Session 1: Today your concept summaries on Bitzer’s The Rhetorical Situation are due. Please have a paper copy of your concept summary on hand to reference during our discussion.
Bitzer outlines five characteristics that a situation must exhibit in order for it to be considered, in his view, a rhetorical situation:
1. Rhetorical discourse is called into existence by situation; the situation which the rhetor perceives amounts to an invitation to create and present discourse. The clearest instances of rhetorical speaking and writing are strongly invited — often required.
2. Although rhetorical situation invites response, it obviously does not invite just any response. Thus the second characteristic of rhetorical situation is that it invites a fitting response, a response that fits the situation.
3. If it makes sense to say that situation invites a “fitting” response, then situation must somehow prescribe the response which fits. To say that a rhetorical response fits a situation is to say that it meets the requirements established by the situation. A situation which is strong and clear dictates the purpose, theme, matter, and style of the response.
4. The exigence and the complex of persons, objects, events and relations which generate rhetorical discourse are located in reality, are objective and publicly observable historic facts in the world we experience, are therefore available for scrutiny by an observer or critic who attends to them.
5. Rhetorical situations exhibit structures which are simple or complex, and more or less organized. A situation’s structure is simple when there are relatively few elements which must be made to interact; the fishing expedition is a case in point — there is a clear and easy relationship among utterances, the audiences, constraints, and exigence. &mdash Bitzer
[Due] Concept Summary #1
Research and Writing Best Practices
Session 2: Today I will be talking to each of you individually about your topics and strategies for your opinion pieces. Please be prepared with your topic, some examples of research, and a rough draft of your thesis statement. Engaging in and being prepared for this feedback session amounts to a fraction of your participation grade.