Essay

Project 3: Situational Composition

Submit online through the Assignments page on Blackboard

Due: Monday, December 3rd, by 11:59pm

When considering rhetoric—and, primarily, what rhetorical strategies will be effective—consideration must be given to context, phrasing, and presentation. For this project, you will be using what we’ve discussed about rhetoric thus far to navigate a complex situation in which you need to run “damage control.”

PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

There are two parts to this assignment:

PART A: Pick two of the following scenarios and write a one-page, single-spaced letter for each:

· You are the CEO of a burger company Four Dudes. In an attempt to compete with the much more successful company Around-N-About, you unveil a new type of burger. Within a week, however, there have been complaints around the nation about food poisoning from this burger. Write a statement to your current customers (and potential customers who are now hesitant to try your food) to address this fiasco.

· You are the new president of Southern California State University. You make $350,000 a year, and after your first year, you’re convinced you’ve done such a good job leading the school that you deserve a $60,000 raise. However, the students are extremely upset at your request, especially since tuition is going up (yet again) by another $500 a semester. Students have even protested outside of your office on campus. Write a statement to the students addressing the situation.

· You work at a successful law firm, and every year there is a holiday party. One year at the party, you bring your significant other, who, within an hour or so, gets very intoxicated. While under the influence of alcohol, your significant other does several inappropriate things, including flirting with your coworkers and telling your boss about all of the complaints you’ve made about working at the law firm. That weekend, you decide to write to your boss to address the behavior of your significant other (and your own unsavory comments that you thought your significant other wouldn’t share with your coworkers).

· You are the manager of a famous singer. Last weekend, while staying at a hotel, the singer was disrespectful to everyone. The singer completely trashed the hotel room, yelled at the hotel staff, and when asked by a fan to take a picture, responded with “I don’t have time for somebody like you” and insulted the fan’s appearance. Now, the public is very upset, and the singer is getting threatening and harassing messages all over social media. As the manager, write a letter to the public to reduce the anger / hate toward the singer.

PART B: Write a 1.5-page, single-spaced analysis of Part A in which you discuss the context and explain your rhetorical choices—in other words, how did you compose Part A, and why would it be appropriate for the given situation?

GRADING REQUIREMENTS

PART A (60 points):

· Presents a clear message with appropriate tone and details

· Clearly geared toward a specific audience

· Meets the technical requirements of whatever genre the student is writing in

PART B (40 points):

· Introduction: Essay has appropriate title; student introduces the topic(s) being discussed to inform the reader and to demonstrate the essay’s structure

· Body Paragraphs:

· Student clearly addresses all of the questions asked in the prompt

· Student provides specific details and evidence to develops their points

· Conclusion: Briefly recounts the points made in the body paragraphs and their significance without being redundant

· Style: Tone and style student uses is appropriate and rhetorically effective

· Structure and Mechanics:

· Clear and effective structure with smooth transitions

· Free of grammatical errors and follows proper citation format