english

Purpose: To persuade a public audience to take action on the issue that you researched in the Academic Argument Essay.

Audience: A particular group of people that has the power to act on what you recommend. Examples may include: government officials, members of a campus organization, school administrators, non-profit organizations and advocacy groups, or specific subsets of the population.

Genre: Instead of writing a print essay, this assignment asks you to develop a multi-modal genre. Multi-modal genres blend text, images, and elements of visual design (font, color, arrangement, focus, etc.) to persuade readers. For our class purposes, I recommend choosing a genre that can be submitted electronically such as a PowerPoint Slidecast, Prezi, or video. If you want to use another genre, please see Ms. Hogelin for approval. Your choice of genre should be purposeful and appropriate for your topic. 

Basic Genre Requirements: 1. You must use a genre that blends images, visual design, and text. 2. You must have a minimum of 500 words of text in addition to your visual images. 3. You must cite all of the images that you use from web sources 4. You must use (and cite) a minimum of 4 sources to support your argument.

Assignment: Once you have identified and defined your audience, you will formulate an argumentative thesis that takes a position on the issue. First, you’ll need to improve your audience’s understanding of the issue, then move them to action, and/or change their attitude about how they should approach or understand the issue. Different genres will have different ways of communicating the thesis, so you should carefully analyze samples of the genres you choose. 

Regardless of which genre you choose, all multi-modal projects should contain the following basic features: 1. Introductory elements that engage the audience’s attention and convey the issue’s importance. This section should also provide context of the issue, necessary background information, and an overview of the debates surrounding the issue. 2. Thesis statement that makes a claim about the issue, supported with reasons and evidence. Your claim, reasons, and evidence will vary depending on the intended audience and genre. 3. The body of the project should develop main ideas supported by visual and textual evidence. Refer back to your past research to support your argument. This portion of the project should translate your research into language that is appropriate for your audience. Remember to cite all sources, including the images you use. 4. Develop one or two counterarguments to your position and respond to them, either by disproving that position or conceding to it while still standing your ground. 5. A conclusion that provides a clear call to action that you want the audience to take. In this section, show the audience why the issue matters and why they should act on it.

Locating Images for Your Project: While it is possible to pull images from the web and copy and paste them into your project, doing so violates copyright law. You could, of course, write for permission to use the image, but that takes too much time. Instead, search for images that you are allowed to use without permission by using The Creative Commons Search Engine: http://search.creativecommons.org Most of these images are available for you to use in your projects, but you still need to cite them. 

Visual Design: When you design your multi-modal project, consider all of the elements that make visual communication effective. These include: 1. Visual Function: A clear purpose for the text and design elements in your project. Each element needs to be functional rather than ornamental. 2. Visual Impact: Visual images complement the text to create a persuasive overall effect, one that engages the viewers/readers and moves them to consider the argument. 3. Visual Coherence: Clear and coherent connections between the visual elements of the text are connected by color, framing, font, shape, size, etc. 4. Visual Organization: Visuals and text are arranged in a way that makes them easy for viewers/readers to understand.

Evaluation Criteria: • Introductory elements that provide background and context • Thesis statement that makes a claim & points to a call to action • Plenty of evidence to support, both visual and textual • Insightful development of & response to counterarguments • Conclusion that issues a call to action • Visual Design that is purposeful, engaging, coherent, and organized • Citations of images and quotations