Rhetoric

Social Justice and Rhetoric Social Justice Analysis Project You must first select a social justice current event. For example, the debate over masking, the lack of substantial parental leave in the United States or basic universal income. Social justice is defined as a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the distribution of advantages and disadvantages in society. Once you decide on your topic, you will discuss and reflect on the current rhetoric surrounding this topic. For example, if you’re analyzing the debate over masking, you would discuss the types of rhetoric, power and narratives used by both sides of the politic spectrum in everyday, ‘normal’ life, as well as media coverage, government’s rhetoric or lack there of (local, state, nationwide, etc), and how all of these factors contribute to public opinion, policy and discourse. Be specific. Use terminology and examples that we have learned about throughout the book and be clear in how these concepts are used and the impacts they have. After beginning to analyze the rhetoric, you will first decide how this current rhetoric has impacted this issue. For example, an observation you may make in regards to the analysis of the immigration debate could be: “As a result of explicit and clear demonization of the concept of ‘otherness’ from both the media and prominent politic figures, we have collectively created a polarizing, dehumanizing narrative surrounding immigration that hinders our ability to look past the physical movement to the people themselves. However, focusing on individual narratives, such as Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas’ testimony, help us to understand the motivation behind the migration and seek out a more productive process and solution.”This observation includes discussion about the type of rhetoric coming from various positions of power, the rhetoric devices that dialogue includes (‘otherness’, dehumanization, etc), collective public narratives, narratives as rhetorical devices and audience relation. You should also include a section of your paper that is a personal reflection of social justice and yourself as an individual rhetor. It should answer the following questions: What is social justice, and what does it mean to you individually? What makes up a just society? How does your idea and view of social justice impact your life? How did these beliefs and ideologies shape the way you contributed to this project? Do you ever act in ways that promote social justice? If so, what kinds of social justice actions do you engage in? (An alternative way of getting at this is to ask yourself what you consider unjust or unfair. How do you know injustice when you see it? Then think about what it would take to eliminate the injustice. This will get you thinking about what justice is.)Whatever you argument and stance is, make it scholarly, well thought out and use examples and supporting materials from both the book and at least 3 other scholarly sources. You will write a paper on this analysis and discussion that is at least 6-8 pages long, double spaced (including the personal reflection portion). It should be MLA or APA format, with a works cited page. This will serve as your final for the class, so please be thoughtful in demonstrating an understanding of the class content we have covered.