Functioning Locally as a Citizen of the World
Background and Objective
Whether or not we count them as such, rhetorical appeals are all around us. Philanthropists request money to help feed starving families in third world countries, professional athletes promote a new line of high-performance footwear, and journalists employ startling statistics to remind their audience of the alarming rate of alcohol-related accidents on college campuses. And we cannot help but recognize the rhetoric expressed in political campaigns from both sides of the spectrum; here's a good example from NPR regarding the 2012 presidential debates. The aim of this assignment is to look more critically at rhetorical elements in various forms of media and to display an understanding of the types of appeals—ethos, pathos, and logos—present in both visual and verbal argument.
The Paper
For this assignment, you will select an argumentative essay on an environmental issue from a popular magazine OR one of Annie Leonard's "Story of Stuff" videos and analyze the information presented by the author based on your understanding of ethos, pathos, and logos. Be sure to include in your analysis any visual argument associated with the text (i.e. photographs, charts, drawings, etc.). These posts on the rhetorical triangle and common fallacies will also be helpful.
Your essay will be an analysis of the author’s techniques and the effectiveness of the piece in persuading the intended audience.
As part of this paper cycle, you should employ the following steps:
1. Browse the stacks or browse the videos. Yes, this means actually going to the library (or at least referring to the online databases)! It might also help to go to a bookstore to look at magazine titles. Select one of Leonard's videos or an article of at least three pages in length from a popular literary/news magazine such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic or Newsweek. You might also consider more environmentally focused titles such as Outside or Mother Earth News. Your selection must be argumentative—one which makes a claim and takes a stand about a particular issue—rather than a descriptive piece which merely aims to inform or instruct. For the purpose of analysis, it’s wise to select an essay containing both strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, chose an environmental argument that interests you.
2. Research your topic. Find at least one additional scholarly, peer-reviewed source which addresses the issue present in your primary analysis. Use the information provided in this scholarly source to either refute or support the claims made in the popular magazine.
example: If I select an article in Newsweek arguing for more stringent emissions testing standards for sports utility vehicles, a possible secondary source could be from a scientific journal to provide an ecological or environmental perspective.
3. Analyze your document/video. Consider the following as your make your claim and support it with appropriate evidence:
- describe the article/video and its setting (the author, the audience, the context in which the piece was written, etc.). What is the author’s overall goal in this piece?
- justify the need for an analysis of this type by making your claim about its quality
- analyze the author’s rhetorical strategies (the appeals, use of visuals, sections and organization of the text
- evaluate how well these methods work for persuading the audience
4. Draft, organize, and revise. View the Purdue OWL or the Texas A&M Writing Center for additional guidance on how to organize and compose a rhetorical analysis essay.
Paper Requirements
- at least 1,000 words (please include a word count at the end of your essay).
at least one outside source beyond the piece being analyzed. Any source information you use, whether paraphrased or directly quoted, should, at the end of the sentence, have an in-text citation.**updated for fall 2019- a Works Cited page and a paper title.
- draft response questions inserted after the works cited page.
- Forward a strong, well-stated thesis, then make a sound case for it by incorporating sufficient evidence
- Demonstrate an understanding of the appeals through a critical analysis of the primary argument
- Prove an understanding of the use of visual elements to enhance the primary argument
- Organize well with thorough, unified paragraphs
- Use documentation appropriately (include in-text citations and a Works Cited page)
- Meet acceptable “readability” standards for college-level readers (mechanics, style)
The 150 points allotted to the paper two sequence will break down as follows:
| element | description | points | due date |
| magazine article/video choice | Hard (paper) copy of magazine article for analysis or link to select Leonard video. | -- | 10/1 (Tuesday class), 10/3 (Thursday class) |
| SFD | Complete soft copy of first draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class. | -- | before 10/8, 10/10 |
| first draft | Complete soft copy of first draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class. | 25 | 10/8, 10/10 |
| second draft | Complete hard copy of second draft, meeting minimum word count requirements and formatting standards discussed in class. This draft will be used for an in-class peer review session. Failure to bring a complete, printed draft will result in an absence for the day. | 25 | 10/15, 10/17 |
| final draft | Complete final draft. Save file in rich text format. Also complete draft response questions. Complete on Google Drive. | 100 | 10/22 |
