Progression Packet

#1
Visuals in Space

Miguel Noh
ENGLISH 114A

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Progression #1
Visuals in Space
For the first progression, we will be looking at advertisements and how these
advertisement create an idea of gender and identity. We will then apply this knowledge to space
and question how advertisements constantly use (or misuse) gender and sexuality, and how that
use impacts our spacephysically, emotionally, psychologically, etc.. Your objective will be to
showcase the relation between advertisements, gender & sexuality, and space in a wellcrafted essay (more on that to follow). To assist on this journey, you will engage in three
exercises leading to a final essay. The following exercises are to help you understand the
concepts of visual rhetoric (exercise 1), visual analysis with an emphasis on gender and sexuality
(exercise 2), and the impact of visual texts on a space (exercise 3). You will then use all of these
practices to create a draft of your essay to be peer reviewed before turning in your final essay.
The exercises are as follow:
Exercise 1A: Rhetorical situation 250-500 words

________/25 points

Create a model responding to either the ethos, the pathos, or the logos of an
advertisement of your choosing. In 500, describe how your model is responding to
the advertisement. Your model could be anything from a collage, to a sculpture, to a
dance, to a painting, etc. The model must be created by you. The model must respond to
one rhetorical situation of the advertisements in question. You must also describe how
your model is responding to the rhetorical situation.
Questions for exploration:
Is your model agreeing with the rhetorical situations, disagreeing, to what extent is the
advertisement creating the rhetorical situation and/or meaning? Is your model also
creating a rhetorical situation of its own?
This exercise is design to help you understand rhetorical situations, and evaluate those
situations by creating a response.
Exercise 2A: Visual Analysis 500-750 words

________/25 points

In 500-750 words, respond to two of five given advertisements depicting gender and
sexuality. You are to focus on 2 sets of advertisements and analyze TWO rhetorical
situation (250-350 words per set).
Questions for exploration:
How is the rhetorical situation being created in the set, and how does the advertisement
depict gender and sexuality among the sets and individual advertisements? Whats the
relationship between these advertisements? How do they compare, how do they contrast?
This Exercise is design to help you analyze and understand rhetorical situations among
advertisements, while contrasting multiple advertisements.
*See appendix

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Exercise 3A: Space 500-750 Words

________/25 points

We have learned that advertisements are geared towards a community and a target
audience. Describe how 1 of three spaces provided for you, is impacted by
advertisements. How do the advertisement in this space effect the perception of
gender and sexuality, or any other issue that you would like to discuss, such as
identity, power dynamics, culture, race, or ethnicity. In 500-750 words, you are to
compare and contrast the images within the space.
Questions for exploration:
To what extent are these images effecting your perception of gender and sexuality? Are
these images a representation of the space or of our society today? Do they influence the
way we think what a body should be like, or how gender should be perceived? To what
extent to the images warp and shape the space?
This exercise is design to help you with your final essay, by creating a mini essay dealing
with similar themes that you might be addressing and exploring in your final essay. Treat
this as a mock essay, where you will be given feedback on what elements of your essay
are strong, and what you can improve upon.
Final Essay

________/175 points

We have been questioning how advertisements use rhetorical situations in order to create
meaning. We have also learned how gender and sexuality is constantly being portray in
advertisements today. In a 750-1000 word essay, you are to create an ethnography of how a
space of your choosing is effected by advertisements surrounding that space. In particular, you
could emphasize how gender and sexuality is being represented, and how is this representation
being created through rhetorical moves. You are not bound to gender and sexuality; possible
areas of exploration include identity, power dynamics, culture, ethnicity, race, etc.. While no
outside sources are required, you are more than welcome to bring in sources found in the CSUN
library or though the CSUN database.
Prompt: How do the advertisements in the space of your choosing,
shape the idea of gender or sexuality within that space?

*Essay 1 draft

________/50 points

*In Class Peer Review Essay #1

________/25 points

*Final Draft of Essay #1

________/100 points

Total Points for Progression #1:

________/250 points

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Appendix

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Miguel Noh

English 114A

Miguel Noh

English 114A