I intentionally tried to keep the technical jargon out of it. This was their second paper, their first being a rhetorical analysis of a section from the FYF book with the conventional pathos, logos, ethos type appeals. The challenge of the second is to take something that they are more familiar with or take for granted and analyze the ways in which it operates (sometimes stating the obvious). I also have them do short presentations where they can show their examples and we can talk about some possible ways of analyzing them.

Here is the full assignment. (I should note that in preparation for the assignment, we spend a day each on various media - music (I've used the Newman, Cash and NIN doing "Hurt," "Born in the USA" with an essay about Reagan coopting it and a Bright Eyes song) - film/tv (I like showing the opening of Jaws, especially sense its obvious, but leads in a lot of directions that they hadn't considered) - photography (There is a great collection of WPA photographs either at the National Archives or Smithsonian or LOC site) - and websites. I always wanted to do maps too, but could never work it in.)

Paper 2 - Medium Based Rhetorical Analysis Essay

In the spirit of Marshal McLuahan’s famous statement “The Medium is the Message,” with which you are now all familiar, your second paper will require you to rhetorically analyze the medium in which an argument is presented. In your papers about Culture of Fear, we looked at the rhetorical techniques that Glassner employs in a written argument. For this assignment, you will consider an argument made in another medium – this could be a song, poem, a scene from a film or t.v. show, a website, work of art, photograph, etc. While your argument doesn't necessarily need to deal with issues of fear mongering, it may be more helpful if it has some element of social concern along the lines of what we have been discussing in class.

The aim of this paper is similar to that of your first: to conduct a rhetorical analysis of an argument and assess its effectiveness. You will need to consider many of the same elements as in your Glassner essay, addressing issues of audience, ethos, and rhetorical strategies. But the arguments you will be analyzing for this assignment operate very differently from the written medium. Your paper must account for the rhetorical strategies of the particular medium with which you are working and display a reasoned understanding of how the medium impacts the message and argument being conveyed.

Consider the issues we have discussed in class concerning visual and performative rhetoric. For example: How does the medium seem to anticipate the audience? Is the argument explicitly or implicitly presented? Does the medium seem effective to the argument? Why or why not? In what ways do the medium and argument employ affective rhetorics. In cases of multiple media (image/text, music/lyrics, performance/words, music/visual, etc.), how effectively do the elements work together towards the goal of the argument? Do they sometimes seem to contradict or complicate the message?

Remember, the rhetorical strategies you will be analyzing are different from those we addressed in relation to Glassner, but the overall goals of the assignment are the same. You should determine the argument being made, analyze how it is made, and assess whether or not it is effective and achieves its desired or intended result.

Presentations

For your presentations, you should plan on having about ten minutes (certainly no longer) to show your topic and present your arguemnt. You will not necessarily be graded on your "performance," but you should present an intellegent argument that clearly shows you have put some thought and effort into the assignment. This is why it is helpful to choose a work that is important and personally interesting to you.

You will also need to turn in a one-page summary of your argument and the main rhetorical points that you are addressing. While one page is not enough to do a full analysis, the page should highlight your main claims and how you feel they are made. It may be helpful to think of this as an outline for your final paper, in which you will take these points and expand on them.