For this project, you and a partner will co-research and co-write a rhetorical analysis of a selected text (or related texts if you wish to compare/contrast two texts). You and your partner will be receiving one grade on your project. You will be using the Composition Wiki for all of your note-sharing, drafting, peer responding, revising, and copy-editing. Your final project will be an online essay with visuals in the Wiki. (We will go over in class how to use the Wiki.) Your goals will be to conduct a close textual and contextual analysis of the visual and verbal (and even, perhaps, aural) rhetoric other writers use, considering in specific detail how an author (or authors) of one particular text shapes his/her writing to a particular audience for a particular context.
As you and your partner write, remember you are not summarizing *what* an author did, but rather analyzing the effect (or potential effect) of the rhetorical appeals and approaches used. You will also evaluate the effectiveness of the rhetorical approaches you identify for a particular audience and the particular context. Remember that an "essay," particularly for this assignment, can be broadly defined, so if you wish to pursue a less-traditional approach (e.g., a letter, a dialogue, a play) that is possible. You will be able to choose what text you wish to focus on (with some constraints, see below).
Length: equivalent of 2 1/2 pages single spaced (not counting images)
Due Dates:
Mid-Process Draft for Peer Response: September 28
Concluding Revision Draft for Peer Response: October 8
Finished Draft: October 10
Texts to
select
You may choose from the following:
--almost any speech from American Rhetoric's Online Speech Bank (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm)
*provided* the speech is from 1960 or later and *provided* it is not a speech
by Martin Luther King, Jr.(Since we analyzed one of his essays, I do not want
you to analyze one of his speeches.)
--
Evaluation
Criteria
__Introduction is interesting and inviting, in an appropriate format
for the genre chosen.
__All claims and statements are supported with sufficient specific evidence that effectively analyze the rhetorical approaches discussed.
__Information is presented at the micro and macro levels in an organized, logical manner that aligns with the rhetorical purpose and style of the genre you've chosen.
__Paragraphs (or other units of organization depending on genre) show sentence-level coherence. That is, the ideas expressed and how they are expressed take the reader smoothly from one point to the next.
__Conclusion emerges from your essay but also points toward new directions or interpretations.
__Writing exhibits voice and style consistently throughout the piece. Word choice fits the tone and style.
__Quotations from the text are integrated effectively and include the proper use of citations.
__Images/screen captures are integrated effectively.
__Spelling, punctuation, and grammar conform to Standard English Usage (unless an alternative genre is used). A works cited reference is included.
Remember to include a title.