Case Study Assignment

 Spatial Rhetorics & Locative Media

Case studies are important for rhetorical scholarship. They provide opportunities for rich analysis of a concept as that concept is enacted through a materially embodied situation. While case studies help concretize theoretical concepts, they should not be understood as necessarily separate from theory. Put differently, case studies should not simply be the object upon which a theoretical paradigm is applied, but they can also be understood as further material elaborations of a concept.

For this assignment, you are to identify a project, object, or event that demonstrates some aspect of spatial rhetoric. Examples of case studies might include: a mature digital humanities project, a memorial site, an event of protest, a building.

Ideal is for your case study to be somehow linked to your final course project. If you are having difficulty picking a case study, I am more than willing to provide examples and possibilities.

The deliverables for this assignment will be a brief report (1-2 pages), a short class presentation (5-8 minutes), and the lead for a short class discussion.

Typical reports will include 1-2 pages that provide a:

• Description of the case study
• Discussion of the media and technologies involved
• Conversation with course readings on spatial rhetorics

Typical presentations will be 5-8 minutes in length and will include some form of visual aid (handouts, PowerPoint, objects, etc.) followed by a quick discussion that situates the case study further in the course.