Context

• developed for “Multimodal Theory and Production,” (PDF, syllabus)  a sophomore/junior-level digital writing course

• preface to the second major assignment in the course: making a meme

• encourages discussion of rhetorical and cultural awareness

• helps students remix/remediate information by experimenting with layering text and image

• encourages students to construct visual arguments and to understand the ways they differ from textual arguments

Student Preparation

completed major assignment: ‘zine

• practiced layering multiple modes by physically manipulating them

• considered the social, cultural, and political implications of developing and communicating through mixed media

• researched a specific topic, analyzed its rhetorical context and significance, and developed an argument based on “findings”

completed readings

• Jewitt, “An Introduction to Multimodality”

• Jewitt, “Different Approaches to Multimodality”

• Arola, Sheppard, & Ball, “What are Multimodal Projects?”

• Arola, Sheppard, & Ball, “Analyzing Multimodal Projects”

• Gleick, “What Defines a Meme?” (PDF)

• Stein, “Me, Me, Me Generation” (PDF)