Visual Essay 20% of Final Grade Due 8 November 11:59 pm Create a visual essay that communicates an argument, gives

reasons, provides evidence, and appropriately responds to criticisms. In short, compose an essay using more than just words. How? By using a computer. These programs (and many others) may help you in your composition: Prezi PowerPoint iMovie Windows Movie Maker Adobe Flash Requirements: 1) A complete Visual Essay a. Photo Essay, Prezi-tation, Slideshow that takes approximately 2 minutes to view. b. Video that takes approximately 3 minutes to view. 2) 300 word written essay that a. explains the rhetorical situation of your visual essay b. describes the choices behind the visual essay (e.g. why did you choose that picture/font/music/statistic; what sources did you use and where did you find your material) Grading (on the traditional 100 point scale) emerges from a composite of the following five categories (each worth 20 points): Organization Was the piece effectively and clearly structured? Did the introduction impact the viewer? How did the conclusion leave the viewer? Flow Were transitions seamless or distracting? Could the viewer follow your logic easily? Does the tone remain consistent throughout the essay? Clarity Was your argument apparent or did you have a clear point of view? Were the visuals appropriately cluttered or stark? Did different voices appear clearly? Form Did you use technology well or clumsily? Does everything work? Did you cite everything correctly? Are your texts error-free? Appropriateness How have you imagined yourself as a creator? Does your visual essay appeal to your intended audience?

Topic (this section stolen from Erin Dietel-McLaughlin): Note: You are free to use the same topic you chose for your research paper; in fact, you are encouraged to do so, as long as it works for a visual essay. It may help you reconceptualize your research paper. If you are looking for a new topic (or new approach to your existing topic), consider some options. One option might be to analyze a visual text (or series of related visual texts) and make some claim about the way those texts communicate. In this scenario, the visuals in your essay would likely be the artifacts under analysis (paintings, advertisements, billboards, music videos, architecture, or pretty much any other artifact). For example: What kinds of racial stereotypes exist in campaign ads addressing immigration issues? How do movies like Avatar and The Social Network reflect current, cultural attitudes and anxieties about technology? What kind of cultural benefit do humorous viral videos provide a democratic society?

Another approach would be to make an argument about a particular issue (an existing policy, an overlooked social issue, a current event, a historical movement, etc.) and use images as a way to provide evidence for or rhetorical power to your argument. For example: How can the Notre Dame administration better support its student-athletes? Why should more people be aware of the crisis of street children in Pakistan? How is a new technological development helping to improve the life of a local community member?

Whatever approach you take, be sure to choose an issue or text that is of interest to you your essay should reflect your passion! Resources (similarly stolen from Erin Dietel-McLaughlin): Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org): Find works that you can use without seeking permission. Note: You must still give credit to the original creator. Flickr (http://www.flickr.com): Many images on this photo-sharing site are licensed under CC licenses and may be used in your essays. Content Directories Wiki (http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Content_Directories): A list of websites utilizing CC licenses, sorted by type of media. Google Advanced Image Search (http://www.google.com/advanced_image_search?hl=en): Under the Usage Rights drop-down menu, select either labeled for reuse or labeled for reuse with modification to filter your image search results.