Past Research Project Topics from visual rhetoric classes


Below you will find a list of visual rhetoric oriented research topics from past PWR classes (some topics are broad, some much more narrowed, and some are accompanied by a working thesis statement).

These lists are designed to give you some ideas for your own research paper - keep in mind that while you can use one of these topics as the starting point for your research, you also can select a topic on your own. As you might conclude from reading them over, some of the topics listed below were more successful than others. The key to choosing a successful topic lies in considering these questions:

  1. is it focused enough?
  2. do I have the resources to research it?
  3. am I interested enough in it to spend 8 weeks thinking, reading, and writing about it?
  4. and can I take a strong position about this topic (i.e. will I be writing an argument, not a report)? This last question is particularly important -- since you will be writing an argumentative research paper, not a report, it is important that you choose a topic that you feel you could take a position on -- and that someone could argue with you about.

I also strongly suggest that you look at the winners of the Boothe Prize for 2001, 2002, and 2003 as more general examples of exemplary student writing. These should be of special interest to you, since they were obviously highly successful topics.

Please note: you may opt to write on one of the topics below if you so desire. Just because someone else one wrote on the same topic in no way means that you, too, can't say something meaningful, original, and convincing about it. Feel free to e-mail me about topic ideas.

GENERAL TOPICS

Other topic ideas (arranged roughly by category -- remember you would need to engage a DEBATE about these topics and make a strong argument)

EXPANDED TOPICS: From topics to thesis statements

Topic: Death imagery in Jose Posada's prints
Working thesis: Posada's use of death imagery illuminates the essential equality of humanity, and urges the viewer towards a compassionate view of others. His appeals are derived from the vast culture of death surrounding Mexican life.
Topic: Chick flicks and relationship between beauty and character in modern film
Working thesis: Chick flicks geared towards young women reflect society’s view that beauty determines the character of woman opposed to her moral development.
 
Topic: Chrysler’s failed ad campaign
Working thesis: Chrysler Corporation made a mistake in ignoring its brand history by creating an edgy ad campaign that generated buzz but failed to sell cars because it offended more people than it enticed.
Topic: 1930s art and war
Main texts: Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.
Working thesis: Through an analysis of these three works, we will see that art is not merely a passive and aesthetic means of expression. Rather, as Picasso described and Powell discovered, art is an instrument of war.
 
Topic: Visual Rhetoric of Marilyn Manson
Working thesis: Marilyn Manson is a performer, a master of visual rhetoric who pushes the envelope in order to create a larger-than-life persona with the ability to inspire both hate and love. Furthermore, much of what he does, and the reaction he provokes, echoes the actions of past rock legends like Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
Topic: Concepts of Escape in Fantasy and Science Fiction Movies
Working thesis: By examining the films and movie posters associated with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Matrix, I will analyze the different rhetorical appeals used to illustrate the two major themes, humanity versus technology and life versus death, and how these relate to the concept of escape through these movies. The intrigue with fantasy and science fiction is multilayered because these movies give the audience an outlet for imagination and emotions to run free while addressing current realistic concerns.
 
Topic: Portrayal of Tiananmen Square: Photojournalistic Biases of Chinese and American Media
Working thesis: The sensationalist photographs that went through U.S. media, namely photojournalistic books, were responsible for hooking the American public’s attention and concern, but their images’ focus on the students provided a skewed picture of the situation in China, completely disregarding the government’s point of view in the matter.
Topic: How the American Family was Affected by World War II
Working thesis:The actual structure and makeup of the American family as well as the roles of the members of the family changed from how they were before and after the war. Several pieces of visual rhetoric from the three different time periods, before, during, and after the war, illustrate the changing family well.
Topic: Depravation and Deceitfulness of America’s World War II Political Art
Excerpt: … If we think more deeply about the underlying implications of the above poster, we can see that the American identity is being projected onto the body of Uncle Sam – who, of course, is a blond male with white skin and a ‘typical’ American visage. If such a figure is representative of the United States, what are we saying about people of color? Are we subconsciously deeming people of other races to be our enemies? These questions prompt us to reflect upon about the role that racism plays in American propaganda. One way to do so is to reexamine the racist and unjustly demeaning ways in which America portrayed its political enemies during the Second World War. On the verge of the war against terror that our government is currently pursuing – at a time when we are constantly bombarded by mixed messages about America’s new enemy – it is imperative for us to look back at the political artwork that appeared between the years 1939 and 1945 in order to settle our idealistic misconceptions regarding the ethics of American propaganda.