Essay I: Media & Information
You will work in groups of 3 or 4 to write a rhetorical analysis of an argumentative text. The essay will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the basic rhetorical concepts and your critical reading skills. In the assignment sheet, you will find detailed instructions about the essay and a list of the articles available for analysis.
Deadlines:
Topic Proposal: Sept 13th in class
First Draft: Sept 24th by noon
Revision: Oct 4th by noon
Essay II: Trends & Culture
You will use a theme from The Culture of Fear to write a research paper individually. The essay will need to be a causal argument and will allow you to demonstrate both your research skills and your ability to engage with a complex, controversial issue. Please see the assignment sheet for detailed instructions.
Deadlines:
Topic Proposal: Oct 4th in class
First Draft: Oct 15th by noon
Revision: Oct 25th by noon
Essay III: Health & Safety
This individual research paper will be a definitional argument that discusses an issue within the general theme of the assignment. Again, you will use The Culture of Fear as a starting point for your topic selection. The essay will let you showcase your research and rhetorical skills. Please see the assignment sheet for detailed instructions.
Deadlines:
Topic Proposal: Oct 25th in class
First Draft: Nov 5th by noon
Revision: Nov 15th by noon
Essay IV: Policies & Fear
You will work in groups of 3 or 4 to write a proposal argument that attempts to solve a specific problem related to policies and fears. The essay will allow you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and relate the rhetorical strategies you have learned to real-life situations. The full instructions are included in the assignment sheet.
Deadlines:
Topic Proposal: Nov 15th in class
First Draft: Nov 29th by noon
Revision: Dec 6th by noon
Blogging: Portfolio
Your individual blog will function both as a portfolio and as a personal journal. You will be submitting all assignments by uploading them to your blog and posting an entry with a link to the assignment (with some comments perhaps). In addition, please use your blog to post thoughtful comments on any aspect of the coursework and the assignments. The best journal-type posts are usually the ones that demonstrate an awareness of what you have been learning and what challenges you strive to overcome. I will expect one journal-type posting every week.
Deadlines:
Entries can be added at any time until Dec 6th midnight.
Blogging: Discussion
In between classes, I will be posting to the course blog. Most of my posts will be related to the readings, while some might follow up on issues that we did not cover sufficiently in class. In either case, you will be expected to reply or comment in some way. Please get in the habit of reading the course blog regularly and contributing to it by noon before the next class period. One contribution per week is the norm for participation in the course blog.
Deadlines:
Comments due by noon before the next class period.