Textual Rhetorical Analysis Unit

Textual Rhetorical Analysis

Unit Two: Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Sheet

(1000-1250 words)

Assignment:

This assignment is a textual analysis. It is extremely important for you to be able to locate, understand, and critically analyze others’ purposes in communicating information. Regardless of the discipline you choose to participate in, textual analysis—the summary, contextualization, and interpretation of a writer’s effective or ineffective delivery of his or her perspective—will be an invaluable skill.

In this assignment, your goal is to analyze a text, specifically a TED talk speech or news/scholarly article, and evaluate the author’s rhetorical choices and respond to their ideas/major arguments.

Ask Yourself:

What rhetorical strategies is the speaker using? Think of ethos, pathos, and logos. Is it effective?
Does s/he use enough evidence?
Does s/he try to connect with the audience through certain appeals? If so, how?
What is the purpose, audience, and genre of the text?
Is the argument persuasive?
What elements is the argument lacking? How could the argument be improved?
Are the major ideas of the argument flawed? If so, in what ways?

Writing a Blended Response:

There are different types of responses, as outlined in our textbook. You will write a “Blended Response,” which is a combination of idea critique and rhetorical critique. Your major task is to summarize the key ideas in the speech, analyze the speaker's rhetorical strategies, evaluate how effectively the speaker communicates his ideas, and offer an evaluative response. You may discuss how the speaker appealed to logos, pathos, and ethos, how the speaker attended to the specific rhetorical context (purpose, audience and genre) of his/her speech, how you agree or disagree with the major claims or ideas in the speech, what new questions or problems the speech has raised for you, what personal values or beliefs the speech reinforces or challenges, etc. Refer to “Understanding strong response writing” for writing different types of responses on pages 78-84 in A&B.

Goals:

Demonstrate familiarity with/understanding of rhetorical concepts including rhetorical situation, rhetorical purpose/aim, audience, rhetorical appeals, genre, angle of vision; reading against the grain;
Recognize the rhetorical strategies and stylistic choices made by experienced communicators;
Read and summarize another writer's argument succinctly;
Articulate a clear perspective on the way the assigned text works rhetorically;
Purposefully incorporate quotations, summary, and paraphrase using attributive tags, quotation marks, and appropriate citation style;
Employ revision and editing strategies appropriate to the audience and purpose.

Required Components:

Introduction: hook the reader, introduce the topic, thesis statement
Summary: include the major ideas in the speech and the key messages to the audience.
Blended Response:
1. Rhetorical strategies used by the speaker, rhetorical decisions made, textual and visual features of the speech and its rhetorical effect(s), etc.

b. The major ideas/claims presented by the speaker, value and belief promoted by the speaker, the ‘story’ the speaker chose to tell, the theme/lessons the speaker intended to deliver, etc.

c. Any questions, dilemmas or problems raised by the speech, personal values or beliefs reinforced or challenged by the speech. Think of it as “talking” to the speaker.

Conclusion: your overall evaluation of the speech based on your analysis.

Format Guidelines:

Your rhetorical critique should include correct MLA format for in-text citations.
Works Cited page in correct MLA format.
Refer to “Assignment Formatting” on syllabus for additional information.

Evaluation Criteria:

A clear, concise, thoughtful essay that is driven by a clearly-stated thesis.
An effective summary that summarizes the major theme/arguments and the speaker’s position in a fair and reasonable manner.
A thoughtful response that includes, but is not limited to: the speaker’s rhetorical situation and decisions, the effects of those decisions; the speaker’s major ideas and how the ideas relate to your own thinking.
Proper integrating of the text information into your own writing by summarizing, quoting, and paraphrasing.
An effective closed form argument that includes a clear structure, a strong thesis, an effective introduction, and supporting points. Topic sentences and paragraph transitions should also be easy to identify.
Few grammatical or mechanical errors.
Work that demonstrates an effective writing process with attention to drafts and feedback.

Article List (please pick one of these articles):

“Influence of Social Media on Teenagers” - Suren Ramasubbu: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suren-ramasubbu/influence-of-social-media-on-teenagers_b_7427740.html
“The Surprising Truth about how Twitter has Changed Your Brain” - Caitlin Dewey: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/03/21/the-surprising-truth-about-how-twitter-has-changed-your-brain/
“Addiction May Explain the Link Between Social Media and Depression”- Rob Goodier: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-socialmedia-addiction-idUSKCN0X22AS
“The Upside of Selfies: Social Media isn’t all Bad for Kids”- Kelly Wallace: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/21/living/social-media-positives-teens-parents/
“Connected, but Alone?” TED Talk – Sherry Turkle

https://www.ted.com/playlists/26/our_digital_lives

“The Price of Shame” TED Talk – Monica Lewinsky

https://www.ted.com/playlists/26/our_digital_lives

“How the Internet Enables Intimacy” TED Talk – Stefana Broadbent

https://www.ted.com/playlists/26/our_digital_lives

“The Power and the Danger of Online Crowds” TED Talk – James Surowiecki

https://www.ted.com/playlists/397/the_power_of_social_media

*Please note that the links for the TED talks are not direct links to that particular video. It is a link to the playlist of about 10-15 videos from which you can select the video.

