Amber Fetch/English 120

Character Profile
Important Dates:
W 1/21: Classmate Profile due at beginning of class. This should be a clean, typed and stapled copy. This assignment is
not revisable and is worth 25 points.
F 1/30: Character Profile Full First Draft due via email to Miss Fetch before class, and bring one clean, typed and
stapled copy of your complete project to class for peer review/reading workshop. Remember, this must be a
full draft in order to earn the total 25 points.
M 2/2: Character Profile Pencil Grade due at the beginning of class. This should be a clean, typed and stapled
copy of your complete project. 100 points.
TBD:
to

Final Portfolio due. Of the first three major writing projects, you must revise at least one but you may choose up
two to revise for a new grade (i.e., the new grade will erase the previous pencil grade). Barring any late or other
penalties, you have the chance to improve the grade on this project, if you choose to revise it for the portfolio.

The Assignment and Rationale:

While this assignment focuses on choosing a particular character to write about, profiles can be written about more than
just characters. Some profiles focus on real-life people (in a particular community, on the national stage, internationally
renowned, historical figures, etc.), some on places of special importance, some on social and cultural groups, some on
subcultures, some on clubs or organizations, and some on particular events. A profile gives readers a snapshot of a
person, event, or organization.
This project will encourage you to begin looking at different aspects of popular culture from an academic standpoint. The
Character Profile will require some surface-level research to get you in the habit of backing up your claims, a skill you will
continue to cultivate for the rest of the semester. This profile will help you learn to observe and study a character closely,
describe that character in detail, and tell an interesting story about that character to a wide audience of readers, many of
whom are likely unfamiliar with your chosen character. Your goal is to describe this character to your readers, explaining
what makes this particular character interesting and worth knowing more about.
Developing and Designing The Profile:
While I imagine your profile will be around ~5-6 pages of prose (writing), plus additional material (a Works Cited page in
particular), worry less about the actual length of the profile and focus more on making sure you are providing your readers
with all the required information usually present in a profile. In so doing, you will find that your work will develop to an
appropriate length. Format your essay in MLA style. Again, well use the information presented in Writing Today, Chapter
5, as our guide. Look, especially, at the At-A-Glance information on page 64. Your profile will include several pieces:
Introduction: Hint at or capture the theme of your profile while introducing the character you are focusing on.
Be sure to either directly or indirectly reveal your purpose for writing this profile. Your thesis statement
should be obvious and should leave your readers with a strong impression about what makes your
character important.
Description of the Subject: This should consist of a physical description of your character. Use plenty of
details to describe how the character looks, moves, and sounds.
Background on the Subject: Be sure to include background on your character, including information about
where the character lives, their age, their nationality, their race, their occupation, etc.
Anecdotes: Include one or more stories about the character. These anecdotes should tie in to your
theme/main point about this character. You may also include dialogue or quotes from your character,
as long as they are properly cited.
Conclusion: Profiles do not just end; more importantly, they leave readers with an impression. Your
conclusion, then, should include information, ideas, or images that leave readers with a sense of the
point (or thesis) you want to make about the character. You will want to conclude with a strong
impression that will stay with your readers.
End Material: You will create a Works Cited page including citations of your sources for background
information on your character, as well as citations of any picture(s) you incorporate into your profile.

The Rhetorical Situation/The Five Factors:

As a critical reader of popular culture, you need to consider the rhetorical situation/the five factors that inform the intention
of the text/document. Equally, then, as a writer of this profile, you need to pay close attention to these same
considerations in order to communicate effectively. For this profile, use these five factors as your guide:
Genre:
Purpose:

Profile on a character from popular culture.

To inform readers on genre awareness through basic research, genre expectations,
analysis/critique of findings, and thoughtful conclusions.
Audience: Your college peers. These are people who most likely know movie genres rather well, but have
less occasion or cause to thoroughly investigate their own genre awareness through this kind of
research, level of detailed observation, and presentation of insights.
Style/Voice: Should reflect your characters essencepersonality and voice.
Social Context: Your audience and topic exists in the right now, the current moment, and both audience and
topic exist in an academic setting specific to NDSU and the college classroom. You should also
consider a wider audience of anyone who might consume the popular culture text that your
character is part of. As such, youre writing a public document presented within this academic
classroom.
Evaluation/Rubric:
100 points:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

Evaluation Criteria: Character Profile Assignment

Profile/Genre Requirements: All elements/features of a profile are present.
There is a clear thesis driving the profile, an obvious awareness of the goals
and requirements of the genre of a profile, and the essay fulfills the basic
expectations of such a genre. There is evidence of attention to design and
delivery appropriate to the profile genre.

Development and Detail in Service of Purpose: The content presented in the

profile is meaningful, thoughtful, and thorough. All information included is
factually accurate. Ideas, observations, insights, and conclusions are welldeveloped and closely detailed, particularly in light of the overall purpose of
the profile.
Research and Source Use: The required sources are employed purposefully
and meaningfully in service of the profile. Source material is well-chosen and
thoughtfully and thoroughly discussed as part of the profile.
Audience/Style and Voice: The profile is written in a style that reflects the
characters personality. This will generally be a low- to mid-level style
(depending on your chosen character), but should still incorporate proper
spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
MLA Citation/End Materials: Proper MLA style is employed throughout the
document, including in-text citations, Works Cited pages, and appendices.
Mechanics, Grammar, Spelling: Standard edited English is used throughout
the writing project. Proofreading is evident.

D = 60-69
A

F = 0-59
D