Blugold Seminar in Critical Reading and Writing
Grounding students in the reading, writing, and rhetorical demands
necessary for success in college and beyond
Faculty Teaching Guide:
Kairos
Segment: Understanding Perspective
Goals/Purpose:
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To show how Kairos affects a rhetorical situation.
To show how Kairos affects an audience.
To inform about the proper analysis of Kairos.
To show how Kairos connects to other rhetorical terms.
Establishing a Background:
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Read Ancient Rhetorics Chapter One. Discuss rhetoric as argument, and
emphasize disagreement as necessary. Language is power, and the main limitation
of empirical proof is that people’s perceptions always change. The network of
interpretation is constantly changing. The idea of constant change will allow for
easier understanding of the timeliness of a situation.
o Introduce or reemphasize rhetoric as a duty of citizenship. To be a good
citizen, you need to argue and discuss timely facts. Refer to Chapter One,
Page 22 for review on this idea in Ancient vs. Modern Rhetoric.
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It may be helpful to compile a brainstormed list of current issues as a class. This
can be done as a one-time or regular daily activity. Have students look at the
newspaper or news websites and jot down the “hottest” issues currently.
o Use a variety of news sources, including local and national news
organizations, citizen blogs, etc.
Emphasize the fact that rhetors, writers, communicators rely on the “strike while
the iron’s hot” motto, because timeliness can make all the difference in a
rhetorical situation.
Give the students questions to think about while analyzing Kairos in an argument
or article. These could be used as group discussion questions when analyzing an
article about a current issue the students find themselves.
o Have recent events made the issue urgent right now, or do I need to show its urgency or
make it relevant to the present? Will a history of the issue help in this regard?
o What arguments seem to be favored by what groups at this time? That is, which
communities are making which arguments? How are their interests served by the
government?
o What venues give voices to which sides of the issues? Does one group or another seem to
be in a better position—a better place—from which to argue? In other words, what are the
power dynamics at work in an issue? Who has power? Who doesn’t? Why?
o What lines of argument would be appropriate or inappropriate considering the prevailing
needs and values of the audience?
o What other issues are bound up with discourse about the issue right now, in this place and
in this community? Why?
Teaching It: Instruction Ideas
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Read through Chapter Two: Kairos and the Rhetorical Situation: Seizing the
Moment (pg. 44). Use the concepts and terms discussed in these pages in relation
to the text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. (For notes on how to teach
this article alongside visual rhetoric, see Faculty Guide for Using Obama’s
Inaugural Address). Students can practice annotation skills by annotating the
chapter while reading.
Rhetorical terms to revisit and connect with this chapter:
o Exigence (allows for opening for Kairos to happen)
o Purpose
o Rhetorical Situation
o Audience
o Purpose
o Rhetor
Discuss these questions after reading, to connect the content from the chapter to
students’ lives: How do we account for the absence of the voices of young
from public discourse? Is this group apathetic? Is their position
undervalued? Students may share personal experiences about events in their own
lives in regards to these questions.
o Discuss the examples used in the chapter.
 High School Mascot Controversy (pg. 48)
 School Shootings and Gun Control (pg. 54)
Students can think of their own example of a news story or event, and discuss
how attention to Kairos can guide analysis of that particular issue.
Also discuss the idea that Kairos comes from Latin opportunitas: Is there an
opening? If not, can you create the opening? How?
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o This is a working mentality in establishing topics for their texts produced
in the third and fourth unit.
Discuss the relation to power dynamics: “To examine and invent arguments using
Kairos is to consider the power dynamics at work in a particular issue in addition
to the recent events and arguments that press on it.” (Chapter Two, pg. 61)
o Organized groups, government leaders, etc. often have more power.
o How do we account for those with less power? Look at citizen blogs,
offbeat newspapers, columns, etc.
An additional question to discuss with this concept:“The questions of Kairos
should lead us to ask: why do political figures avoid taking positions on
controversial issues? How are their interests served by doing so?” (Chapter 2, pg.
60).
To put these discussion topics into practice, consider one of the following
activities (adapted from Chapter Two, pg. 63):
o Choose an issue as a class or in small groups. Read broadly about it,
keeping track of the various perspectives. Then, make a visual “map” of
the arguments, tracking how the main issue gives rise to others. Include in
the map arguments people are making, who the people are, and what
values they seem to be asserting.
 This can be a continuous or short-term project.
 Visual maps, graphic organizers, Wikis, Prezi presentations can be
created.
o Using the UWEC Library database, look for recent articles on gun control
or offensive school mascots. How has the Kairos surrounding these issues
changed since the chapter was written?
Follow-up and Making Connections:
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UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE-Work on identifying Kairos with the
articles used for Rhetorical Analysis (Obama’s Inaugural Address, Pencils to
Pixels, etc.). Use these questions as guidelines:
o Have recent events made the issue urgent right now, or do I need to show
its urgency or make it relevant to the present? Will a history of the issue
help in this regard?
o What arguments seem to be favored by what groups at this time? That is,
which communities are making which arguments? How are their interests
served by the government?
o What venues give voices to which sides of the issues? Does one group or
another seem to be in a better position—a better place—from which to
argue? In other words, what are the power dynamics at work in an issue?
Who has power? Who doesn’t? Why?
o What lines of argument would be appropriate or inappropriate considering
the prevailing needs and values of the audience?
o What other issues are bound up with discourse about the issue right now,
in this place and in this community? Why?
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CULTIVATING COMPLEXITY – As students research and look for sources,
reinforce analyzing the Kairos with each one.
o Discuss the implications of the age of digital literacy. The Internet allows
us to see different sides more readily. It also allows for an increased sense
of urgency. Sites like Twitter can shed importance on timely topics almost
instantly!
o Remind them it is acceptable to look at a wide variety of sources,
including more informal sources too (i.e. Cosmo quiz, blogs, etc.).
o This allows them to see the power dynamics in a kairotic situation.
o Look at the year of each article: How have the arguments changed over
time?
JOINING THE CONVERSATION – Emphasize to students the importance of
constantly asking themselves: Is there an opening? If not, can you create the
opening? How?
o In future conversations, Kairos influences what they’re going to say and
what decisions to make.
Connections to Writing Matters
o Pages 1-6
 Connecting the importance of Kairos to a writer’s responsibilities
 To Audience
 To Topic
 To Other Writers
 To Yourself
o Young adult writers deserve a chance to fill the opening in the information
cycle. Using appropriate Kairos will give validity and purpose to the
writing so the audience will want to pay attention.
o Page 16
 Choosing an engaging topic
 It is important to ask: Is the topic timely or relevant? Do I
have something to add? Is it working reading and writing
about?
o See Writing Responsibly box on pg. 16