socio-political writing

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Socio-political Writing Assignment Composition Courses Those who need votes, sponsors, support, or want to get things done, often rely on persuasive writing skills to create logical, emotional, and moral petitions.

Objectives This assignment assesses your mastery of the Socio-Political Learning Unit objectives:

• Identify forms of persuasive writing in a socio-political writing situation • Analyze visual images • Write clear and comprehensible sentences • Navigate the persuasive writing process

Writing Process

1. Complete all lessons 2. Complete the Peer Review assignment before the deadline (online students) 3. Revise and visit the Writing Center in the Library’s Lower Level 4. Submit your final copy and prepared envelope to Dr. Bodily before the deadline 5. Submit electronic copy to eCampus and www.turnitin.com before the deadline

Areas of Emphasis Point-of-view, audience, voice, clarity, action verbs, sensory details, showing description, persuasive appeals (logos, pathos, ethos), and business letter formatting Format This letter shall be word processed in MS Word file format, utilizing a minimum of 350 words and a maximum of 700 words, formatted according to business letter guidelines taught in the lessons. This letter does not require sources or a Works Cited page; however, you may provide citations in MLA formatting style to strengthen your Logos. This assignment also requires you to prepare a professional No. 10 business envelope according to formatting taught in the lessons and by the US Postal Service. The envelope must be word processed and printed in a printer. Place a stamp on your envelope or purchase a pre-stamped envelope from the US Postal Service.

Page 2 of 8 US Postal Service Verification & Submission You are required to send this letter to your audience as follows:

• LECTURE STUDENTS: Submit your hardcopy signed letter inside your printed envelope with stamp to me before the deadline posted in the syllabus, and I will send your letter via US Postal Service.

• ONLINE STUDENTS: Capture a photo of your letter placed inside your printed and stamped envelope and capture a second photo of your US Postal Service receipt or photo of your delivery (dropped in a mailbox). Paste these images to the end of your digital file. WARNING: If I cannot determine you sent your letter as required, you will not receive credit for this assignment.

• ALL STUDENTS: Click the Submit Assignments button in eCampus and submit a digital file of your letter in MS Word file format.

Penalties Letters will be rejected without grading in the following cases:

• Plagiarized text • Does not address the topic and/or objectives • Late or missing submission • Incorrectly formatted (incorrect file and/or rhetorical form) • Provided no hardcopy letter and/or stamped envelope • Refused to send letter

Bonus If you receive a response to your letter before our course concludes, I will add extra-credit to your composition grade. Please let me know via email at the time you receive a response and let me know what the sender said. I enjoy receiving these reports!

Page 3 of 8 Topic Choices Begin noticing and thinking about images, signs, and symbols you find problematic. Look for propaganda in your neighborhood. For example, a Vietnamese restaurant in Dallas choose a red star as part of its logo. The red star may represent communist propaganda to many refugees who escaped the Vietnam War. Is this a good idea for business? Probably not.

Traditional and SAGE Student Topic Ideas Rejected topics Many of the following companies and organizations have corrected or resolved cases of discrimination, slander, and propaganda. Sending a letter to these companies will be silly, so do not write a letter to the following companies or organizations:

• Sports teams using Native American images, mascots, and logos • Dove Soap company’s discrimination against Black Americans • Makeup companies who do not offer various shades of makeup • The Kellogg’s Company’s use of racial profiling on cereal boxes • Victoria Secret’s lack of plus-size models and use of skinny models • Carl’s Jr. restaurant’s use of sexual imagery in their ads • Cities that have removed racist statues

Do not search and copy an online image; rather, use your own camera and capture a visual image of propaganda in your neighborhood, workplace, campus, church, or community center.

Page 4 of 8 Acceptable topics

1. Capture a photo of a monument that represents propaganda in your neighborhood. This can be a monument of a person or historical event. Remember, you are analyzing the problematic aspects of the monument, its shape, symbolism, position, composition, context, and so forth. For example, don’t just argue a statue of Robert E. Lee is racist because Lee was a Confederate General and the confederates supported slavery. Show us how and why Lee’s statue perpetuates racist propaganda in your neighborhood, how its features hurt residents, and then persuade an authorized person such as a city manager to remove, alter, or improve the monument.

