Conference Proposal

Will New Media Revive Oral Rhetoric in Composition Classes?

.

Most composition classes focus primarily on traditional alphabetic texts. While many new rhetoric textbooks include visual analysis, the means of analysis is still alphabetic. With the rise of new media in composition classes, however, students are beginning to compose in non-traditional ways using multiple modes, such as video, audio, webpages, blogs, etc. This kind of composing involves more than writing, such as video and audio editing and mixing. In her 2009 CCC article, Cynthia Selfe points out that when printed alphabetic texts are the only accepted means of composition, we “ignore the history of rhetoric and its intellectual inheritance” (618). In particular, Selfe argues that sound “is often undervalued as a compositional mode” (617). Therefore, she says, some focus on aurality and other modes of communication should have their place in composition classes (625-26).

.

While new media composition is new in that it largely depends on computers and technology, the oral element of an audio essay is an important part of traditional rhetoric. From ancient times until the nineteenth century, aurality was of central importance to the study of rhetoric. With the increased need of writing by the end of the nineteenth century, however, less emphasis was placed on oral rhetoric, and so today it has little importance in relation to student compositions.

.

I will explore the idea that new media composition’s use of audio might be viewed as an effective way to revive the oral aspect of rhetoric in our composition classrooms. In assigning students to compose multimodal projects, whenever audio is involved, especially their own voices, they must carefully consider their tone, emphasis, speed, pronunciation, clarity, etc., which are all concerns of oral rhetoric. Further, music and sound effects can play an important role in an audio composition, which affect how the voices used are heard. I propose, then, that if multimodal compositions involving audio are a revitalization of oral rhetoric, then more emphasis on effective oral rhetoric needs to take place in composition classes, such as through analysis of oral texts and practice with oral delivery.