Day 1

Class Goals:

Begin Unit #2, Rhetorical Analysis, by introducing the students to the assignment sheet.
Reinforce rhetorical concepts of audience, purpose, genre, pathos, logos, and ethos from the last unit by taking a mini-quiz and through a mini-lecture.
Review Assignment Sheet by projecting it to the class.

In-Class Activities:

Mini-quiz on rhetorical context (pathos, logos, ethos, purpose, audience, genre) on Kahoot
Review rhetorical context (mini-lecture)
Go over the assignment sheet
Free-write: what their understanding of the assignment is, what their goals are, how they can accomplish their goals, how the instructor can help them, option of anonymity
Review articles/TED talks from list

Homework:

Pick article and then answer the following questions about the rhetorical context of the essay: What person and/or organization is behind this essay? What are their credentials (why should a reader listen to them)? What audience are they targeting? What is their purpose? What is the specific genre they are working with (i.e. is it an email, a blog, a newspaper article etc.)? What are the specific requirements of this particular genre (i.e. what is and is not allowed)? Think of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Bring the Rhetorical Critique Unit Plan to class

Day 2

Text Annotation Workshop

Class Goals:

Learn to read rhetorically by applying reading strategies to the example article.
Learn how to read with and against the grain by reviewing the lessons from the textbook.

In-Class Activities:

Address any questions regarding the unit plan
Read an example article together as a class
Find the author’s credentials, their audience, genre and discuss them (following the strategies on pages 72-73 in A&B)
Group work: follow the guidelines described under “Strategies for Reading like an Expert,” (A&B, pg. 72) and apply them to their articles. Write the questions that come to their mind about their articles.

Homework:

Read “Understanding Summary Writing,” pgs. 74-78. Following the guidelines on pgs. 88-89, write 8-10 Does/Says Summary Statements, one for each 1-3 paragraphs of your chosen article/speech.

Day 3

Summaries & Peer Review

Class Goals:

Visualize effective summarizing techniques by observing summary of the example article.
Learn what to avoid in a summary through listening to lecture.
Communicate revision strategies through peer review.

In-Class Activities:

Mini-quiz on the criteria for a good summary (based off of Wednesday’s readings)
Mini-lecture on the summary of the example article.

Lecture on Peer Review: address objectives of peer review, tasks, purpose, benefits
Show video on Peer Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuq4qgRhCc
Peer Review Summary (task on the board): group class into pairs and have them peer review their summaries.

Homework:

Read “Incorporating Sources into Your Own Writing” p.498-508
Review A&B pgs. 74-78, “Understanding Summary Writing.” Then, following class discussion, write a 300-word summary of your article.

Day 4 - Sources

Class Goals:

Gain a better understanding of how to incorporate sources into argument by observing a demonstration of the example article.
Learn how to use attributive tags through group work.

In-Class Activities:

Quiz on last week’s reading on incorporating sources into writing
Lecture on attributive tags, paraphrasing, quoting, avoiding plagiarism
Look at the example article together as a class and discuss the rules for summarizing, when to cite, paraphrase, etc.
Get into groups, then peer review each other’s summaries, keeping in mind the incorporation of sources.

Homework:

Read “Writing a Classical Argument” pgs. 303-325

Day 5 - Understanding Ethos: Beginning to Make Arguments

Class Goals:

Review previous lessons on ethos in order to ensure the retention of concept.
Understand how to assess the author’s credibility through class discussion of the example article.
Understand how to assess the author’s treatment of counterarguments through group work.

In-Class Activities:

Quiz on the reading of pgs. 303-325, “Writing a Classical Argument”
Using the example article, discuss the writer’s credibility, counterarguments, and appeal to ethos
Get into groups to discuss their chosen article author’s credibility and treatment of counterarguments

Homework:

Review pg. 321 from “Writing a Classical Argument”
Analyze how the author appeals to ethos in your chosen essay. Write a paragraph (minimum of 200 words) in which you identify and analyze the use of this appeal. Think of: Has the author used appeal to ethos effectively or not? How has the author’s use of this appeal made the essay persuasive or less persuasive than it could be? Give specific evidence from the text to support your claims

Day 6 - Understanding Logos: Developing Analysis

Class Goals:

Understand writer’s appeal to logos by observing the demonstration from the example article.
Learn the relationship between claims and support by listening to class lecture.
Expose the students to different perspectives on the article/speech by having them communicate through group work.

