So I'vebeen teaching food studies-based writing classes for a year, and it's now time to shift back to my area of actual academic exspertise: performance studies. Hence, next semester's class:

Making a Scene: Spectacle as Persuasion

"In a semester that kicks off with both the Super Bowl and a Presidential inauguration, it’s hard to imagine not talking about spectacle, its place in our society, and how to write about things that are not first experienced through language. In America, we like things BIG and flashy, so spectacle is something we value. But spectacle itself is not a neutral concept—big bold visions are often potent vehicles to convince large groups of people to change their minds, take action, or sit back passively in astonishment. Indeed, some of the defining political moments in recent history—9/11, the “Shock and Awe” campaign in Iraq, and televised Presidential debates—were significant precisely because of the element of spectacle that they tapped into.
"This course, then, will be an inquiry into the nature and power of spectacle, including classical musings by Plato, Aristotle, and Tertullian, rhetorical analysis of spectacles we confront, readings on live theatre, political protests and sporting events, and culminating in proposals for your own spectacle with a purpose."

Accordingly, I imagine this space morphing into something like a "Spectacle Journal," something I'll be asking my students to keep as well. Could be interesting . . .