Essay #3

For this assignment, you will choose an issue and a stance that is important to you. You will then craft two compositions in which you present your stance in an effort to persuade others to align with you. In the first composition you will identify a person or an organization who has the decision making power to actualize change about your issue. In identifying your audience, you will also have to identify the most appropriate genre to communicate your purpose.

The second composition will be meant to create broader awareness about your issue. This could be as part of an effort to create change; you may decide that you want to create awareness but do not need to create agreement on the stance. Like the first part, you will also have to consider your audience and the most effective genre with which to communicate your purpose. Some notes:

• You are not required to incorporate course texts. You are not required to research scholarly sources.
• You areconducting research

o To identify the audiences you are addressing

o To identify the types of genres used to communicate to these audiences, and to communicate awareness and/or action broadly

o To identify sources & information to persuade your audiences

• Neither composition should be an academic essay.
• Either or both composition(s) may require you to make rhetorical choices through formatting, design, aesthetics, font size, color scheme, audio/video, etc.
• Because you are not writing an academic essay, the way that you cite and reference your research

will look different. It is still important to give credit where credit is due – look to those genre forms for examples

• If you wish to work with a partner or small group, you are welcome to, but you must check-in with me first. Assignment Requirements:

(UPDATE 11/2)

• One composition that addresses a person and/or organization who has the decision making power to enact change around your issue. This is most likely to be a written, textual piece, but does not have to be.
• One composition that is meant to create broader awareness about your issue. This composition may have multiple components. This is most likely to be a visual and/or multimodal/multimedia piece, but does not have to be.
• 1 page reflection essay detailing your composition process from initial conceptualization to final drafts, including reflection on choices and changes made along the way.
• UPDATE 11/2:

o In addition to the specific pieces you are composing for the first and second part of the assignment, I ask that you also produce a statement (if needed) that explains the circulation, distribution, dissemination of your piece — basically, what is the context in which your audience will encounter your composition.

o For example, if for the second part as part of “creating awareness” you decide to create a series of flyers, I would like you draft a short statement that describes where you imagine they would be shared or posted, and how they would otherwise generally circulate within the audience you are targeting.

o Depending on how you compose your piece, this may not be necessary, but for many of you it will be an important point of helping me evaluate and assess the piece’s efficacy. Formatting Requirements for all written text:

• 12pt font in a reasonable style (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, etc.)
• Double spaced
• 1” margins
• Title your composition portions AND your reflection portion