Student Research Teams aimed at networking among students from partner countries by establishing research-based learning and peer-learning activities. The report includes a summary of this RHEFINE’s sub-project with workshop outlines and general recommendations.

The report is available in English, Polish, Croatian, and Bulgarian.

We are pleased to inform that the editor of Methods of Rhetorical Criticism chose 4 essays to the handbook. Congratulations to:

• Dagmara Mateja, Pentadic analysis of Zelensky’s speech "We'll Defend Ourselves, You'll See Our Faces, Not Backs"

• Marcela Grgec, Pentadic analysis of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Address to Russians

• Hrvoje Novak, Pentadička analiza političkoga govora Volodimira Zelenskog

• Klaudia Bulić, Pentadic analysis of Andrzej Duda speech

You may find the book here.

We are delighted that the first venture of its kind to bring together students from different faculties and levels of study from Poland and Croatia was met with positive feedback.

Students appreciated the methods of rhetorical analysis presented and the variety of material that provided an extension to their existing knowledge and skills.

They appreciated both the group work within their classes and in international groups. 

They indicated that an obstacle, apart from the language barrier (for some this was the first such opportunity to speak publicly in a foreign language), was the most difficult to establish effective ways of group communication.

Interestingly, most preferred written communication to online meetings. This may also have been due to the indicated problems in agreeing common convenient meeting dates.

What participants emphasised, however, was that the project not only gave them new competences, but was an opportunity to meet new people, exchange their perspectives, including seeing differences and similarities in approaches to rhetorical analysis.

You can see the detailed evaluation's answers here.

After two months of international collaboration, it was time for the final workshop - this time the teams, together with their new leaders, prepared an analysis of the Ukrainian president's speech delivered shortly before the outbreak of war. The analytical framework was pentadic criticism, to which Aleksandra Lukowska, a PhD student from the University of Warsaw, had given an introduction at the last workshop.

We discussed 5 interesting analyses for which the students used an approach that was new to them.

At the end of the project, we talked some more about the advantages and disadvantages of working in an international team, as well as the very dynamics of working in a group, where everyone can take on a slightly different role.

At the end of the meeting, instructions were given on how to write an essay that could become part of a planned handbook on rhetorical criticism (O1).

Students were also asked to take part in an anonymous survey to summarise the project.

During the second virtual workshop in Output 7, students took the floor. We could see the effect of their work. And the task was not easy. As a continuation of the analysis of Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech, students in international groups prepared its analysis according to the rules proposed by the instructors.

Then we moved on to analyze two political speeches by president Duda and president Milanović, moderated by Vlatka from Croatia and Witold from Poland. Prior to the workshop they suggested dividing into groups and prepared the tasks to be performed.

Polish teams analyzed the speech of the Croatian president and Croatians analyzed the speech of the Polish president. Thanks to this we could compare our observations of the speeches of public figures who hold the same function but about whom we have different situational knowledge and for whom we have different expectations.

Finally, Aleksandra Łukowska introduced the basics of pentadic criticism, which will be used by international teams to analyze Zelensky's speech to Russians. The next workshop, already the last one, will be held in June.

With the new academic year, we began the second installment of output 7 involving collaboration between student groups. This time we took advantage of the fact that at the University of Warsaw in the summer semester there are classes on the art of presentation, and at the University of Zagreb there is a course on rhetorical genres.

This time we proposed 3 joint online workshops in which we look at the rhetorical analysis of political speeches together with students. Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech delivered as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was chosen for the first meeting on April 29.

The next workshop will be partially student-led in May. The workshop will include speeches by Polish and Croatian politicians. The series of workshops will conclude with an analysis of the speech made by the President of Ukraine just before the start of the war.

The workshops are prepared by Ewa Modrzejewska, Aleksandra Łukowska and Elenmari Pletikos Olof.

Milestones:

• 29th April: workshop #1: We propose the plan (topic: A message to the Russian people by Arnold Schwarzenegger)

• 13th May:  workshop #2: You propose the plan (topic: PL/CRO political speech)

• 3rd June: workshop #3: We + You (topic: Zelensky’s speech to Russians, Feb. 2022)

• July: essays for the Methods of Rhetorical Criticism Handbook

• October: Erasmus Days,  presentations of the results

Please, find the instructions here.

The XXV Science Festival has been an opportunity for O7 team working on debating formats to show the practical site of their work. 

The outcomes of the workshop "Dyskusja od podstaw - warsztaty z debatowania" will also be elaborated in form of a chapter as part of O3 "The Rhetoric of Debate".  Also other ideas of the Students' Research Teams (O7) were briefly presented during the event. The final presentations are planned for Erasmus Days in October.  

Milestones:

• 19 May 2021: pilot workshop for students, selecting groups and topics;

• 31 May 2021: final deadlines for the final research proposals; 

• June: online meeting within the topic’s groups (presentation of the detailed topic and the expected results/effects);

• June-October:  work on the topic under the supervision of the scientific advisors;

• September: online meeting within the topic’s groups (presentation of the detailed topic and the expected results/effects);

• October: Autumn Student School (3rd week, between 18-22 Oct, 2021): final presentation of the results, series of workshops and meetings (online/offline).

Please, find the instructions here.