The Badenov Files: Teaching Students Self Advocacy Through Rhetoric

I just completed a special project in my English 102 courses, the Badenov Files. In this project, students receive a letter from their landlord, Boris Badenov. Their landlord tells them that their rent is going to increase by 500 dollars a month at the end of the month, when their leases are about to expire. Students get a fact sheet on their landlord. They also receive a rhetorical tool kit, which introduces them to tools from rhetoric such as ethos, pathos, and logos; Bitzer's rhetorical situation; and Chaim Perelman's concept of rhetorical communion. Then students had to plan a strategy to respond to Boris. Playing Boris, I responded to them.

Playing Boris was quite fun; the episode brought out my inner sadist in a few situations. More important than this fact was that students learned that rhetoric isn't just about writing a paper or two; it's a tool that can help them succeed in life and advocate for themselves. A lot of the students seemed shocked to realize that they could indeed respond to Boris and make a positive impact on their own lives.

I am going to be publishing about this project, which I think could help instructors across the nation help their students to develop both their self-confidence and their rhetorical acumen.