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Module 1: Assignment- Rhetorical Criticism

  • Page ID
    247203
    • Victoria Newsom and Desiree Ann Montenegro
    • Olympic College and Cerritos College

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    Objectives

    The goal of this assignment is threefold:

    1. Describe and explain rhetorical theories.
    2. Examine and investigate rhetorical criticism methods.
    3. Demonstrate communication research-based writing mechanics.

    Instructions

    To complete this assignment, first choose a current news story from a credible news source. Be sure you do not choose a conspiracy theory site. See the Media Literacy Now website for more information.

    Next, complete a brief rhetorical criticism of the news story. To do this, choose three of the historical rhetoricians discussed in module 1, at least one from each of the three page-based eras (Greek foundations, Roman and Church era, and Renaissance or dialectical re-turn). Discuss the news story in terms of the theories and methods associated with each of the three rhetoricians. Be sure to internally cite each of the sources as they are discussed, and if you use any direct quotations be very clear in both quoting and citing those sources.

    Third, find at least three (3) scholarly sources that help illustrate the claim you are making about how each of the rhetoricians might interpret the news story using rhetorical criticism. Scholarly sources to back your analysis will help reinforce the value of your claim. Note that there are scholarly (and some not as scholarly) sources listed throughout the module.

    Finally, write your reference page including all of the sources you cited in the two paragraph mini-essay. Be sure the reference page is correctly formatted. See the Useful Resources page for more information on citation and referencing styles.

    Don't Forget

    • Be sure to cite and reference the news article itself, in proper citation format.
    • Be sure to cite and reference all other module or external content, in proper format.
    • Reflect and think about how the concepts and theories in this module related to your life and experiences.
    • Think about these assignments as application exercises reflecting the module materials.
    Rhetorical Criticism
    Criteria Ratings Pts
    Three rhetoricians, one from each "era" are clearly identified and discussed

    10.0 pts

    Full Marks

    5.0 pts

    Some vagueness present

    0.0 pts

    No Marks

    10.0
    Analysis

    10.0 pts

    Full Marks

    5.0 pts

    Some vagueness present

    0.0 pts

    No Marks

    10.0
    References

    10.0 pts

    Full Marks

    5.0 pts

    Partial Marks

    0.0 pts

    No Marks

    10.0
    In-text citations

    10.0 pts

    Full Marks

    5.0 pts

    Partial Marks

    0.0 pts

    No Marks

    10.0
    Total points: 40.0

    This page titled Module 1: Assignment- Rhetorical Criticism is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Victoria Newsom and Desiree Ann Montenegro via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.