Background:

In this project, you will draw on Lloyd Bitzer’s theory of the rhetorical situation to rhetorically analyze a text (commercial, brochure, radio ad, donation letter, web page, etc.) produced by a nonprofit organization such as a local charity, professional organization, campus group, advocacy center, etc. By successfully completing this assignment, you will learn how to analyze a source’s rhetorical situation, a practice that can help you respond effectively to other writing situations you encounter in school and beyond.

Assignment:

Locate a text composed by members of your selected organization and analyze its rhetorical situation in an essay that:

-Analyzes the text’s rhetorical situation, identifying its exigence, audience, and constraints

-Argues whether the text presents a fitting response to its rhetorical situation Substantiate the claims you make about the text’s rhetorical situation, and its response to this situation, with evidence from the text itself and other relevant sources.

-Uses a minimum of three sources (at least one of your sources should be a peer reviewed journal article).

Tips for Research & Writing:

-So you may conduct a more objective analysis, select a text from an organization you are not a member of.

-The text you select should be representative of the discourse produced by the organization, so you will need to do some preliminary research to determine what genres the organization utilizes.

-In addition to locating a text to rhetorically analyze, you will need to conduct secondary research to understand the rhetorical situation that gave rise to the text, to provide context, and to ensure you respectfully and responsibly represent the organization that produced the text. This means you will consult a variety of relevant sources and effectively incorporate them into your analysis.

Criteria for Evaluation

Effective use of analytical methods

Development of a specific analytical thesis whose significance is clearly explained Effective support of claims with analysis and examples

Effective use of secondary sources (include at least one peer reviewed journal article)

Effective use and integration of quotes and paraphrases

Effective introduction and conclusion

Effective organizational choices

Appropriate grammar, word choice, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, style, and proper page length (4-5 FULL pages).

Correctly formatted MLA format and in-text citation