In this section, you will find two minor assignments, their revisions and reflections.
1. Movie Review
For this assignment you will use your powers of observation and analysis. It addresses Student Learning Outcome (SLO) #1 “Identify and explain the role rhetorical appeals and the rhetorical triangle can play in non-fiction print and/or multimodal texts.”; and SLO #3 “ Compose cogent, research-based arguments, in print-based and/or multimodal texts, for specialist and/or non-specialist audiences.”Your review should be 300-500 words.
Here’s the information you’ll need:
- Title: In Whose Honor?
- Company: New Day Films
- Date: 1997
- Director: Jay Rosenstein
When I grade these response papers, I will look for:
- A specific and descriptive title.
- Detailed review of the movie, including not only an analysis of the message, but your opinion of anything that affected your viewing of it, like cinematography, score, editing, narration, etc.
- Clear, concise writing.
- Focused paragraphs.
- Logical organization of your response.
- A works cited list and in-text citations for any source you use, including the primary source. Citations should be in MLA format.
- Remember that the movie itself is a primary source. You will make it clear to your reader when you are using material from the film (usually in the form of paraphrase, unless you took very careful notes so you can quote it.) For this paper, please provide both in-text citations and a works cited page for each source you use. That means, when you say something like, “The somber tone of the music in this section showed __________.” you will follow it with a paranthetical citation. (You’re not required to use secondary sources for this assignment, but you may if you like. For example, you might check out what another reviewer thought of this film and compare it to what you think. Of course, if you decide to use this, you MUST cite your secondary source.) You can use easybib.com or your handbook to format your citations. Your response must include a works cited page and in text citations where appropriate.
- This week we will watch some movies in class. You’ll write a review of In Whose Honor? Look at the Baraka guide to writing movie reviews for directions on how to critique a movie.
2. Entering Rhet Conference
This semester you will have the opportunity to present your research paper at the Rhet Students’ Conference. Presenting scholarly work at conferences is one way we engage in conversation in the Academic Community. If you present, you will find that other scholars are interested in hearing about your work. If you just go and observe, you will find other scholars’ work interesting. I won’t require you to apply to present your papers, but you can earn up to 25 points of extra credit of you do. In addition, simply writing the application can help you with audience analysis (That’s one whole leg of the rhetorical triangle).
For this assignment, compose an email to apply to present at the Rhet Conference. You do not necessarily have to apply, but I hope that composing this email will encourage you to.
Compose an email with the following information.
- Your name
- Your instructor’s name (that’s me!)
- Your avialability on Friday, May 1 between 3-6 PM
- Whether you want to do a spoken or a poster presentation
- A 5-7 sentence description of the research you will be presenting
- A list of sources (This doesn’t need to be detailed to every last source, but they want to know if you’ll be using articles, archives, interviews, books, blogs, that kind of thing…)
- Make sure you include a descriptive subject line at the top of the page (On an email, your title is the subject line.)
- An appropriate greeting to the Convention Committee (your audience for this email).
- Close with a goodwill ending.