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March 02, 2005
Another Semester Project
This one is for my "Globalization and Religion" class, where we have taken up the general subject of Global Civil Society, and the role of religion in it.
Working Title: Rhetoric of NGOs and Other Elements of Global Civil Society
Basic Methodology: rhetorical analysis
Description
I would like to take up exploring the rhetoric of various NGOs and other agencies of global civil society. In their mission statements, what language is there? War? Battle? Morality? I have been very interested in how rhetoric plays in the texts we've read in the course so far, and the numerous references to Bourdieu, and since rhetoric is my field and globalization will be one of my exam areas in rhetoric, I think this fits for me. So I see it working something like this:
- Begin with the references from the course texts to rhetoric, discursive production of spaces or knowledge, and references to Bourdieu.
- Revisit Bordieu myself and use that work as the theoretical frame (along with some other stuff as needed).
- Explore the web sites and other published materials of 3-4 NGO or similar sites, at least 1 very mainstream, and at least 1 relatively obscure.
- Document rhetorical devices and strategies, analyze how language is employed for positioning.
- Compose a working theory about the nature of globalization, religion, and global civil society framed in rhetorical structures.
- Write an amazing, succinct, lucid and publishable paper. (ha!)
So if anyone out there has any suggestions for NGOs or other groups, comments, questions, or advice, please do share.
The fun continues!
Posted by cageyer at March 2, 2005 04:06 PM