WRT 1050: Instructions for Project 1: Rhetorical Analysis
Grade value: 20 points (20% of course grade)
Length: 3-5 pages
Format: MLA (double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman)
Project 1 will explore the rhetorical conventions and practices in the professional discourse community that you are working to enter. The purpose of this analysis is to gain a better understanding of the specific modes of discourse that you will be mastering as you become a working professional in this field. Your focus throughout this analysis should be on matters of rhetoric (such as style, intended audience, citation format, and methodology) rather than content.
We will develop and revise the project during class sessions. Sample papers are posted on our class Moodle page.
Divide your Rhetorical Analysis into the following subsections (with these subheadings):
Introduction (brief overview of the purpose and focus of your analysis)
Writing from the Profession (discussion of the writing conventions and practices found in a professional article or document from this discourse community)
Communication on a Professional Website (discussion of the genres and presentation in a major website used for communication within this discourse community)
Conclusion (generalizations that you can make about professional conventions and expectations based on your examination of professional writing and communication within this discourse community)
Grading Rubric. Project 1 will be scored based on elements in the following areas (each element will be evaluated as excellent, satisfactory, or problematic):
growing understanding of the conventions of writing & communication within this professional discourse community
growing comprehension of the vocabulary & methodology employed within the discourse community
understanding & application of rhetorical analysis methods & vocabulary from class workshops
good use of flexible writing process, as demonstrated in drafting & revision
professional-level language free of errors in grammar, spelling, & punctuation
correct MLA format