2. Capture a photo of propaganda created by a government or political organization

near your home, work, campus, church, or other area. Persuade a person at this organization to discontinue, alter, or improve the image and problematic message behind the image. A few examples may include the following: • A government agency such as the EPA uses imagery to promote its

environmental agenda. Some of these images may be propaganda, promoting the US President’s political party or interests since presidents choose EPA directors. Don’t argue the EPA is doing nothing to resolve global warming; rather, show your reader how and why a certain image used by the EPA is a form of propaganda used to cover up scientific facts concerning global warming, or show how it is changing people’s minds for or against global warming or encouraging them to vote in a certain way.

• A political party such as the Green Party, Republican, Democratic, Independent, or Libertarian Party uses imagery to promote their political agendas. What image in your neighborhood intends to deceive the public into voting for one of these political parties? How and why does this image accomplish this agenda?

• A political action committee (PAC) or non-profit organization backed by industry may be using ads, posters, or other images to promote certain behaviors such as promoting war to boost weapon manufacturing profits, discounting global warming to encourage people to burn more gasoline, or blaming others to hide responsibility (e.g. drug companies blaming school shootings on guns rather than pharmaceuticals to hide the fact that many active shooters use drugs).

• City governments use posters and ads to promote city programs. Do you see any propaganda being used in your town?

• North Lake College creates posters, ads, and promotional materials for programs. Any propaganda on campus?

• Planned Parenthood publishes many images of certain gender, race, and age groups. Is this a problem?

• The military relies heavily on posters of soldiers. Do you see any propaganda there?

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3. Capture a photo or image of a company or nonprofit organization’s advertising

imagery. Notice how companies and nonprofits choose to display certain ethnicities, genders, religions, economic statuses, or types of people doing certain things while feeling certain ways as a way to attract customers or support. Some of their promotional imagery is propaganda.

Persuade a guilty company or organization to discontinue, alter, or improve their problematic images and messages behind the images. A few examples may include the following: • Energy company: Sustainable energy companies use logos or images of green

pastures and clean air on advertisements. Does this work for them? Fossil Fuel energy companies also use logos and images to promote their energy products. Do their images work for their types of resources?

• Fast Food: In the case of fast food restaurants, Burger King often uses images of Black Americans more than other ethnic groups. Why? Black Americans experience greater chances of suffering from diabetes and heart disease which are linked to diet. Is there a problem with this?

• Textiles: Clothing manufactures often display images of cotton farmers and people happily working in factories, yet many countries allow clothing manufacturers to enslave workers. Is this a problem?

• Gender bias: A plethora of companies display certain images in form of gender bias. Is this a problem?

• Groceries: Many food manufactures display farms, bucolic sunsets, healthy plants and animals on their product packaging. Often slogans such as “all natural” accompany these images. How does this reconcile with the fact that most food in packages is grown indoors, on feed lots, and within monoculture environments? How can the food be natural when its grown or raised with artificial fertilizer, chemicals, feed, and then preserved by more chemicals?

• Church or religious group: some churches use images to scare people, attract people, or reject people. Do you see any religious literature using propaganda?

4. Analyze and critique an existing form of propaganda found in an advertisement produced by a company or organization in your neighborhood, create an original image, and persuade the company or organization to discontinue using their problematic image and adopt your image. Show your reader how and why your image is better.

Page 6 of 8 Visual Analysis Rubric NLC English Department Visual Analysis Paper Rubric

CRITERIA

Excellent (18-20 points)

Proficient (16-17 points)

Satisfactory (14-15 points)

Unsatisfactory (12-13 points)

Deficient (0-12 points)

Thesis

Engaging opening that introduces the paper’s topic, a problem, research question, purpose, and method for writing; the thesis is an easily identifiable, well-

Generally engaging opening; areas to be strengthened may include presentation of general topic, development of transition between general opening

Opening is functional but too brief and/or simplistic; topic is apparent but needs to be developed to engage the reader; weak sense of purpose and claim; paragraph topics are

Opening is ineffective, poorly organized, and underdeveloped; thesis statement may summarize plot points rather than present argument about

Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment.

phrased argument

that recognizes the intended message, as well as its purpose and audience. The thesis reflects sound critical, interpretive, and analytical thinking; title and author of work are appropriately identified.

and specific thesis statement; thesis statement is phrased as an argument but may be strengthened through clarification of the main idea being offered and purpose. Recognizes the broad intended message but misses some nuances.

vague or disconnected from the thesis; thesis may be too general, vague, or imprecisely presented; thesis may not directly address the prompt. Recognizes the intended message and its purpose but does not demonstrate knowledge of its significance.

text or may be missing; thesis may not address the prompt or a viable topic; author and/or title of image may not be referenced properly Does not identify the deeper purpose of the image.

