Using the techniques discussed in class and in your Brief Guide, you will develop a rhetorical analysis comparing an article from a popular periodical to an article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal.
First, find an article in a popular magazine related to your field of study or potential career. For example, business students might use Business Week, engineering students might use Popular Mechanics, pre-med students might choose Men’s Health or Self, etc. (Think towards periodicals available in a large bookstore.) Your task will be easier if you choose the popular article first.
The second step is to find an article on the same topic in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. Use the databases and the peer-reviewed limiter, remembering how to differentiate a scholarly source.
Compare the rhetorical techniques used in both articles. Some questions to consider:
-To whom is the text addressed?
-What is the author’s purpose for writing the piece?
-Are the author’s word choice and language appropriate for her audience?
-Describe the author’s sentence structure. How well does it work for her rhetorical situation?
-What arguments or assertions does the author make?
-What kinds of evidence does the author provide (logos, pathos, ethos, anecdotal, facts and stats, etc.)? Are her choices of evidence best serving her audience?
-What do the visual cues of each article tell us? What do the graphic details look like? Are there charts or graphs? Photos, drawings, or schematics? Why might these elements have been used?
These are not all the potential questions to be considered, and you should not feel the need to respond to all of these questions. For more possibilities, refer to your Brief Guide, The Everyday Writer, and the sheet of questions handed out in class.
The analysis should be 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced in MLA format. Include a Works Cited page listing the two articles (not included in your page count) and attach a copy of the first page of both articles to the back of your submitted draft.
DUE Monday, October 8
First, find an article in a popular magazine related to your field of study or potential career. For example, business students might use Business Week, engineering students might use Popular Mechanics, pre-med students might choose Men’s Health or Self, etc. (Think towards periodicals available in a large bookstore.) Your task will be easier if you choose the popular article first.
The second step is to find an article on the same topic in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. Use the databases and the peer-reviewed limiter, remembering how to differentiate a scholarly source.
Compare the rhetorical techniques used in both articles. Some questions to consider:
-To whom is the text addressed?
-What is the author’s purpose for writing the piece?
-Are the author’s word choice and language appropriate for her audience?
-Describe the author’s sentence structure. How well does it work for her rhetorical situation?
-What arguments or assertions does the author make?
-What kinds of evidence does the author provide (logos, pathos, ethos, anecdotal, facts and stats, etc.)? Are her choices of evidence best serving her audience?
-What do the visual cues of each article tell us? What do the graphic details look like? Are there charts or graphs? Photos, drawings, or schematics? Why might these elements have been used?
These are not all the potential questions to be considered, and you should not feel the need to respond to all of these questions. For more possibilities, refer to your Brief Guide, The Everyday Writer, and the sheet of questions handed out in class.
The analysis should be 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced in MLA format. Include a Works Cited page listing the two articles (not included in your page count) and attach a copy of the first page of both articles to the back of your submitted draft.
DUE Monday, October 8
