essay 3 - public argument zine project

7/31/2019 Essay 3 - Public Argument Zine Project

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Londie Martin \ First-Year Writing II: Rhetorical Analysis and Argument \ Spring 2011 1 | P a g e

Essay #

Public Argument Zine Project20% of Final Grade for the Course

Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at

the dawn of day. Thomas Jefferson, on education, democracy, and public argument

The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia (1900), p. 277

In an era marked by the rapid centralization of corporate media, zines are independent and localized,coming out of cities, suburbs and small towns across the US, assembled on kitchen tables. They celebrate

the everyperson in a world of celebrity. [Z]ine writers form networks and forge communities around

diverse identities and interests.Stephen Duncombe, on defining zines

Notes from Underground(2008), p. 7

Important Dates

3.31 In class, finalize group membership for collaborative zine project.

4.8 Formal group proposal for Essay #3 is due by 5 pm in the D2L dropbox.

4.7 Peer response for public argument rough drafts.

4.14 Peer response for group zines.

4.16 Final draft of your groups zine is due in class.

Purpose & Audience

Now that you have thoroughly and carefully researched an issue of your choosing and written an analysis of

that issue, you are ready to take your place among those who have argued on this issue and make your own

argument. Based on the research you did during our Controversy Analysis unit, you now may choose an

aspect of the controversy to argue. However, this assignment asks you to work individually and

collaboratively as you compose your own argument. You will individuallycompose your argument in the

form of a public argument essay meant for publication in your groups collaborative zine. In other words,

each member of your group will write their own public argument, and the group will work collaboratively to

compile these articles into one, cohesive zine. In other words, Essay #3 has two parts:

Part 1: Everyone composes an individual public argument essay. Part 2: Work in small groups (3-4 people) to publish a zine containing the group members public

argument essays.

As you compose your public argument essay and work with your group to design your zine, you will need to

identify a specific audience for your communications. This, in fact, will be the emphasis of our assignmentand the rest of the semester: How does a rhetor identify or responsibly imagine her/his audience? How

does a rhetor responsibly and meaningfully shape her/his argument to teach, delight, and move that

audience? For this assignment, your group will establish an audiencefor your zines and your individual

public argument essaysthat includes me, your classmates, and a larger, specific public. Moreover, in your

drafts of Essay #3, you will demonstrate how your rhetorical decisions (i.e., the argument you write and the

textual strategies you employ to shape and support your argument) are appropriate and persuasive for your

specific audience.

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The Assignment

Part 1: Your Individual Public Argument Essay

no page length requirements

To write an effective public argument, you will need to draw upon related views of the issue that you address

(the issue you explored in your Controversy Analysis), including opposing arguments, and you will need to

develop your line of argument with specifics from a range of credible sources. For this assignment, I will

suggest a Rogerian approach to argumentone that asks you to seek a common ground with your audienceand respectfully present arguments from many sides of your issue before advancing your own unique

argument. However, you are also free to consider other argument arrangements explored earlier in the

semester (i.e., Classical, Deductive, Inductive, Narrative, Toulmin, and creative hybrids).

Your goals for this assignment are to:

Establish a well-defined argument that includes specific claims about your issue and is supportedwith meaningful reasons, examples, and evidence (including at least 2 researched sources);

Include an introduction that establishes the focus of the article, engages readers, outlines a specificand argumentative thesis statement, and presents context or background information to situate your

readers;

Faithfully and respectfully present and respond to many sides of the issue;

Develop clearly defined points in body paragraphs that include meaningful and appropriate analysesof related sources, specific evidence and explanations, and supporting explanations that relate your

points to your overall argument;

Use style, tone, and other textual rhetorical strategies to effectively shape your argument for yourspecific audience(i.e., your zines audience);

And follow correct MLA formats for citing, introducing, and discussing sources.Part 2: Collaboratively Produced Zine

no page length requirements

This portion of the assignment addresses the zine your group will design, assemble, and deliver. Although

you will find a lot of creative leeway during this assignment, there are a few criteria that your groups zinemust fulfill:

The cover includes original artwork and/or images as well as a creative title and overall design thatsupports, complicates, and/or accentuates the purpose of the zine and appeals to a specific audience.

The collaboratively authored mission statementappears in the first few pages of the zine andclearly identifies the specific purpose of the zine. In other words, why is this zine necessary, what

will it cover, and to whom is it directed? I will evaluate your zine based, in part, on the specific goals

you outline in your mission statement.

The zine features organizational strategies that guide readers: a table of contents, page headersand numbers, titles for all entries or articles, and any other organizational strategies that readers will

find helpful.

The zine features a visual and material design conceptthat speaks to the zines purpose andaudience. In other words, all visual elements (i.e., text, font, color, size, line, direction, image, paper

type/color, zine binding, etc.) work together to meaningfully support the purpose and audience of

the zine.

The zine includes a citations and resources section that presents credits for all images/art notauthored by the group and citations for any other information that resulted from outside research.


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What to Include in Your Zine

Each group member should contribute her/his public argument essay to the groups zine. However, your

group may elect to include supplemental materials appropriate to the purpose and audience of the zine (e.g.,

poems, visuals, posters, announcements for relevant public events, recipes, games, artwork, etc.).

Working Together

I argue that working well with others is not just a necessity; its an opportunityfor invention, creativity, and

action. Though you will work individually to compose your public argument essays, a significant portion ofyour grade for this assignment will be determined by the nature of your participation in group activities.

Specifically, I will use self-assessments and group member assessments to evaluate how well you:

Worked with your group members to develop the theme, focus, and purpose of your zine; Worked with your group members to design and assemble the zine; Met all the goals and benchmarks established by your group; And did your fair share of the work.

Deliverables

In class onApril 16, your group will deliver a final draft of your zine for evaluation. Additionally, each group

will prepare a brief 8-10 minute (maximum!) informal presentation to be delivered in class onApril 16. Inyour presentation, your group should help the class understand:

The purpose of your zine; The reasons informing your design choices; The challenges you facedas writers, designers, team members, and rhetors; And the joys you experiencedas writers, designers, team members, and rhetors.

Evaluation

How Will I Be Graded For All This Work?!

Your grade for Essay #3 will be determined according to this table:

What You Turn In How Its Graded# Possible

Points

Individually written public

argument essayEach group member receives her/his own grade 50 points

Collaboratively written zine

group proposalGroup members receive the same grade 10 points

Collaboratively designed and

produced zineGroup members receive the same grade 30 points

Assessment of individual

participation in the group projectEach group member receives her/his own grade 10 points

Total # of Possible Points for Essay #3100

points

essay 3 - public argument zine project

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