English 250 Advertising Assignment The Assignment The assignment is to understand how media, specifically advertisements, shape meaning of the society. For this assignment, we will identify, research, and reflect on ads to understand how they relate to us at personal, rhetorical, and critical levels. Audience The audience for all the documents will be your English 105 instructor and fellow classmates. Deliverables This assignment will have three writing parts: 1. Personal narrative, 2. Rhetorical analysis journal, and 3. Critical Reflection Personal Narrative: You will first choose a short advertisement that has caught your attention and write a brief narrative that will include the following: Name of the product being advertised Provide a narrative describing the situation the first time you saw this ad Describe frame­by­frame visual and aural action taking place in the ad Explain why this ad is interesting to you aspect of the ad caught your attention Rhetorical Analysis Journal: For the analysis, you will need to maintain journal entries about the product being marketed through the ad and the values conveyed through the product. You will need to address the following: Values communicated through the advertisement Values the company stands for. You will need to research the company’s website and publicity documents such as newspapers to find information about the company’s values. How the company’s values are reflected in the advertisement. Discuss the use of appeals used in the ad. Critical Reflection: You will write a letter to the editor reflecting on your perceptions of the advertisement. Include the following: Your initial perceptions of the advertisement Your understanding of the social context of the ad The similarities and differences in your perceptions before and after understanding the cultural context of the advertisement What factors kept your perceptions the same or changed them
Spring 2008 English 250 Grading Rubric: Narrative Criteria Narrative Section Content Gets the audience’s attention Uses details such as who, when, where, what, why, how Has a narrative aspect Set the scene Show, not tell Uses thought process/ sensory details Uses sensory inputs Has introspective element at the end or interspersed Creates a critical learning moment/relevance for the reader (take­ home message) Structure Has a coherent sense of organization Uses smooth transitions between idea chunks Makes a smooth flow from sceneànarrativeàreflectionàanalysis Development Is effectively developed that readers don’t have more questions than answers Has claims supported by examples Grammar Has mechanically correct sentences Is proofread
Spring 2008 Excellent Good Fair Needs Work English 250 Grading Rubric: Media Analysis/Letter Content Introduction provides an overview of the analysis Contextual analysis includes a discussion of the following o Audience o Purpose o Context Media analysis includes a discussion of the following o Ethos o Pathos o Logos o Tone/Style/Metaphors Effective conclusion Letter Content Your initial perceptions of the advertisement Your understanding of the social context of the ad
The similarities and differences in your perceptions before and after understanding the cultural context of the advertisement What factors kept your perceptions the same or changed them Development of Argument Analysis introduces a new claim for each argument Claim is followed by evidence in form of research or quotes from the text Evidence followed by an explanation on how the evidence reflects the claim Citations
Spring 2008 Excellent Good Fair Needs Works English 250 Citations follow MLA/APA format In­text citations inserted wherever necessary within the text Sources included in the works cited
Spring 2008