I’ve been using these three readings in my class and I thought others might find them interesting in discussions on metaphors (and a range of other topics on language use). I think these are applicable in a lot of the different 309s (and 306s), not just mine on language and identity. And these readings have generated lots of interesting discussion in my class. You may already have come across these, but if not take a look. These can also serve as a spring board for evaluating the way language is being used with respect to other current events.

Last semester I decided to have students participate in in-class debates instead of having final presentations and it was fantastic. I know of a few other teachers doing this and reporting that this works really well. This is especially true when the variety of possible topics is limited (resulting in mind-numbingly tedious presentation days) and when time is limited (presentations often take three or four classes and debates can be done in two).

Saturday morning on NPR's On The Media Brooke Gladstone interviewed Sam Berlow of The Font Bureau Inc. Berlow talked about what the logos used by presidential candidates say about them. This was a really nice piece that might be useful in teaching rhetoric. Here's the link to the podcast and transcript:
http://onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/02/22/05

So, being a lover of games (and one who is not a fan of lecturing) I came up with a great way to review terminology in rhetoric, specifically with respect to fallacies in arguments. It’s fun, it breaks up the monotony of the semester, it’s a great way to review terminology, it reinforces the lesson, and there is next to no prep time involved. This is a great alternative to a pop quiz or a way to give out bonus points. This could also work for reviewing the terminology of rhetorical devices.

For the first writing assignment in my RHE309 class, I decided not to have a peer review session. After getting the first versions of students papers, I realized that I had been mistaken and that students really needed that time with each other to go over their papers.

I haven't seen anything about this, but I'm curious to hear if anyone has used Miss South Carolina's response to her question during the Miss Teen USA pageant, shown here: