Your Major Analysis Project should demonstrate your meta-knowledge of the course content. We have focused all semester on the various methods that writers/speakers can use in order to "persuade" their audiences to act, think, believe, feel in particular ways. We're also discussed how some acts of persuasion are more ethical and responsible than others.

For this project, you are conducting an extended analysis of an issue currently of concern to our culture or society. YOUR POSITION or OPINION, however, is not part of this assignment. Rather, you're concerned primarily with exploring 8 - 10 "texts" (verbal, visual, multimedia, etc.) that in some way address this particular issue. You do not need to get only texts that "argue" about the issue; you might also get a political cartoon or commerical that invokes aspects of the issue. Your 8 - 10 texts will help you to establish kairos for your issue, demonstrating that the issue does, indeed, exist and is, indeed, relevant at this time.

The majority of your analysis, however, will focus on no more than four (4) of those texts, and you will do a complete rhetorical analysis of these four texts, paying attention to issues of kairos, ethos, pathos, logos, and using the stasis questions and commonplaces we discussed in class. Your goal is to demonstrate how these texts function rhetorically and why; you should also note when the texts seem to "fail" or "contradict" themselves or when their persuasive strategies are in jeopardy.

In this project, you are merely exploring HOW the arguments around your issue get made, WHO makes them, WHY they make them, and to WHAT EFFECT these arguments are made. Do NOT include your opinions.

Final Projects should be at least ten (10) pages in length and should not exceed fifteen (15) pages. Be sure to include a Works Cited page of the various articles/artifacts you cite/use in your analysis.

Unlike your Major Analysis Project, your Major Persuasive Project represents an "application" of the rhetorical appeals you've studied this semester. Using the same issue you've dealt with all semester, you should now construct a piece of writing with a persuasive intent.

Effective projects will be clear about the following: they will have a specific audience; they will ethically and responsibly use rhetorical appeals (i.e., they will not attempt to manipulate the audience by excessive emotional engagement or make up credentials to increase their "authority" on the subject); and they will work in a genre that will best meet that audience (audio, visual, PowerPoint, brochure, speech, etc.).

The MPP will also be accompanied by a Writer's Memo in which the author of the project discusses the appeals used and explain how/why they were chosen.

Cover Memo for MPP

In order for me to best read/understand your persuasive project, I need a context in which to read it. To give me that context, please create a Cover Memo to me that includes the following information:

• Title of Project
• Genre (PowerPoint, brochure, speech, lecture, essay, article, editorial, etc.)
• Publication Venue (brochure for . . .? speech at . . .? etc.)
• Audience: What audience do you expect to encounter at the above venue? What do you know about them (their needs, concerns, interests)?
• Brief Analysis: Explain in rhetorical/persuasive terms how your project addresses this audience and what strategies/appeals you use to this audience to persuade them/it to consider your idea.
• Works Consulted/Cited: List the sources consulted or cited in your presentation.

These memos shoudl be typed, single-spaced, and attached by staple or paper clip to your project. If you're turning in a PowerPoint of other electronic piece, place your Cover Memo in a large envelope along with the disk/CD of your project.