A general statement: This project aims to engage students’ rhetorical awareness in gathering
relevant information about a figure (in this essay Slavoj Zizek) in intellectual history and presenting a picture of that figure in a coherent and thoughtful manner.
A more specific statement: This project asks to choose a major figure in intellectual
history (in this essay Slavoj Zizek), synthesize the figure’s major ideas and contributions, and evaluate the depictions of this figure in the scholarly and popular literature. Students are invited to incorporate
multimodal elements (photographs, video, equations, charts, and graphs).
Requirements: 5-6 pages, Times New Roman, 12-pt. font, double-spaced, MLA works cited
The prompt asks to focus on (a) major ideas and contributions, and (b) how the figure is
portrayed.
I want these ideas explained in the essay about Slavoj Zizek
Time period. What are the actual dates of the person’s life? When in their life did they begin
engaging intellectually? What major historical events occurred during their lifetime? What were
the previous movements that influenced the person’s work? What subsequent movements
were influenced by the person’s work?
2. Key concepts. What are the major contributions of this scholar? What theorems, treatises,
ideas are they credited with? Explain one concept, theory, theorem, equation. To what extent
can we reasonably say these particular contributions were made by this scholar alone, and not
the result of a larger scholarly community–what can we really attribute to them? Which of their
works have received large amounts of scholarly attention? Which of their works have received
less or no scholarly attention?
3. Action. What went on in their life? Do they seem to have had an easy life? Are there aspects
of their personal life that complicate our understanding of their scholarly contributions? What
kind of changes did they go through?
Write with your reader in mind: choose one of the following structures that best tells the story of
your research
4. Memory. How is the person remembered/understood? What kind of words are used to
describe the figure–what adjectives, adverbs, verbs?
(1) ‘front-loaded claim’
The claim is immediately given to the reader, so they can assess how well the evidence
and analysis support the claim
– Introduction: Context, problem, project, and claim
– Body: Evidence and analysis
– Conclusion: Takeaway
I want these particular sources to be used in this essay:
https://asu.kanopy.com/video/perverts-guide-ideology
https://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Sp-Z/Zizek-Slavoj.html
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jul/15/slavoj-zizek-interview-life-writing
Let’s Talk About Jouissance, Baby!
Last Completed Projects
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