(DO THIS ABOUT MENTAL HEATH FOR ADULTS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA) The purpose of this writing assignment is to use multimodal rhetoric and design to explore, analyze, and make an argument about a specific topic, a proposal for reform. Think Save the Whales, or more locally, Conservancy of Southwest Florida (https://conservancy.org/Links to an external site.). You have already done some critical thinking and invention exercises that relate to this project. Writing in fields ranging from journalism to the health sciences is increasingly multimodal (occurring in more than one mode, such as print, electronic, visual, etc.) and mixed media. This means that writers in the 21st century, across all disciplines and career fields, need to have media and multimodal literacy skills. Whether those skills are put to use by integrating charts or graphs into reports, or by making infographics that transmit complex information, or by composing editorial news stories that incorporate video, audio, image, and text, it is important to understand the growing overlap between the principles of design and those of composition. According to the National Council of Teachers of English, “because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the 21st century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies are multiple, dynamic, and malleable.” In their most recent Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition (2014), the Council of Writing Programs Administrators removed “digital literacy” as a separate category, instead integrating digital design and multimodal writing into the traditional categories of “Rhetorical Knowledge,” “Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing,” “Processes,” and “Knowledge of Conventions.” For example, under “Rhetorical Knowledge”, the WPA states that students should be able to “match the capacities of different environments (e.g., print and electronic) to varying rhetorical situations.” In “Processes,” the WPA believes at the end of First-Year Composition, students should learn to “adapt composing processes for a variety of technologies and modalities.” This shift from the strictly textual to the multimodal is reflective of larger cultural shifts toward multimodal communication.
Process
For this assignment, you have 2 choices for how to approach your project. Neither choice is easier or more difficult than the other, they simply have different purposes and possibilities. Think about which one of these choices would make your specific argument as effective as it can possibly be. You also want to think about what you want to learn, as a student, and what your strengths are as a writer/communicator. You can design a web-based multimodal project using a tool like Medium or WixLinks to an external site.. Your web project should incorporate multiple modalities and media, such as photography, social media posts, web links, videos, podcasts or audio, maps, graphs, etc. Your web-based project should have a clear, readable design, and should be both visually engaging and well-researched. It can be one page or multiple pages, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. You will need 1800-2000 words of writing across the full web project, either on one page or multiple pages, depending on the tool you choose. (Note: If you use a tool like Wix, I recommend looking at examples of their Community and Education templates.)
You can make a short film or a video podcast (ex- the Lore podcast TV show). Your video podcast or short film must contain research and be no more than 10 minutes long. If you choose to make a podcast or short film/video podcast, the written portion of the assignment will be a script. You will submit the script, with a Works Cited page, in addition to the video or short film/video podcast. (Note: One strategy you can consider if you want to make a video podcast is slidecasting. If you are more familiar with film-making, you can use something like Adobe, iMovie or Canva (https://www.canva.com/designschool/tutorials/video/Links to an external site.). It is up to you!)
Your Multimodal Research Project should have a strong argument, use sources for support to advocate for your claim, and draw conclusions about your topic based on your argument and evidence. Review the research options below and choose, based on your topic/question, the most effective sources for your project based upon that option.
Sources Option ASources Option BSources Option C
4 Sources for the Final Project
Chosen from 2 books, 2 Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles, and 1 Additional Source of your choice.
5 Sources for the Final Project
Chosen from 3 Peer-Reviewed or Long-form Journalism Articles and 3 Additional Sources of your choice.
6 Sources for the Final Project
Chosen from 2 Media Sources, 2 Web Sources, and 4 Additional Sources of your choice.
Your Multimodal Research Project must include 1800-2000 words of total writing. You will also include an MLA bibliography as either an electronic Works Cited section/page (Option 1) or as a Works Cited page submitted with your script (Option 2).
*Your audience for this assignment is an interdisciplinary audience of college students, scholars, and inquisitive adults (the kind who watch PBS). The genre for this assignment is researched argumentation.*
In order to complete this assignment, you should go through the following steps:
Invention and Critical Thinking: Come up with a topic, conduct background research, and develop a research question.
Research your question. Carefully choose your sources. Read and make notes as you go.
Develop a working thesis statement based on your research.
Create an outline to serve as a roadmap for your project.
Draft the body and outline the conclusion of your essay.
Draft your introduction and conclusion. As part of the introduction section, revise your working thesis statement into a more polished thesis based on your draft.
Get feedback on the draft of your project from a peer, friend, tutor, the Writing Center, or professor. Revise your project based on the feedback you received. Solicit a second round of feedback if necessary and revise.
Edit and proofread your project for submission. Double check your formatting and design.
Assignment Rubric
A Multimodal Research Project that Achieves Excellence will be distinguished in the following criteria:
The writer makes an argument and advocates for a position based on research, sources, and analysis.
The writer uses appropriate and credible sources to support his or her position, as determined by his or her topic.
The writer clearly understands the rhetorical situation in which he or she is composing,
The writer directs his or her project to an audience of college students, scholars, and inquisitive adults.
The writer illustrates the importance and significance of his or her position for the audience.
The writer uses sources, evidence and examples responsibly, effectively, and appropriately.
The writer cites the appropriate number and type of sources based on Option A, B, or C.
The writer effectively summarizes, paraphrases, and/or quotes directly from his or her sources.
The writer anticipates and/or addresses potential counterarguments as appropriate within the context of the project.
The writer draws sound conclusions based on his or her argument, evidence, and perspective.
The writer/designer uses balance to incorporate both elements in multiple modes.
The writer/designer uses multiple modalities to enrich the audience experience.
The writer/designer’s composition is thoughtfully organized, readable, and unified.
The writer/designer has thoughtfully employed sound principles and elements of design (grouping, alignment, contrast, repetition, proximity, size, color, typeface, hierarchy, proportion, etc.).
The writer demonstrates an understanding of the rhetorical skills we have learned in the course.
The project meets the standards of clarity, accuracy, logic, significance, fairness, precision, and relevance.
The writer correctly utilizes MLA format for document design and/or the Works Cited page (as appropriate for genre/medium).
The writer’s project includes 1800-2000 total words of writing.
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