CM220:Unit 4

Running head: UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 1

Unit 4 Assignment

Student Name

Purdue University Global

Please note that this is a sample Unit 4 Assignment to help inspire and guide your own

original writing of the assignment. Be sure to review the assignment instructions and grading

rubric, complete each task in the instructions, and contact the instructor with any questions. You

will also be using a worksheet (shown below) to complete the assignment.

Commented [S1]: While a title page is not required for this assignment since you are using a

worksheet, either include one or make sure your

name is on the worksheet when you submit it.

You can also title the document when saving the

file so that it includes your name.

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 2

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT WORKSHEET

In the Units 3 and 4 Discussions, you created a thesis statement that offered a solution to

a problem in your community or workplace. In this unit’s Assignment, you will revise and

evaluate the effectiveness of that thesis using the rhetorical situation and the rhetorical triangle.

Part I: First of all, you will revise the provisional thesis statement that you generated in

the previous unit Discussion. Make sure the thesis is concise (1–2 sentences) and includes two

parts: a proposal for solving a problem and a reason that solution is needed. For more on

creating effective persuasive thesis statements, review the following Writing Center resources:

● Writing a Thesis Statement: The Central Step in the Writing Process

● Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

Write your revised two-part thesis statement here, and be sure to include a claim +

reason (“because” or “since” clause):

The City of Auburn should create a Be Local coupon book campaign to support and

promote local businesses because this would reduce the threat to local businesses posed by the

rise of online shopping and the prevalence of chain stores.

State the underlying assumption of your argument:

The City of Auburn should do something if it will help to strengthen local businesses.

Part II: Use the rhetorical situation (author, text, purpose, audience, setting) to

brainstorm about the main elements of your argument. This argument analysis will help you

prepare for the Unit 8 persuasive essay. You will be the author and the text will be a scholarly

essay, so there is no need to answer those two parts of the rhetorical situation. Identify the other

three elements of the rhetorical situation below:

Purpose – What do you hope to accomplish by making this argument?

By making this argument, I hope to spread awareness of the current plight of the local

business owner and to show the reader how thriving local businesses help the local economy and,

Commented [S2]: Note that the thesis has a specific, local proposal that offers a way for the

student’s community to support local businesses.

Commented [S3]: The warrant is a more general assumption and value underlying the

thesis; it is not explicitly stated, but it is based on

the reason you think something needs to be done.

Here is another example.

Thesis: Youth soccer players ten and younger

should not be allowed to head the ball because of

the risk of getting a concussion.

Warrant: (this is tied to the reason/because clause

in the thesis and is hopefully an assumption your

audience will share): Youth soccer leagues should

do something if it will reduce the risk of children

getting a concussion.

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 3

by extension, the community at large. I also hope to pose a “call to action” that will make

citizens want to contribute to the economic health of their local businesses.

Target audience - Who in the community can make the change and what other

stakeholders will be affected by this issue and your recommended change?

People in the community who would be in the position to make a change could include

the local business owners themselves, who could use enhanced marketing and promotion to their

benefit. Other people in a position to make a change include the community itself (the targeted

consumers), who could make it a point to shop locally. Both the business owners and the

community itself could also be considered stakeholders, as both would be positively affected by

the presence of a thriving local economy.

Setting – Name and describe the community you will write about.

The community that I have in mind is specifically my town of Auburn, Maine. This is

largely a working-class community and is one of Maine’s more populated towns. Auburn has

many box stores and chain stores, but the local businesses seem to come and go. New, upstarting

businesses have a particularly hard time gaining a foothold. Although I am basing my ideas on

one town in particular, I believe that my town is representative of many others in the United

States and that this idea for change will be relevant to other communities as well.

You can use “The Rhetorical Situation” and “The Rhetorical Situation in College

Composition II” in the readings for help with this exercise.

Part III: Describe how you will use the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos to make your

argument more compelling to your audience. You can review the Writing Center resource on the

appeals here: "The Three Appeals of Argumentative Writing.”

Pathos – Identify your target audience and what values, priorities, and emotions you

must take into consideration to make a convincing argument.

When incorporating pathos, or emotion, I think it may be helpful to appeal to the

working-class demographic of my town. Many of our residents come from families who have

been here for generations; they have seen once-successful family businesses go under. They have

seen how this affects morale in the town and leads to its loss of character in addition to putting a

strain on the local economy. Many of the town’s residents are older and are nostalgic for a time

Commented [S4]: Note that responses are written in complete sentences and offer specifics

about how the student will address the various

components of the rhetorical situation.

Commented [S5]: You will find “The Rhetorical Situation” reading in Unit 3 and “The

Rhetorical Situation in College Composition II”

reading in Unit 1.

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 4

when the town was based on family-run small businesses. Our town also has a significant

unemployment rate, and most people who have had the bitter experience of losing a job or

struggling to find work will find the prospect of more small businesses appealing.

Ethos – Describe what points of disagreement, assumptions, misconceptions, and valid

concerns you will need to address to show complex understanding of the issue. What are some

common ground opportunities that you can use to show that you understand their position and

agree with parts of it?

One assumption (which could also fall within the category of a misconception) is that it is

all but hopeless to start up a successful new business in town. While it is admittedly difficult, I

want to bring in points that will make the audience feel empowered and able to make a change.

Part of the argument is that everyone can take agency with this issue. An assumption or valid

concern that may arise is that sometimes local business prices are higher than what one can find

in chain stores. I will need to acknowledge that this is true in some cases. I can temper this,

though, by providing a realistic presentation of why prices might be higher in smaller businesses

and how these sometimes-higher price points return a greater dollar value to the local economy

and also bring other advantages. For example, one might expect better customer service from a

locally-owned business. My dad ran a small kitchen appliance store for years, and he would go to

a customer’s house on Thanksgiving Day to repair an oven. Try getting someone from Lowe’s to

do that!

Logos – Describe what logic, examples, and evidence you can use to support your

explanation of the problem and your proposed solution? What logical fallacies will you need to

avoid?

I will be able to find logic, examples, and statistics in the form of data about local

businesses. I plan to find data on how many new ones have opened and closed in recent years. I

can also use comparative statistics about how many people shop online and patronize box stores

as opposed to buying local. I may be able to use testimonials by speaking to local business

owners as well. I can include research on how revenue from small businesses ultimately gives

more back to the community. For example, a study from the midcoast Maine region indicated

that percentages of revenue spent in a local store are three times more likely to be spent in Maine

than percentages of revenue spent at a chain store (Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2003).

Commented [S6]: The student is already thinking ahead to the later assignments where a

misconception or rival argument will need to be

considered.

Commented [S7]: Note that the student mentions a specific resource that will help to

support her argument. That resource is cited both

in-text and on a separate references page.

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 5

As for a logical fallacy to avoid, I will try to be careful of not using Ad Hominem attacks.

I do not want to seem as though I am attacking people who choose not to patronize local

businesses or am attacking the chain stores themselves. I would run a great risk of alienating

some of my audience if were to do that.

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 6

References

Institute for Local Self-Reliance. (2003). The economic impact of locally owned businesses vs.

chains: A case study in midcoast Maine. Retrieved from

https://www.portlandbuylocal.org/studies-and-research/the-economic-impact-of-locally-

owned-businesses-vs-chains-a-case-study-in-midcoast-maine/