Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy
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2013
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu13720853922021-08-03T05:24:22Z Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy Obermark, Lauren E. Museums Pedagogy Rhetoric rhetoric rhetorical education rhetorical theory museums memory museum education pedagogy writing studies composition civic discourse public discourse The term rhetorical education is frequently associated with historical practices, such as progymnasmata of classical times or 19th century writing handbooks. It is also a term associated with formal education, like writing and rhetoric classrooms inside the walls of the academy. These associations indicate that rhetorical education is somewhat outdated and limited in its availability. However, in the current divisive American political climate, rhetorical education is arguably more necessary than ever. In a recent essay on the value of first-year writing from Inside Higher Ed, John Duffy explains, “To say that the current state of public discourse is abysmal seems self-evident. Toxic rhetoric has become a fact of everyday life, a form of entertainment, and a corporate product.” While Duffy suggests that first-year composition is a partial solution to this problem, claiming that it “promote[s] an ethical public discourse,” my dissertation seeks answers beyond the ivory tower, arguing that rhetorical education is a concept that needs re-viewing and revising for the 21st century, both inside and far beyond the college composition classroom. S. Michael Halloran defines public experience, like those that occur at popular tourist destinations, as rhetorical education. At such sites, explains Halloran, a collective identity is encouraged, allowing visitors to engage in public discourse based largely on their common experience at the site and their accompanying feeling of unification as American citizens. Recent research by Jessica Enoch suggests looking outside of the academy for pedagogies that modernize rhetorical education. While Enoch points to an online activist group as one such site, I argue that museums are rich spaces to study rhetorical education since they frequently encourage civic discourse and participation both inside and outside their walls. With conceptions of rhetorical education like those by Halloran and Enoch acting as a guiding framework, this dissertation answers recent calls to improve civic engagement by investigating how museums both educate visitors about history and encourage present-day participatory citizenship. To explore new directions for rhetorical education, I use qualitative methods, collecting data from museum exhibits and tours, staff and guest interviews, publicity materials, and museum archives. I then use rhetorical and discourse analysis to conduct case studies of three recently established historical museums: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (2004); The National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri (2006); and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum (2001). This project turns specifically to museums that represent trauma, always a controversial undertaking, as valuable sites of investigation because they frequently align historical events with present-day activist agendas, thus serving as complex models of rhetorical education. Each case study chapter analyzes data collected from one museum to refigure well-known pieces of rhetorical theory with special attention to pedagogy; specifically, identification, collectivity, and memory are addressed. Museums, I argue, offer important pedagogical insight, refiguring common conceptions of where and how rhetorical education takes place in the 21st century. 2013-08-29 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372085392 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372085392 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Museums Pedagogy Rhetoric rhetoric rhetorical education rhetorical theory museums memory museum education pedagogy writing studies composition civic discourse public discourse |
| spellingShingle |
Museums Pedagogy Rhetoric rhetoric rhetorical education rhetorical theory museums memory museum education pedagogy writing studies composition civic discourse public discourse Obermark, Lauren E. Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| author |
Obermark, Lauren E. |
| author_facet |
Obermark, Lauren E. |
| author_sort |
Obermark, Lauren E. |
| title |
Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| title_short |
Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| title_full |
Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| title_fullStr |
Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Revising Rhetorical Education: Museums and Pedagogy |
| title_sort |
revising rhetorical education: museums and pedagogy |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372085392 |
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