5 concepts

I’m really hoping that there’s no right or wrong answer to this question because I feel like this is a pretty fluid/broad class, “Writing & Editing in Print & Online.” When people (read: family members on holiday breaks) ask me what classes I’m taking among other questions like why I’m still single, my major, etc. I have a hard time defining this class in particular. In my other English class, Rhetoric, I rattle off Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric and list off the philosophers that we study and how their lens shapes the way we discuss issues. My other classes are pretty self-explanatory and WEPO always seems to be the one I struggle with. Some of the concepts we discuss are pretty straightforward like the circulation of ideas but it’s been really interesting to view them through the ‘online’ lens. And studying the readings we’ve looked at has given a lot of insight to how much is changing with the advent of the innovation age.

            Being an advertising major, I also greatly appreciate that this class highlights design and its role in publishing. I think its pertinence has a new level in the implication of digital media. I think that exigence would also be considered one of the core concepts of the class, and I think that its relevance goes far beyond it being the first thing we studied when we read Bitzer’s piece. I think exigence and its role in rhetoric gives us a new way to view everything about digital media, and I really enjoy studying WEPO through this lens. I think our concept of exigence is also tied in with the way we analyze texts, so I’d say analyzing is a core principle as well. I’d also say that collaboration and editing are key parts of this class, and our group work has been invaluable to our growth in this class – regardless of how much we groan when Joe asks us to switch seats every class. I’ve enjoyed studying these concepts with everyone and I appreciate how interactive he’s structured this class to be.