Unit3: Rhetorical Analysis Overview
Rhetorical Analysis Essay (20% of final grade)
Purpose: This assignment is designed to help students develop sensitivity to rhetorical situations and strategies in order to interpret and communicate persuasive messages more effectively. It also aims to help students practice essential skills in academic writing: critical thinking, summarizing, analyzing, and evaluating.
Type of Assignment: The rhetorical analysis essay assesses student’s ability to summarize and evaluate a written text, and analyze the persuasive strategies. These skills are useful in communicating persuasive messages more effectively in argumentative texts and research papers.
Task: You will read a short argumentative text that deals with a current, somewhat controversial issue and critically analyze the text answering the following questions:
- Who is the author?
- What is the purpose of writing? What is the argument?
- Who is the author’s intended audience?
- How does the author present his/her argument? What kinds of persuasive strategies, appeals, and language does he/she use to present the argument?
- How effective is the author in persuading his/her intended audience?
You will write a 3-4 page essay based on your analysis. You must analyze your chosen text; DO NOT merely summarize or argue for or against the issue presented in the text.
Formatting Requirements: Essays should be 3-4 pages, Times New Roman, Size 12, Double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides. (Paper size: 8 1/2 x 11-inches) Final draft should contain an APA-formatted title page and include headings and headers.
Source Requirements: 2 argumentative articles will be provided by your instructor. The focus of your essay will be to analyze one of these texts, although you may use outside sources as well, if you choose.
Topic: Single-sex schooling is good for girls.
Pro-article
Where the Girls Aren't
Anti-article
Don't segregate boys and girls in classrooms
Plagiarism Disclaimer: All sources should use correct APA-citation style. Final papers with significant plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, may receive a failing grade on the assignment and/or automatically fail the course. ALL A-level final drafts must be completely free from plagiarism.
Deadlines/Timeline:
1st draft Rhetorical Analysis due Day 32
2nd draft Rhetorical Analysis due 48 hours before your Individual Conference
Final draft Rhetorical Analysis due Day 36
Submission Instructions: TBA
Sample Essay
Sample Essay
Note: This sample essay is edited by Jin Kim (2013) from Kathryn Williams’ original essay in Sadler, R., Brobbel, A., Sharp, L. M. (Eds.). (2002). A student’s guide to first-year composition(23rd ed.) (pp. 226-229). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
Grading Rubric: TBA
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