In the Rhetorical Analysis assignment, students will go back to the literacy discussed in the first assignment and look at how writers speak into a specific topic related to that discipline. They will, therefore, learn to better understand the literacy and rhetorical practices they discussed in the previous assignment. For instance, if a student is interested in sports, they may discuss “taking a knee.” The goal is for students to see that all information is not equal – that it is a product of its maker and its audience. As a result, students are not determining which writer is right or wrong. Rather, they will explore how these writers use language to convey a point – and how approaches vary given the variables of publication, writer, and audience.
Research Goals:
The Research assignment asks students to build from the first two assignments. Rather than talking about literacy and rhetoric, they will apply it. As such, students will move away from binary arguments and instead write a paper that considers the many stakeholders of a given dialogue. Therefore, this will not be a paper that argues for an end to polluting the oceans. Rather, such research would explore the complexity of the issue and how varying groups negotiate a cultural event or social concern through language.
Research Goals: