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ENGL 130 (11/14)
Assignment 4
Writing for Public Audiences
Goals:
Agenda
- Discuss 2 main "phases" of Assignment 4
- Discuss potential "mini-genres" that you can do for this assignment
- Begin to brainstorm potential genres that fit your proposal
Assignment 4
What is A4?
We have spent most of this semester writing and researching in order to gain expertise on a focused issue. We have also built an awareness of how audience and purpose influence specific choices we make as writers. Now, you have the opportunity to use your knowledge to write for a public audience. This project has two phases
Communication Plan & Mini-genres
Phase 1
- create a set of sample materials for your committee’s recommendation report project, based on the audiences, messages, genres, and media you identified in Assignment 3. Each committee member should pick two specific public genres that support the committee’s project
- your group will prepare a communication plan that identifies which genres are appropriate for this assignment based on your group’s project. This plan will also indicate which group member is responsible for which genres. (due 11/21)
Rhetorical Analysis
Phase 2
Consider how you shape your writing as you shift genres and audiences. You will need to move beyond justifying your choices on aesthetic grounds (“I thought this looked/sounded better”) and instead justify them on rhetorical grounds: Who was your audience? What was your purpose? Also, how do these materials support the larger needs and objectives of your committee and its proposal? To accomplish this, you'll need to:
- quote directly from your public writing materials (or describe visual design choices, where appropriate)
- compare your two genres directly to one another, focusing on the different choices you made in each
- describe what you have learned about writing, rhetoric, and genre over the course of this semester
Rhetorical Situation
Potential "Mini-Genres"
Whatever genres you choose, it should be clear that
1) you are using your ideas and knowledge from previous assignments in new ways; and
2) the new genres suit the needs of your committee’s project and the people the project is designed to benefit.
Therefore, you will need to clear your choices with your committee and me by 11/21
Some (but not all) possibilities
Options from HWW
- a program profile, to be presented on a city website (81-84)
- a factsheet about your topic that you might circulate on Facebook (106-111)
- an informative article about your topic (112-128)
- or a column, op-ed, or letter to the editor making a specific argument about an issue related to your topic (223)
More
More Options
- Facebook page/Twitter profile/IG Account (HWW 74)
- Poster/Pamphlet
- App (if you have those skills)
- Series of memes (or similar internet art that gets widely circulated)
- Website (using Wix, Wordpress, SquareSpace, etc)
The important part of this assignment is that you make decisions RHETORICALLY, i.e. that you're thinking about what is going to reach & speak to your audience in the most effective way
*May require additional research on appropriate rhetorical strategies
Looking Ahead
Staying on Track
We'll talk more about what this document is supposed to look like the next time we meet, but I want to give you some time now to start thinking about appropriate genres for your group's project, and who might be interested in doing what
List of possible genres
- Informative article
- Opinion article
- Fact sheet
- Poster
- Pamphlet
- Social Media Account (FB, IG, Twitter, etc.)
- Website
- App
- Program profile
- Other artifacts circulated on the internet (e.g. memes)
- Podcast
- Short YouTube video