English 2311 – Rhetorical Analysis Assignment

 

A Rhetorical Analysis can be a helpful way to learn to look at documents (letters, brochures, memos, reports, proposals, etc.) and / or websites in a very specific and detailed way.  In order to be strong communicators, we need to know both what to do and what NOT to do.  Thus, a Rhetorical Analysis helps you to slow down and really examine documents to see how they are operating as pieces of communication.  You will look at how and why pieces of writing are made and evaluate how effective they are in fulfilling their purposes.

 

Step 1

The first step in this process is to select a document.  In order to make this more meaningful for you, I would like to you select a document that is applicable for your field of study or your current profession.  Acceptable items for this project would be things like a report, pamphlet, letter, proposal, memo, set of guidelines or instructions, etc. These documents need to be in English and from an organization / company in the United States. Please do NOT choose a website for this assignment, as there will be too much content to handle.  You can find your document online, but it needs to be something that could be downloaded as a document and printed out, not a web site.

 

If you are not yet sure what would be an appropriate document for your future field, ask one of your professors in that field or you can consult with me.  I am also open to other possibilities for documents, but they will need to be written, not in video form.  You will need to identify your document item by the date indicated on your schedule.

 

This document will need to be submitted electronically along with your assignment, so you may need to scan it or take a picture of it (good quality please!) if it is not available electronically already.

 

Tip: PDF files work really well, so you might use that to help you search.  For instance, if I type in “Hand washing PDF” I could find some things pretty quickly.

 

Step 2

Once you have identified your artifact / document, you will want to begin your analysis.  In order to complete this analysis, you will depend heavily on the information from your textbook, specifically in Chapter 1, where Markel gives the visual with the eight measures of excellence.  Use these measures as a way to test your document and its effectiveness.

 

You will need to ask yourself questions such as “Who is the intended audience for this document?”; “How / where would this item be read?”; “When / where did it first appear?” and other questions that allow you to think about why the document was created and what it’s actual purpose is, as well, before beginning the careful analysis.

 

 

Step 3

Once you have completed your analysis of the document, write up your findings in a memo addressed to me.  You will find the information for memo format on pages 248-249 of your textbook.  The categories of the memo that are listed in the book might not work for this particular assignment, so it will be up to you to decide how you want to organize the information in the memo.  The information on formatting and headings from Chapter 7 will likely be helpful here.

 

As you write the memo, be sure to focus on detail.  Use examples from the document to show us what you mean, rather than just writing that the document does or does not meet the standard for excellence.  This assignment is called an “Analysis,” which means that you will need to look below just surface level things like how the document appears and the basic information listed (though those things are important too).  You will want to be sure to analyze the document and not get caught up in just describing it.

 

A successful memo will do the following:

·      Be at least 2 pages, single spaced (there can be some additional spacing around headings, but don’t try to pad the memo with extra space).

·      Be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

·      Use some sort of documentation style to give credit to the document’s origins (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

·      Use professional language, avoiding slang and colloquialisms

·      Meet Markel’s criteria for excellence

 

 

Specific Notes for Online Students:

 

1)    When I went over this assignment in the on-campus section, students were tempted to choose research based articles for their document / artifacts.  I cautioned them against this, as there is a LOT of information in those documents and it would be a lot of work for you.  On the other hand, you also don’t want to choose something like an advertisement that only has one paragraph of info and is mostly photos, either.  You need to find a document that strikes a nice balance between the amount of written and visual information.  You can also grab a document that you think looks horrible.  These sometimes work even better for an analysis.

 

2)    The kinds of items that people brought into our on-campus class that could work would be things like patient care brochures (what to expect during pregnancy, how to stop the spread of disease, care for a wound, etc.), recruitment pamphlets for Border Patrol agents, a brochure for selling solar panels, instructions for employees on using the time clock, etc.

 

3)    It is completely up to you how you want to organize the sections of your memo and the headings that go along with them.  It’s possible that you might want to just organize it based on the measures of excellence from Markel, but you might also want to group the information in other ways.  One of the reasons for doing peer review on this assignment is so you can get to see how other people have organized things and get some feedback on your own organization.

 

4)    Lastly, be sure to check for my feedback after you post your document / artifact.  If I tell you that it won’t work, please don’t feel bad or be offended.  I just don’t want the assignment to be any harder for you than it has to be.  Thus, I want to be sure you start off with something you will be able to work with well.

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