Groundwork Points (80 possible):
[5 pts] An introduction that gives an overvie
Groundwork Points (80 possible):
[5 pts] An introduction that gives an overview of your piece of media and
provides any background info needed to understand its context.
[5 pts] An explanation of what this artifact means to you personally. Why did
you choose it?
[15 pts] A description of the artifact’s rhetorical situation, which will
encompass three elements (5 pts each):
o Who is the speaker? What is their background? Do you trust them—why
or why not?
o Who is their specific, target audience? How do you know? Are you part
of that audience? Do you think their intended audience matches their
actual audience?
o What is/are the speaker’s message(s)? What is their purpose? Do you
think they successful or not in persuading their audience? Why or why
not?
[15 pts] An analysis of how this text is representative of American culture.
What elements of our culture does it reflect, and how and why does it do
this? Make sure to reference specific rhetorical devices in your analysis.
[10 pts] No grammatical mistakes that affect legibility.
[10 pts] Clean organization (no big jumps or confusing transitions).
[10 pts] 1000-1500 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font,
[10 pts] In-text citations (MLA or APA format, your choice), and a Works Cited
or References page (not counting toward the word count) that correctly lists
all citations used in the essay. You will need a minimum of 3 sources for this
essay.
Additional Labor Points (20 possible)
For this essay, if you decide to do the Additional Labor Points, the max word count is
extended to 2,000 words. Minimum is still 1000.
[15 pts] Provide a counterargument to your main position. Are there other
perspectives on this subject that differ from your own? Describe at least one,
including at least 3 pieces of evidence to support this alternative analysis.
[5 pts] Other (a carte blanche for any elements of extra labor that are unique
to your paper)