Why Pathos, You Ask?
This site will focus on pathos in the college classroom. Constructed for our Writing, Rhetoric and American Culture 260 course, we decided to look at college professors and instructors. This idea arose coincidentally, in a college classroom at Michigan State University (MSU). As students at MSU we witness pathos everyday, but we aimed to grasp the understanding that professors in Writing, Rhetoric and American Culture, graduate students, and instructors in Elementary Education have of the term. We define pathos as an appeal to emotions, as something that is used all of the time whether we are consciously aware of it or not.
This stuck out as a multi-faceted and interesting topic to our group. As one of Aristotle's three appeals along with ethos, the appeal to authority, and logos, the appeal to logic, pathos is special because it is invariably tied to the other two. It is a difficult task to do much of anything without emotion, let alone establish authority or create a logical argument. It is for this reason that we decided to examine pathos in the college classroom. Connecting with students and getting them to realize the larger points behind lessons is a daunting task if pathos isn't utilized. The three cultures that we interviewed had different outlooks on the term pathos and it shows in their lesson presentation and in their interaction with students. Ultimately, pathos extremely effects the education of students at the college level in different ways depending on the professors use of pathos.
This stuck out as a multi-faceted and interesting topic to our group. As one of Aristotle's three appeals along with ethos, the appeal to authority, and logos, the appeal to logic, pathos is special because it is invariably tied to the other two. It is a difficult task to do much of anything without emotion, let alone establish authority or create a logical argument. It is for this reason that we decided to examine pathos in the college classroom. Connecting with students and getting them to realize the larger points behind lessons is a daunting task if pathos isn't utilized. The three cultures that we interviewed had different outlooks on the term pathos and it shows in their lesson presentation and in their interaction with students. Ultimately, pathos extremely effects the education of students at the college level in different ways depending on the professors use of pathos.
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Works Cited
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://education.msu.edu/search/[email protected]>
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://michiganstate.academia.edu/AllegraSmith>
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://michiganstate.academia.edu/AmandaBaumann
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://wrac.msu.edu/people/page/5/>
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://www2.matrix.msu.edu/people/rebecca-zantjer/
Baumann, Amanda. "A moment of your time." Message to the author. 16 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Blythe, Stuart. Personal interview. 4 Oct. 2013.
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 4th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 246-66. Print.
Everett, Sakeena. "Interview today." Message to the author. 5 Dec. 2013. E-mail.
Glew, Margo. "A moment of your time." Message to the author. 25 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Grabill, Jeff. Personal interview. 4 Oct. 2013.
Ledbetter, Lehua. “PW pathos in the classroom interview.” Message to the author. 20 Nov. 2013.
Powell, Malea. Personal interview. 10 Oct. 2013.
Smith, Allegra. “PW pathos in the classroom interview.” Message to the author. 23 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Zantjer, Rebecca. Personal interview. 22 Nov. 2013.
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://michiganstate.academia.edu/AllegraSmith>
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://michiganstate.academia.edu/AmandaBaumann
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://wrac.msu.edu/people/page/5/>
Accessed Nov. 2013. JPEG file. <http://www2.matrix.msu.edu/people/rebecca-zantjer/
Baumann, Amanda. "A moment of your time." Message to the author. 16 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Blythe, Stuart. Personal interview. 4 Oct. 2013.
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 4th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 246-66. Print.
Everett, Sakeena. "Interview today." Message to the author. 5 Dec. 2013. E-mail.
Glew, Margo. "A moment of your time." Message to the author. 25 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Grabill, Jeff. Personal interview. 4 Oct. 2013.
Ledbetter, Lehua. “PW pathos in the classroom interview.” Message to the author. 20 Nov. 2013.
Powell, Malea. Personal interview. 10 Oct. 2013.
Smith, Allegra. “PW pathos in the classroom interview.” Message to the author. 23 Nov. 2013. E-mail.
Zantjer, Rebecca. Personal interview. 22 Nov. 2013.
Interview Questions
Interview Questions from Podcast with Writing, Rhetoric and American Culture Professors
1. How would you define pathos? When do you feel that pathos is effective?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. How would you go about teaching pathos?
4. Do you find pathos to be particularly effective to WRAC professors? More so than in another area of study?
5. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
6. What techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
7. Both complimentary and depreciatory language are often found in emotional appeals. Do you encourage your students to use them in their own work? (Question was formerly posed with “honorific and pejorative language”)
8. How do you use complimentary and derogatory language in your classroom?
9. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
10. If you were considering giving a controversial lecture in your classroom, would you take into account the dynamics of the classroom before deciding whether or not to present it?
Interviews Questions For Writing, Rhetoric And American Culture Graduate Students
1. The use of pathos is often described as the use of emotion; when do you feel that pathos is effective?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
4. What rhetorical techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
5. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
6. Is derogatory and complimentary language something that you use in the classroom? Do you find it effective?
7. Do you think that pathos is something teachers should be knowledgeable of before entering the field?
8. How often do you use pathos while giving a controversial lecture?
9. Of the rhetorical strategies, ethos, logos, and pathos, which do you find most useful in the classroom?
10. Do you think that students respond better to lectures or presentations that use pathos rather than those that do not?
Interview Questions For Elementary Education Professors
1. The use of pathos is often described as the use of emotion; when do you feel that pathos is effective?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
4. What rhetorical techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
5. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
6. Is derogatory and complimentary language something that you use in the classroom? Do you find it effective?
7. Do you think that pathos is something teachers should be knowledgeable of before entering the field?
8. How often do you use pathos while giving a controversial lecture?
9. Of the rhetorical strategies, ethos, logos, and pathos, which do you find most useful in the classroom?
10. Do you think that students respond better to lectures or presentations that use pathos rather than those that do not?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. How would you go about teaching pathos?
4. Do you find pathos to be particularly effective to WRAC professors? More so than in another area of study?
5. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
6. What techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
7. Both complimentary and depreciatory language are often found in emotional appeals. Do you encourage your students to use them in their own work? (Question was formerly posed with “honorific and pejorative language”)
8. How do you use complimentary and derogatory language in your classroom?
9. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
10. If you were considering giving a controversial lecture in your classroom, would you take into account the dynamics of the classroom before deciding whether or not to present it?
Interviews Questions For Writing, Rhetoric And American Culture Graduate Students
1. The use of pathos is often described as the use of emotion; when do you feel that pathos is effective?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
4. What rhetorical techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
5. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
6. Is derogatory and complimentary language something that you use in the classroom? Do you find it effective?
7. Do you think that pathos is something teachers should be knowledgeable of before entering the field?
8. How often do you use pathos while giving a controversial lecture?
9. Of the rhetorical strategies, ethos, logos, and pathos, which do you find most useful in the classroom?
10. Do you think that students respond better to lectures or presentations that use pathos rather than those that do not?
Interview Questions For Elementary Education Professors
1. The use of pathos is often described as the use of emotion; when do you feel that pathos is effective?
2. Do you think that pathos can be used in teaching?
3. Have your students responded positively to your use of pathos in the past?
4. What rhetorical techniques do you use to get your students more involved in the classroom?
5. How often do you use pathos in your classroom?
6. Is derogatory and complimentary language something that you use in the classroom? Do you find it effective?
7. Do you think that pathos is something teachers should be knowledgeable of before entering the field?
8. How often do you use pathos while giving a controversial lecture?
9. Of the rhetorical strategies, ethos, logos, and pathos, which do you find most useful in the classroom?
10. Do you think that students respond better to lectures or presentations that use pathos rather than those that do not?