Week Two: Reading and Writing Assignments

Since we all have a long (and, hopefully, fun filled) weekend coming up, I'll try to keep this set of writing and reading assignments somewhat contained. Because we're just getting the class up and off the ground, there is an unsual number of assignments.

Remember to start early. If you do one or two assignments a day, they shouldn't pose a problem; if you try to do them all at once, chances are you'll end up feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Remember, each of these assignments should be completed by Sunday, 1 June. Some of them you'll need to complete earlier in the week, so your classmates will have material to criticize and to which to respond. Please be curitous, and help your classmates do their work by completing your own as early as possible.

1. This week, I want you to do two new rhetorical analysis, and you should add in these three questions, that is, answer these three, new questions in addition to those from the first week:

• Often, the key to getting a full understanding of an author's rhetoric is coming to understand everything they hope to achieve. Authors usually want to achieve multiple outcomes through a single message. For instance, they may want to establish a sense of identity and community between themselves and their audience AND inform their audience AND persuade their audience to act in a certain way, ALL while entertaining the audience to some degree. The more goals the author has for their message, the more difficult it is to craft. Here's the question/assignment: As fully as possible, analyze the agenda/goals/purposes of the author.
  
• What specific things could the author have done differently to craft a more successful message? Another way to think about this question is to ask, "How would I have changed the message to make it more effective?" List at least two specific things the author could have changed.
  
• What were the needs and expectations of the audience, and were these needs and expectations satisfied? Why, or why not?
  

Once completed, post your two new analysis to the class list. Don't forget to sign your post and lable it as "YourName, Week Two, Two New Rhetorical Analysis."

2. To help you understand just how much you can learn by taking the time to reread and revise previous work, I want you to go back and revisit each of the three rhetorical analysis you did this past week. Add to them using the new questions above. Also, make sure to go back and review the original questions you were to answer in your analysis, and make sure you answered the original questions as completely as possible. Take a moment to completely proofread your revisions before posting them to the class list. Lable these posts: "YourName, Revision of Origianl Rhetorical Analysis."

3. I want you to read *some* of the new and *revised* analysis posted by your classmates. Notice: you don't have to read them all, but you do have to read enough of them to find three places where the analysis could be improved. Your job is to then help your three authors find places where their insights into rhetoric could be more insightful or to recognize aspects of the rhetorical situation they describe which they may have overlooked. In the process, you are learning to judge what constitutes a solid analysis and how to offer advice and help to other authors. Offering criticism to a fellow writer is always a delicate moment. Be completely truthful; otherwise, the writer cannot learn how to improve; but, also be tactful. You want to develop the ethos of being fair and helpful. Remember, it is your job to help them with their analysis, not correct their grammar. Email your criticism both to the author directly and to the list.

4. Write back to those offering criticism of your analysis, and thank them for their help. Explain what you found useful in their criticism and offer advice on how they could have improved their criticism, style, etc. Again, be tackful, greatful, and trueful. Post these thank you notes to the list. Lable them: "Yourname, Thank You note to YourCritic'sName."

5. Between reading introductions, making connections with folks through the list, and receiving and getting criticism, you should be beginning to get a feel for folks with whom you may want to work and with whom you can work (and not). I would like you to form up groups of four or five students. These are groups of students with whom you'll be working all summer. You will work with these groups to: A) learn how to effectively and appropriately use other people to help with your writing; B) learn to work effectively with a group; C) learn how to better come up with ideas to write, to revise drafts, and to proofread, that is, you'll be practicing these skills using the work of the your own work and that of the peers in your group. In any event, your assignment is to form a peer group of four or five students. Do this off list by emailing students directly. If you come up a member short and need an aditional member or two: advertise on the list and sell being a member of your group to your peers. Finally, pick a name for your group; share contact information, including names, email and phone numbers; and, at the end of the week, send me an email with a roster of those in your group, your group name, and contact information for your group.

Remember, write me at prof.brandon@gmail.com with any questions. If you think the group would profit from an answer to your question, write the list or leave a comment on the blog. Also remember to save everything which is coming into your gmail and everything you are writing for the class. All of this work may prove useful later in the class. There is no problem with storage. Google mail (gmail) gives you 6 plus gigabits of space to store your mail, and they have a nifty search feature to help you find old emails.