This week, believe it our not, will be the last week before we turn our attention almost solely to your individual research projects. As with the past two weeks, Week 3 attempts to scaffold that project, providing relative information and tools that you will use once you start your own research writing. In other words, these first few weeks are mostly about gathering all of the building blocks you will need to individually tackle a longer academic research essay.
Last week, I introduced the idea of academic argument, an idea which we will continue to unpack through this week's work. Understanding the concept of rhetoric, which literally means the art of persuasion, is central to our more fully understanding academic arguments--both how to read and understand them and, eventually, how to write our own. (Hint: that's what you'll be doing in your final research essay.)
So, this week, I introduce the concept of Aristotle's rhetoric, which includes the rhetorical situation and rhetorical modes--two things I explain in my lecture video. It is critical that you watch this lecture before beginning any of the week's tasks. To help organize your thinking around these topics, consider this: last week, you learned what parts an academic argument must have in order to be complete and cogent; this week, you learn how to effectively make an argument, considering many factors, including the audience. That is, last week, we learned about the science of argument, and this week we are talking about the art of making an argument.
Additionally, this week, you'll choose your second thematic cluster, giving you a new batch of texts to read and write about in both your discussion post and your second formal writing assignment, a Rhetorical Analysis essay, due Sunday evening.
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay, as you will glean when you read the assignment sheet, asks you to analysis the rhetorical factors of one of the texts in your chosen cluster for Week 3. We will practice rhetorically analyzing a "text" on this week's discussion board post, and I've also shared several examples of rhetorical analysis essays, which I hope will be helpful to you.
Finally, although we haven't yet dived head-first into working on our research projects, as we will next week, it is time for you to begin thinking about possible topics. Since your research essay topic must be linked to one of the themes in the reading clusters I've shared this semester, now is a good time to begin brainstorming.
To that end, I have given you the assignment rubric for our research project, which you should read and begin thinking about, and I have also assigned some reading about choosing a research topic. Next week, your discussion post, which will ask you to share your working research topic, allowing all of us to give you feedback about that topic, is due Monday evening, and you will have your research proposal due a few days later.
For Week 3, you must:
- watch my "rhetoric" lecture video
- select and read the texts in a new thematic cluster (in other words, not the same ones you read last week)
- read chapter 2 from Who Says?
- look at and read through all of the links I've provided below about ethos, pathos, and logos
- watch the YouTube video about rhetorical moves in advertisements
- take the quiz over both my lecture and Chapter 2 of Who Says? by midnight on Wednesday
- complete your original post on the DB by midnight on Wednesday
- post your DB comments by midnight on Sunday
- read the sample rhetorical analysis essays
- complete your Rhetorical Analysis essay by midnight on Friday and submit to the Assignments folder
In preparation for next week:
- read chapter 4 from Who Says?
- review the assignment for the Research Essay + Proposal
- read What Makes a Good Research Question?
- watch Creating a Good Research Question
33.33 %5 of 15 topics complete
List of Topics and Sub-Modules for Week 3: 6/22-6/28
- Rhetoric Lecture VideoVideo [Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]This one is 20 minutes long. I'm sorry, but there's a lot of new info to cover this week. Watch it in two 10-minute chunks, if you think that will help you absorb the material more easily.
- Who Says?, Chapter 2PDF document [Image unavailable: You have viewed this topic]
- Who Says? Ch 2 and Rhetoric LectureQuiz [Image unavailable: You have completed the quiz] Due yesterday at 11:59 PM Starts Jun 18, 2026 10:59 AMEnds Jun 24, 2026 11:59 PM
- Ethos, Pathos, and Logos ExamplesLink[Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]The next three resources will help to underscore my lecture, hopefully helping you understand the modes of rhetoric even further.
- Storyboard Examples of Ethos, Logos, and PathosLink[Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- YouTube video: Ethos, Logos, & Pathos in AdsLink[Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- Week 3: Rhetorically Analyze CommercialsDiscussion Topic[Image unavailable: Well done! You have contributed to the discussion]
This week, you began learning about Aristotle's rhetoric, focusing primarily on the rhetorical situation and rhetorical modes. By the end of this week, you'll be writing your first rhetorical analysis essay, and this discussion post should be good practice. So, for this week's discussion post, we will put our discussion of rhetoric to use. First, watch the few videos I've shared below, all of which are short ads or commercials:As you watch these, take note of which ad you think is making the strongest argument. Also, try to figure out the following: What is the primary argument of this ad/commercial? What makes you think that? Is the argument effective? Why or why not? Who is the target audience? How do you know? What are examples of pathos? Ethos? Logos? (All three modes of rhetorical are used in all three commercials.)Then, write a discussion post wherein you try to answer those questions about one of the videos, citing specific examples from the video, to the best of your ability. In other words, rhetorically analyze one of these videos. Finally, offer a paragraph-long response to the arguments being made in the commercial--and, perhaps, even to the context of the commercial itself (who created it, where/when it originally aired, etc.). Why or why didn't you find the argument to be compelling? What rhetorical mode was most effective for you as a view, if any, and why do you think that is? - Sample Rhetorical AnalysisPDF document [Image unavailable: You have viewed this topic]
- SampleRhetoricalAnalysisPDF document [Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- SampleRhetoricalAnalysis2PDF document [Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- Rhetorical Analysis EssayWord Document [Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]For this rhetorical analysis essay, you must analyze ONE reading from a NEW cluster. That is, you can't use a reading from the same cluster you wrote about last week.
- Research Essay + ProposalWord Document [Image unavailable: You have viewed this topic]This is the assignment sheet for your final research essay, complete with the specific parameters of the project, and overview of the kinds of topics that are acceptable, and, at the bottom, a note about your research proposal, which is due next week.
- Who Says?, Chapter 4PDF document [Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- Video: Creating a Good Research QuestionLink[Image unavailable: Task: View this topic]
- What Makes a Good Research Question?PDF document