[ATTW-L] insurrection report

[Dragga, Sam]

As you know, the January 6th committee has published its final report on the 2021 insurrection (https://january6th.house.gov/sites/democrats.january6th.house.gov/files/Report_FinalReport_Jan6SelectCommittee.pdf).

This important report deserves classroom attention and offers multiple opportunities for rhetorical and ethical analysis as well as pertinent class projects related to technical editing, report writing, and information design.

For example,  in-class activities:

  *   Revise the letter of transmittal to specify the voting public as the recipient of the report, emphasizing the historic nature of the report and the urgency in reading it.
  *   Change the titles of chapters to declarative sentences of 10 words or less that summarize the key message of the chapter.
  *   Make the headings in every chapter grammatically consistent (i.e., parallel) for easier reading and skimming.
  *   Change all recommendations to imperative sentences (e.g., #6) to focus attention on the actions advised.


Or, for example, semester projects:

  *   Develop a slide presentation for public officials that summarizes key points of unethical and illegal activity identified in the report.
  *   Prepare a pictorial version of the executive summary of the report for readers of news on mobile devices. Find or create substitute illustrations for photographs in the executive summary that are essentially decorative instead of genuinely informative. Write appropriate captions of 25 words or less.
  *   Design paired graphic narratives of minute-by-minute  activities at the White House versus the US Capitol on the day of the insurrection as training material for security officers.
  *   Choose one of the eight chapters of the report and adapt it as the script for a live-action or animated film for screening in high school history or civics classes.


I imagine you have more and better ideas about how the report could be a resource in the technical communication classroom. Please share with this list or hit “reply” to sam.dragga at ttu.edu<mailto:sam.dragga at ttu.edu> and I’ll compile the ideas (with attribution) in a single message.

Sam

Sam Dragga
Professor Emeritus
Texas Tech University
sam.dragga at ttu.edu
1-806-543-6099

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