In-Class Activities:

Using the example article, discuss the writer’s appeal to logos
Mini lecture on the relationship between claims and support
Get into groups and critique the writer’s logos appeal, looking at what works and what does not work

Homework:

Review pgs. 323-324 on “A Brief Primer on Informal Fallacies”
Analyze the author’s appeal to logos. Write a minimum of 200 words (a paragraph) where you identify and analyze the use of this appeal. Think of: Has the author used this appeal effectively or not? How has the author’s use of this appeal made the essay persuasive or less persuasive than it could be? Give specific evidence from the article to support your claims.
Review pgs. 321-323, “Appeals to Pathos”

Day 7 - Understanding Pathos: Finalizing Analysis

Class Goals:

Understand how a writer appeals to pathos through class discussion of the example article.
Understand how pathos can be an effective tool to be persuasive through group work participation.
Develop an argument on the rhetorical strategies of the speaker by writing a thesis statement.

In-Class Activities:

Using the example article, examine the writer’s use of pathos and discuss how to critique the use of pathos
Get into groups to critique the writer’s appeal to pathos

Homework:

Review pgs. 321-322
Critique the success or failure of the appeal to pathos by the author of your chosen essay. Write minimum of 200 words (a paragraph). Think of: Has the author used this appeal effectively or not? How has the author’s use of this appeal made the essay persuasive or less persuasive than it could be? Give specific evidence from the text to support your claims.
Read pgs. 403-436.
Based on the reading, write a thesis statement for your essay

Day 8 - Structuring the Essay, Part 1

Class Goals:

Understand the relationship between the thesis statement and topic sentences through discussion of the example article.
Evaluate the criteria of an effective thesis statement by revising your own statements and reviewing the thesis statements of your peers.
Learn how and where to include topic sentences by listening to class lecture and reviewing this method through group work.
Learn the function of a body paragraph through class lecture.

In-Class Activities:

Quiz on the reading
Lecture on thesis statements and topic sentences
Using the example article, come up with an effective thesis statement and some topic sentences as a class
Students get into groups to workshop their thesis statement and topic sentences

Homework:

Review pgs. 421-424
Based on the reading and your previous homework, write a topic sentence for each body paragraph (should have three paragraphs on the rhetorical critique of pathos, logos, and ethos)

Day 9 - Structuring the Essay, Part 2

Class Goals:

Learn the function of an introductory paragraph by watching the video.
Write an effective introduction and conclusion by taking notes on the class lecture.
Learn the function and use of transition words and phrases by taking notes on the class lecture.
Review the overall structure (and criteria) of the essay by listening to instructor’s lecture.

In-Class Activities:

Watch 3 minute video, “Writing Grabby Intro Sentences” by Shmoop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkefst9D6n0
Lecture on introduction and conclusion
Lecture on the use of transitions
Give the general picture of the structure of the essay
Open for any questions

Homework:

Read “Shaping and Drafting” on pgs. 96-97
Write an introduction and conclusion for your essay and post it on Blackboard as “First Draft”
Bring your printed first draft to class on Monday

Day 10 - Peer Review Draft

Class Goals:

Learn how to give an effective and beneficial peer review by listening to lecture.
Improve your own rhetorical critique skills in the process of peer review by conducting peer review.
Understand how your argument impacts an audience through peer review.
Develop your own argument by implementing the tips from peer review.

In-Class Activities:

Mini-lecture on peer review and how to give criticism
Write task on board with questions to think about while doing the peer review. Students read one of their group member’s paper and write down their review. The reviewed student will take notes. The reviewee will turn in their review to instructor for grade
Remind class about conferences on Wednesday.

Homework:

Based on the feedback received, edit your first draft and post your second draft to Blackboard
Bring your printed second draft to conference on Wednesday as well as a list of questions, comments, or concerns about your essay.

Day 11 - Conference

Homework:

Edit your second draft based on the feedback received at conference
Post your third draft on Blackboard

Day 12 - Formatting and Editing

Class Goals:

Reflect on the writing process by writing about it in class.
Understand what writing methods worked and what didn’t for this essay by doing the writing assignment above.
Discuss formatting guidelines and editing strategies in order to revise and improve drafts.

In-Class Activities:

Mini-lecture on MLA format
Watch first 3 minutes of MLA Tutorial #1: Basic Paper Formatting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAc4yZ8VSA
Take 5-10 minutes to self-edit paper (ask instructor any question meanwhile)
Pair up to edit someone else’s paper for any grammatical and formatting errors
In last 5 minute of the class, reflect on this assignment through freewriting: What aspect of the assignment you found challenging or easy? What did you do to overcome the challenge? What you wish you or the instructor could have done to help you with this challenge?

Homework:

Edit your third draft. Don’t forget to include your Works Cited page. Post your essay on Turnitin
Email your instructor the self-reflection assignment that you completed in class on Friday.