Data can be a tricky animal when it comes to politics. One area that is particularly prone to misinterpretation (both unconscious and purposeful) is data visualization – when data is translated to (hopefully) easy-to-understand images. The kinds of rhetorical choices made with data visualization go beyond simplistic pro-con biases to a more complex, interconnected web of highlighted (and shadowed) points. Exploring the ways information is framed in the creation and deployment of data visualization is a rich opportunity to get students thinking about rhetorical choices in a realm that many of them might consider “objective.” This lesson plan was designed…
Author: Rachel Lloret Hinman
Rachel Lloret Hinman
Rachel Lloret Hinman is a PhD student of Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Texas at El Paso. She's interested in digital rhetorics, user experience, and rhetorics of popular culture.