PWR 2PT: The Rhetoric of Bearing Witness

First-hand witness accounts of events — whether in the form of videos, testimony, oral histories, social media posts, or artistic expressions — play important roles in our legal, political, and social systems. They can convict criminals, preserve culture, and document history — or even change its course.

For example, consider Darnella Frazier: she was 17 years old when she recorded a video of police officer Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd. Millions of people around the world responded, taking to the streets to protest after “witnessing” Floyd’s murder. Anne Frank’s diary captured the horror of living under the Nazis in ways that other forms of history writing could not. More recently, in Minneapolis, hundreds of people took to the streets, cell phones in hand, to bear witness to the actions of border patrol agents and ICE officers.

Yet, despite the undeniable power of witness accounts, they are subject to varying interpretations, falsification, and abuse. With the rise of deepfake technologies, altered or fabricated videos can lead to false political claims or wrongful convictions, while also generating doubts and cynicism that can undermine the value of witness accounts more generally.

This writing and oral communication course examines the rhetoric of witness accounts by looking at how they are used in various contexts to achieve specific goals. Students will develop their own projects culminating in an oral presentation and a research paper investigating an issue related to bearing witness.

Examples of Research Topics

• Journalists and citizen journalists as witnesses
• Documentary film, music and other art forms as witnessing
• Witnessing as political action
• Deepfakes as a challenge to witnessing
• Technology and policies for AI-generated witness accounts
• The environment as a witness to human activities
• Photography as a form of witness to historical events
• Witness and survivor accounts as historical sources
• The role of testimony in legal proceedings

PWR 2 Assignment Sequence

Research Proposal

(900-1200 words; 3-4 pages; 3-4 minute live oral presentation) In this assignment, you will identify a specific issue related to bearing witness that you would like to investigate throughout the quarter. You’ll outline a research plan explaining what scholars have said about the issue and how you will bring new ideas to the topic. In an oral presentation, you will explain the significance of your research topic to your classmates.

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; 10-12 pages) By the end of the quarter, you will complete your research into the topic you have chosen and develop a persuasive analysis, drawing on diverse sources, possibly including fieldwork, to support your argument.

Delivery of Research

(10 minute live oral presentation with appropriate multimedia support) This is your opportunity to share the outcome of your research directly with other students. In class, we will develop skills, including incorporation of visual materials, for making this presentation engaging and convincing. It’s a good form of practice for the many contexts throughout your time at Stanford and beyond when you will need to make a persuasive oral presentation about your ideas.