Goals

In Unit One we examined the ways in which popular culture influences our lives. In Unit Two, the focus will move to issues that affect our lives more broadly as we study the ways in which rhetoric affects our viewpoints and how we can use rhetoric to influence others.

Feeder One: 2-3 pages

Draft due September 23

Draft due September 28

Browse the web sites for the two major party candidates for this November’s election, www.georgewbush.com and www.johnkerry.com. While each web site contains a wealth of information—biographies, blogs, campaign news and even screen savers—the centerpiece of each site is the candidate’s political platform. Choose an issue that is dealt with at length on both candidates’ web sites and compose a 2-3 page essay in which you analyze each candidate’s position on the issue with special attention to how the issue is talked about. What key words and phrases are used? Why? Is one candidate’s argument more powerful than the other’s? Explain your answers thoroughly.

Feeder Two: 2-3 pages

Draft due October 5

Draft due October 7

In Feeder Two, you will use the rhetorical strategies we’ve discussed in class to formulate a 2-3 page persuasive essay that argues for a particular course of action related to the issue you wrote about in feeder one. Your essay should make use of the argumentative strategies we have discussed in class in an attempt to persuade readers to agree with your position. This essay need not be balanced or objective, but it may include outside research if it furthers your argument (though the credibility of your sources WILL be taken into account). A successful essay will also be organized around a clear, concise thesis statement and will support any claims made with statistics, citations of reputable sources or other kinds of evidence.

When you’ve completed your essay, post it to your blog. In addition to writing the essay, each student is responsible for significant comments on at least two other students’ posts, concentrating especially on weaknesses or counterarguments that will be useful for the unit project.

Unit Assignment: 4-6 minute speech

Draft due October 19

Speeches given October 21-26

For this assignment, you will compose and deliver to the class a 4-6 minute speech in which you attempt to persuade your classmates against the course of action you wrote about in Feeder Two. Like the essay you wrote for Feeder Two, your speech should not be objective, but a successful speech will address and refute relevant counter-arguments to your claim (such as the ones you used in your Feeder Two assignment). Also, be conscious of your audience; lengthy lists of relevant but boring statistics should be dispensed with in favor of more attention-getting arguments.

In addition to displaying an understanding of the argumentative strategies we’ve studied in class and in Feeder Two, a successful speech will also be delivered in an appropriate manner. This need not necessarily correspond exactly to the traditionally stoic tenets of a well-delivered speech. However, no matter what your approach, your speech should be delivered clearly, audibly and comprehensibly.

In addition to performing the speech, you will also turn in any written aides used in your speech such as outlines, note cards, etc.

Portfolio due October 26

Your unit two portfolio should contain:

A newly revised draft of your feeder 1 assignment

Supporting materials and early drafts for feeder 1

Supporting materials and early drafts for feeder 2

Supporting materials and early drafts for your speech

These materials will be evaluated in conjunction with your feeder 2 blog and your speech to determine your grade for unit 2.