We engage in persuasion every day. Whether we are posting on a social media site about the need to build sidewalks to keep our children safe when they are walking to school, emailing our boss to propose a new safety procedure, or writing an academic essay that advocates a mandatory spay/neuter program in our city, we have to consider the most appropriate audience, method of communication, and evidence to make our case.
For the Unit Assignment, you will select examples of persuasive communications that you have encountered or produced yourself in personal, professional, and academic contexts.
You will describe the examples and analyze what made them effective. Considering what makes persuasion work will help you to craft a strong argument for change in the upcoming units.
In this assignment, you will write three paragraphs describing and analyzing effective persuasive communication you have encountered or produced in personal, professional, and academic contexts.
In each of the three paragraphs, include at least one concrete example of effective persuasion that you have experienced or produced yourself to illustrate your points.
Describe that example, identify the parts of the rhetorical situation (audience, speaker, text, purpose, and context), and offer specific reasons why the example was effective.
You can also include information on tone, style, formality, voice, correctness, evidence, and word choice as you develop your analysis.