1.1 Rhetorical Analysis
Choose a set of three advertisements for products you currently use. Choose one ad to analyze. How do the content and design choices produce a specific effect for an intended audience? Consider logos, ethos, pathos, kairos, and telos. Think about why you consume this product and how the advertisement speaks directly to you.
Minimum length: 500 words
Submission Instructions:
- Save your file names with the following protocol: assignmentnumber.lastname (ex. 1.1Edison)
- Save your file as a PDF. In MSOffice, for example, you can go to File > Save As > Format > PDF. Do NOT submit your .doc file.
- Upload or copy the file to your shared Dropbox folder.
1.2 Brand Research
Perform some basic internet research on the company that owns the product ad you analyzed. Describe and evaluate the ethos of the company.
Your research should include at least three sources: the company itself (company website, public relations); editorials (opinion articles in respectable magazines and newspapers; try searching in Google News); and miscellaneous (such as customer reviews, blog posts, sensational articles, wikipedia articles, etc).
Minimum length: 500 words
Submission Instructions:
- Save your file names with the following protocol: assignmentnumber.lastname (ex. 1.2Edison)
- Save your file as a PDF. In MSOffice, for example, you can go to File > Save As > Format > PDF. Do NOT submit your .doc file.
- Upload or copy the file to your shared Dropbox folder.
1.3 Consumer Essay
Write a 1500-word essay about your relationship with the product and company you have analyzed and researched. Include at least one advertisement in your essay. Build your essay from the materials you amassed in assignments 1.1 and 1.2. What factors tend to drive your consumer decisions and preferences?
Your essay will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- Evidence of critical thinking about the brand & its advertising
- Development of rhetorical analysis that engages in the visual and cultural content of the ads
- Ability to integrate research into your final essay
- Evidence of revision from earlier drafts (1.1 and 1.2). Revisions should respond in some way to comments provided on assignment 1.1
- Facility with grammar, punctuation, and style
The grading for this assignment conforms to WSU standards:
A: Outstanding achievement–awarded only for the highest accomplishment
B: Praiseworthy performance–above average in most respects
C: Satisfactory performance–work meets the standards for competency
D: Minimally passing–effort and achievement less than satisfactory.
Submission Instructions:
- Save your file names with the following protocol: assignmentnumber.lastname (ex. 1.3Edison)
- Save your file as a PDF. In MSOffice, for example, you can go to File > Save As > Format > PDF. Do NOT submit your .doc file.
- Upload or copy the file to your shared Dropbox folder.