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Development

Each paragraph clearly connects to the thesis and offers identifiable, wellphrased ideas to be fully argued in each paragraph; concrete details are incorporated in the body paragraphs and describe the image and the different elements used; paragraphs are well-organized to create a coherent, carefully developed and supported argument; transitions between ideas are logical and each idea builds on the preceding.

Each paragraph generally connects to the thesis but one or more main ideas may need to be clarified; concrete details are generally wellchosen though some may be irrelevant or insufficient as evidence to effectively support the thesis and/or paragraph; recognizes the relationship between the image and its physical characteristics; paragraphs are generally wellorganized, although some transitions may be awkward; focus and control of argument may need improvement because the point of a paragraph may not always be clear.

Supporting ideas within body paragraphs are present but weak in one or more following areas: main idea not discernible, a fact about the text is summarized, and/or unclear connections to thesis exist. Concrete details are present but weak because they provide insufficient evidence to support the body paragraph and/or lack insightful inference. Paragraphs identify the type of image and some physical characteristics. Lack of coherent organization of ideas within paragraphs; abrupt transitions that impede flow.

Topic sentences absent or consistently lack focused ideas, either offering general, irrelevant comments or stating facts about the text; there is no discernible argument or point guiding the paper; concrete details are absent or ineffective/ insufficient; consistent lack of coherent organization of ideas within paragraphs and from one paragraph to the next; points of paragraphs are unclear. Identifies the type of image and some of its physical elements.

Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment.

Interpretation

Recognizes all of the elements of style included in the image and thoroughly explains their effects on the image’s message; analyzes the image’s contextual influences and how they affect the message; demonstrates a thorough analysis of the image, as well as

Recognizes most elements of style used in the image and attempts to explain their effects on the image’s message; attempts to identify the image’s contextual influences but provides an incomplete analysis of their effects; provides a

Discusses the elements of style used in the image, but does so in a general sense; explains only the obvious contextual influences of the image; overlooks some aspects of visual interpretation.

Identifies most of the elements of style used in the image, but does not explain their significance; does not demonstrate recognition of the image’s deeper purpose; attempt at analysis is rudimentary.

Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment.

its techniques and message.

good analysis of message and technique that is generally comprehensive.

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Language & Style

Paper reflects an argumentative mode of writing appropriate for the topic; it is academic in tone; writer's voice is evident, confident, and sophisticated; vocabulary and phrasing are academically appropriate, persuasive, and sophisticated without being pretentious.

Writing is generally academic in tone; writer’s voice may not be consistently persuasive but is discernible; writing demonstrates an awareness of the purpose to persuade; vocabulary in some places may be simplistic or ineffective.

Writing tends to be mechanical in tone; writer’s voice is not discernible in the paper; writing demonstrates inconsistent awareness of the purpose to persuade; vocabulary tends to be simplistic, marked by instances of informal or imprecise diction.

Writing is mechanical in tone; writer’s voice is not discernible; writing demonstrates no awareness of the purpose to persuade; vocabulary is simplistic and/or inappropriate.

Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment.

Grammar & Mechanics

Paper includes sentence variety; effective syntax and grammar; demonstrates a mastery of writing conventions and serves the author’s purpose; consistent adherence to MLA guidelines; accurate Works Cited page; absence of grammar, syntax, and punctuation errors.

Paper’s sentences generally effective but may lack appropriate variety (some repeated opening words and structure); syntax and grammar may be awkward in places (but not distracting); a few grammar and mechanical errors (but not distracting); consistent adherence to MLA guidelines; accurate Works Cited page.

Essay sentences lack variety (frequently repeated opening words and sentence structure); awkward syntax and grammar confuse writer’s point and distract reader; misspellings, contractions, fragments, referring to “you” which diminishes the academic nature of the writing; inconsistent adherence to MLA guidelines (but does not compromise integrity of essay); Works Cited page may contain inaccuracies (but does not compromise the integrity of essay).

Frequent syntax, grammar, and misspelling errors that distract the reader; lack of adherence to MLA guidelines which undermines the integrity of paper; inaccurate Works Cited page compromises integrity of essay.

No adherence to MLA guidelines (missing citations, lack of proper format); missing Works Cited page; paper is incomprehensible.