Rhetorical

Analysis Overview
Project Goals
By the end of this project, you should be able to demonstrate understanding of the following learning outcomes: Focus on a purpose Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading Learn to critique your own and others' works Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Project Description

For your first project, you will produce a rhetorical analysis of a visual argument, which is an examination of an image or images working together that seeks to persuade an audience. This assignment asks you to identify and examine the parts that make up the whole and determine how rhetorical appeals are being used to influence the audience. A rhetorical analysis focuses on the features of a text as they convey a messagethe words and evidence, the images and patterns in a picture, and what meanings they represent. To get started on this project, you will need to locate a visual argument. To do this consider visuals that persuade readers to act; for example, what consider images are used to get you to buy soda, coffee, or toothpaste? Once you have located a visual, you will want to think about what topic or theme that the image covers in order to write your introduction. Your analysis must include a summary of the artifact and look at how the author uses rhetorical appeals, along with the presence of fallacies. All subjects for this project must be a print based medium (e.g. no commercials) and be approved during class. In developing this project, you will not only examine the questions below, but also account for the qualities of effective analytical writing found in your textbook. The medium of this project is print; genre is an academic essay; the purpose is analysis. Your project should be no less than three pages in length. Students must submit the visual as an appendix to the paper. Works cited and appendices do not account for the required pages of text. All project must have a metacognitive self reflection, see textbook for details, which accounts for rhetorical decisions made during this project. This project is worth 75 points: 20 points of drafting, 50 points for the final essay, and 5 points for the self-assessment. In final draft, the essay must be submitted via your Google Site; See the scoring guide found on the following page. Refer to the course calendar for process draft deadlines and conference information.

Questions to Guide your Analysis

What is the subject? Who is the intended audience? What rhetorical appeals are used? How? What are the authors credentials, and how does she/he represent the information? What values are shared with the audience? How is the text organized? What images are used? What do those images represent? How timely is the information? Which fallacies are present, and how do they affect the message?

 Rubric for Evaluating Your Analysis

Component Introduces the Topic so that it Appeals to Audience and Addresses Purpose Summary of the Artifact Exceptional The topic and your treatment of it are very interesting to some identified group of readers and successfully analyzes. The summary clearly describes the purpose and main points of the visual. Effective The topic and your treatment of it are moderately interesting to a group of readers; contains an analysis of an artifact. The summary describes the purpose, but some of the main points may be missing. Acceptable The topic may be interesting to you, but your treatment of it has limited interest to any readers and attempts to analyze. Unsatisfactory You dont seem that interested in the topic, and you dont make it very interesting to readers. Document does not meet assignment criteria.

The summary fails to The summary fails to describe describe the purpose the purpose and the main or the main points. The points. summary may also include minor points that are not necessary for understanding the main points. You offer an analysis, Your paper lacks analysis, but you havent which means that there adequately synthesized cannot be any synthesis. the ideas.

Analysis/Synthesis Both your analysis and your synthesis of the artifact are detailed and focused. Your piece is rooted in rhetorical appeals and uses research to explain your points.

You offer both an analysis and a synthesis, but they need to be more detailed and/or more focused. Use of appeals is minimal, and your piece does not clearly connect research to the artifact. The organization may be clear, but it is only moderately easy to follow.

Organization

The organization is very clear to readers, and it is easy to follow.

The organization is The organization is so unclear somewhat unclear, and that it is difficult to follow. it is not easy to follow. Analysis uses details to Analysis uses few details to support some but not support general statements. most general statements. Sentences are ungrammatical and lack variety; your diction is vague or imprecise in places; youve not consistently attended to conventions of citation, punctuation, and mechanics. Minimal MLA formatting. Sentences are ungrammatical and lack variety; your diction is imprecise in many places; youve not paid much attention to conventions of citation, punctuation, and mechanics. No attempt at MLA formatting.

Development and Support

Analysis uses a rich Analysis uses an array array of details from of details to support the artifact to general statements. support your general statements. Sentences are grammatical and varied; your diction is precise; youve carefully attended to conventions of citation, punctuation, and mechanics. Uses proper MLA formatting. Sentences are grammatical but lack variety; your diction lacks precision in places; youve attended to most conventions of citation, punctuation and mechanics. Attempts MLA formatting.

Expression and Conventions