land. The grey color and geometric rigidity of the pipeline is set against the organic shape and fluid nature of the green land. The machinery and man-made objects on the area cleared for the pipeline stand out against the unblemished surface of the surrounding land. The statement that Evans is ultimately making is a critical remark about man’s imposition on nature and disruption of the landscape. It is possible that she took this image and presented it in an attempt to raise awareness about a specific injustice against the environment that many people either know little about or have a tendency to ignore.

“The Rhetoric of the Frame” and Bolter & Grusin Reflection

The photographs we discussed at the Snite Museum and “The Social Network” are both examples of digital rhetoric because they make a claim not through words on a page, but rather through a compilation of images. Each example draws attention to and away from its medium in different ways. In “The Rhetoric of the Frame” reading, the author, Judith Lancioni, claims that, “the text positions the spectator as an active participant in the making of meaning” (106). This is especially true in the case of the film because the filmmakers are relying on the assumption that viewers are already at least somewhat familiar with the context of the film and that it’s because viewers have the appropriate “background knowledge” that they will be able to assign meaning to what they see presented to them. In this sense, the use of cinema as a rhetorical medium is immersive and as stated in the Bolter & Grusin chapter, “Virtual reality is immersive, which means that it is a medium whose purpose is to disappear” (3). I believe that in the case of “The Social Network,” the medium draws attention away from itself by being immersive. Instead of audiences being asked to read, with an outsiders’ perspective, about the events portrayed, they are directly involved and immersed in what is happening because the story is conveyed cinematically. The fact that audiences are immersed, rather than on the outside, helps to shape the way the viewers consider the subject matter and ultimately changes the rhetorical impact that the piece has upon the viewers. In a similar nature, the photographs at the Snite Museum also provide an immersive experience for the viewers. The Bolter & Grusin chapter quotes Howard Rheingold in saying, “at the heart of virtual reality is an experience—the experience of being in a virtual world or remote location” (4). The photographs created this experience by providing viewers with a broad perspective of the text and by fostering within the viewer a sense of being present and immersed in the scene. The fact that the images were photographs also increases the viewers’ potential to think of what is presented as “real life” because we are accustomed to photography as a medium through which “real life” can be portrayed. Because the photographs portray nonfictional subject matter, I believe that attention is drawn away from the media itself and can be more easily focused on what text is actually being presented. Ultimately, both cinema and photography are immersive digital media and in the two above-mentioned cases, both serve to frame the text in ways that draw attention both to and away from the media used.