Analysis of UC Website
Analysis of UC Website
PART ONE:
Use the strategies discussed in Rosenwasser’s Five Analytical Moves (especially moves 2,3, and 4), the Investigative Questions from The Art of Analysis and the Introduction to Rhetorical Reading and Understanding Rhetorical Situation videos/powerpoints to help you break down the significant details of the web page. Complete a PRAC Analysis for the UC website. Identify the purpose, rhetor, audience(s), and contexts of the site. Observe any significant features or details about the site. Write up your observations in a bulleted list or paragarph.
Part Two:
Then, choose only ONE aspect of the site and develop at least one thoughtful analytical paragraph that is grounded in concrete detail. Make sure that you move beyond just describing the feature of the site.
- What do you think is INTERESTING, REVEALING, or STRANGE about the site?
- What does your chosen detail or feature from the site tell us about UC? Consider the messages/assumptions/values implied by that detail or look closely at the patterns or relationships between components that you see (e.g. what is emphasized/de-emphasized?).
Sources:
UC website: http://www.uc.edu/
Highlights of Rosenwasser’s 5 Moves
Introduction to Rhetorical Reading (Narrated Powerpoint)
Understanding Rhetorical Situation – PRAC Analysis (Narrated Powerpoint)
Narrated Powerpoint:
Part One: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coVbVdeyoA
Part Two: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coVbnVeyop
Or
Understanding Rhetorical Situation – PRAC Analysis.pptx (attached)
PART THREE: Comment on the following blog post. How has their example enhanced or challenged your understanding of analysis? Do you have anything to add to their description of analysis-in-action in the real world?
A personal experience in analytical thinking was deciding which college I wanted to attend to achieve my degree in mechanical engineering. I was caught between going to Ohio State or Cincinnati. My approach to selecting a school was very similar to the moves that Rosenwasser talks about. My first step was to eliminate the name aspect of the schools and look specifically at what they had to offer as a university. This took away any bias I may have had against either school. This directly correlates to Move 1 in which you are supposed to suspend your judgment because it will inhibit your ability to freely analyze the situation. My next step was to lay out all of the statistics, costs, location, course offerings, and program details and compare them to see which best matched my goals for my academic career. This correlates with Move 2 in which you are instructed to identify the significant parts and analyze how they are related. Moves 3 and 4 did not match up with my college selection process but Move 5 did. In this move you are supposed to keep looking for more details and more information from different perspectives. You are asking new questions and seeking further explanation. This is just like my step of visiting the colleges in person. I had read and learned all that I could via online research and then needed more information. The only way to do this was to look in a different manner and I chose to look and learn in person. Through a very similar process to the one described by Rosenwasser I was able to select the college that was best suited for me.