A new College Major puts the Spotlight on The University of Nevada at Las Vegas

Textual Rhetorical Analysis

     Many of the world’s most lavish displays of technology and art culminate in the city of Las Vegas, a town known for its extravagant theatrics, circus performances, and now for its ingenuity. At the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, professors from the mechanical engineering and theater departments are teaming up to produce a new major for college students seeking to fill a much needed role in theatrical performances. For years, theater companies would have producers and managers get trained in engineering curriculum before allowing them to design structures and acrobatic routines used in front of thousands of show-goers. However, onstage entertainment continues to become more and more complicated as audiences demand more vibrant displays of risky stunts and show-stopping acrobatics. With the design of more sophisticated forms of onstage entertainment, the demand for engineers has grown considerably, and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas has answered that call. In his article about the new entertainment engineering major at UNLV, Michael Arnone gives valid arguments in favor of the university, saying how it’s making the right choice by introducing this major tailored to the growing demand for engineers in the entertainment and theater industries. Arnone also appeals to college students and faculty at other universities by using specific rhetorical strategies that present arguments from critics of the new program, the current design challenges for onstage shows and the challenges facing entertainment engineers, as well as how the new college major is showing promise in a recent survey course at UNLV. Together, Arnone contends that entertainment and engineering pose a strong force to tackle the design challenges facing onstage theatrics not only in Las Vegas, but also in many countries across the globe.

     When the idea for an entertainment engineering major spread across the United States, educators from many universities claimed it wasn’t a good idea, but the author of the article establishes his side of the case by presenting arguments from critics, and then refuting them by giving sound evidence that UNLV is making the right choice by offering this new major. For example, Arnone describes how Bronislaw J. Sammler, chairmen of the program in technical design and production at the School of Drama at Yale University, believes that such a small program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas “could provide only the most basic training”. This critical statement is then refuted by Robert F. Boehm, a mechanical engineering professor at UNLV, who says, “The size of a program does not predict the success of its graduates as much as other factors, such as practical experience and the mix of courses.” By showing how UNLV can respond to critics of the program, Arnone is implicitly arguing that UNLV is also able to answer and respond to the demand for more engineers in the entertainment industry. In addition, Arnone does not present a counter statement from the chairmen at Yale University, suggesting that UNLV has won the argument and that no further contentions can be made against the new program. This is not the only proof that Arnone is arguing in favor of the entertainment engineering program, as he also continues to make positive remarks about the job opportunities for entertainment engineering graduates for three paragraphs before describing other aspects of the major. Lastly, by using ethos in the form of statements from credible professors and chairmen, Arnone is able to support his argument that the new entertainment engineering major at UNLV is the best method of answering the current demand for engineers in the entertainment industry.

     The current demand for engineers in the entertainment industry has been the result of producing more sophisticated performances for show-goers, and through the utilization of illustration, ethos, personification, and comparison, Arnone explains how entertainment engineers are needed to fill roles previously occupied by trained managers, producers, and designers. In this section of the article, Arnone uses artistry and illustration to put the reader in a theatrical setting, describing the color, material, and shape of the seats and stage lights within a large music/theater hall. Also, Arnone explains how Anthony Ricotta, operations and production manager for “O” (a play about water), sides with UNLV’s decision to offer the entertainment engineering major. Arnone expounds on Ricotta’s expertise in the entertainment business, thus presenting ethical appeal (ethos) as a way of supporting the new program at UNLV. Lastly, the repetition of the vowel “O” not only emphasizes the importance of Ricotta’s role in the play on water, but it also represents the reactions of an audience that is awestruck by the performance of the acrobats in a well-designed play. Arnone implies that this reaction is translated to an audience gasping, “Oh”, and as a result, the title of the play represents the use of personification to describe the audience’s verbal reaction during an impressive show. He also implies that this reaction is becoming more difficult to extract using old design methods and that entertainment engineers are needed to put this reaction back into theatrics. Lastly, Arnone uses the rhetorical method of comparison by describing how entertainment engineers would have to build and design objects never created before. For example, Rick Gray, a former theater professor at Pennsylvania State University at University Park, had to help design a reliable, moving underwater platform in less than a year, because the Otis elevator company said it could not be done. The author of the article uses this example to illustrate how UNLV is advancing an engineering program that has never been launched before by another university. The author also uses the success of building the underwater platform to instill confidence in the reader that an entertainment engineering program will also be a success. By utilizing this comparison method and adequately describing the current challenges and needs in the entertainment industry, Arnone is able to show his support for the development of the new college major at The University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

     The development of the entertainment engineering program is already underway, and through his use of an indirect analogy, ethical appeal, and a rhetorical question, Arnone describes how a recent survey course at UNLV has given positive impressions of the new college major. First, Arnone explains how engineering and theater students collaborated in order to create a show based on nursery rhymes for the course’s final project. He mentions how the theater students initially sat on one side of the room and the engineering students on the other. However, the two groups began to communicate and associate more with each other as the class progressed over a few months time. This lack of socialization during the first few months of class can be compared to how critics disapprove of the introduction of the entertainment engineering major at UNLV, but how the program will become widely-accepted among educators in the United States with time. This indirect analogy also vindicates Arnone’s position that the new major at UNLV will be a success and that it will solve current issues in the entertainment industry related to show design. It is also noticeable how Arnone uses ethical appeal to his advantage to prove how the establishment of entertainment engineering will be a victory for students, entertainment companies, and UNLV. Throughout the last portion of the article, the author quotes two graduate students in mechanical engineering as well as Ellen A. Wartella, the Dean of the College of Communication at the University of Texas Austin, to express his support for the program and it’s respective courses at UNLV. For example, Arnone quotes Jade D. Braithewaite and Cameron M. Nelson, whom are graduate students in mechanical engineering and whom only gave positive remarks about the survey course during their interviews with Arnone. These graduate students give a huge boost in credibility for the author by making positive statements about the course, because Arnone believes that an entertainment engineering major at UNLV is a good idea. Lastly, the author ends the article by posing a rhetorical question, “In the real world it’s happening. Why not at colleges and universities?” This question gives the reader serious thought as to why other colleges have not implemented this idea for an entertainment engineering major before, especially since it’s a major that’s high in demand at entertainment companies. This rhetorical question also leaves the reader thinking about how he/she may want to pursue this college major and how he/she may want to research it further, instead of disregarding it as a meaningless program. In the end, Arnone creates a sense of thought and wonder in the reader by concluding his article with a rhetorical question. This also results in the reader being more likely to take sides with the author, who contends that a degree in entertainment engineering is an excellent method of resolving the growing number of design challenges in the entertainment industry.

     Through the use of analogy, comparison, ethical appeal, illustration, and a rhetorical question, the author of the article provides evidence and support for his argument that an entertainment engineering program is a good idea, and that it answers the call for engineers in the entertainment business. In addition, the author, Michael Arnone, uses these rhetorical strategies to describe the arguments from critics of the new program, the current design challenges for onstage shows and the challenges facing entertainment engineers, as well as how the new college major is showing promise in a recent survey course at UNLV. Together, these rhetorical strategies leave the reader in thought and wonder about how the future of the entertainment industry will depend on the new college major being introduced at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.