CAS137H
To understand rhetoric, you have to learn to dig. Think of yourself as an archeologist seeking artifacts of rhetoric. As a rhetorical archeologist, you probe an artifact for the ideologies and commonplaces that shape its meaning, reassembling the rhetorical appeals that went into it, and researching and reconstructing its origins and cultural content. Luckily for you, an artifact doesn’t necessarily have to be old to be rhetorically excavated. Indeed, you can analyze artifacts that you find today in your mailbox, on the walls of your
classroom building, or on your computer screen.
For the following assignments, you’ll practice presenting your findings in two different modes: an oral
presentation and a thesis-driven academic essay.
Assignment 1: Analysis of Civic Artifact Speech (4 minutes)
Select an artifact – whether contemporary or historic – that frames the civic in a rhetorically compelling way. The artifact could be drawn from many places and take many forms, whether a corporate advertisement, a public service announcement, or a notice about an event or involvement opportunity happening on campus. Then, plan a 4 minute speech about the artifact based on RCL course material and discussions.
After a brief introduction of the artifact, aided by images or video (no more than 30 seconds), you will draw upon course concepts to explain how the event or opportunity in question can be seen as civic and what ideologies and/or civic commonplaces are contained within or assumed by the artifact. Your speech might also explain how context and the rhetorical situation inform the piece’s message and/or how the artifact embodies the very idea of civic engagement.
Assignment 2: Rhetorical Analysis Essay (4-5 pages)
This 4-5 page double-spaced essay will widen the scope of your analysis by comparing the civic artifact analyzed in your speech to another piece that makes appeals (whether similar or opposing) connected to the topic.
Before drafting your essay, consider how the artifacts target, respond to, or construct their audiences.
How do the pieces’ rhetorical choices make meaning? How do the pieces use the textual elements to marshal Aristotle’s three appeals: ethos, pathos, or logos? How do social and historical contexts, ideologies, and commonplaces come into play? What world does the text desire?
Then, take some of these questions and shape them into an overarching argumentative claim about the pieces to serve as your thesis. You want to link the rhetorical choices or strategies within the pieces to distinct ideologies or commonplaces you identify that make the persuasive argument float. Your essay should also discuss and analyze the rhetorical situations–the specific context or moment out of which the artifacts have arisen.
An Important Note on Grading
The quality of your work in this class is very important. You earn grades in this class. What this means is that you do not, in this course, begin with 125 points on your first speech or essay and lose points as you make mistakes. Instead, you build upward toward a base grade of C and add points as you exceed expectations and requirements.
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Please note that work that meets the basic assignment requirements given in class is C-level (70-79) work. D-level (60-69) and F-level (0-59) work fails to meet these basic requirements. You can expect to earn grades in the B-level range (80-89) by not only meeting the basic requirements of the assignment, but by also going beyond the assignment requirements in terms of research, presentation, analysis, and preparation. You can earn grades in the A-level range (90-100) by completing exceptional work.
Nothing less earns grades in this range. Assignments should be virtually error-free, presented or written very well, explained thoughtfully and thoroughly, focused, and should demonstrate clear and advanced critical thinking and analysis.
Speech Outline Submission Guidelines
A well-developed outline of your speech will submitted in hard-copy format to me at the start of class on the day that you’re scheduled to speak. Here are some general guidelines to follow for your submission:
 Fully write out your introduction, conclusion, and all transitions between parts/points in complete sentences. Adequately planning these key elements in advance will help to ensure that you start well, that you finish well, and that you stay organized throughout the speech.
 The body of the speech does not need to be written in complete sentences, but ensure that all points are developed enough to be easily understood when I review your outline.
 If you cite sources in your speech (which should also be noted orally during the delivery), please indicate this in your outline by 1) including parenthetical citations where the references appear, and 2) attaching an alphabetized and properly-formatted (MLA preferred) bibliography that lists the sources. Remember, the sources within the outline should match perfectly with the sources listed in your bibliography.
 Outlines should be typed, grammatically-correct, and proofread. Include a heading with your name, the date, and the course number.
I strongly urge that you do not take up a full-text version of your speech when you present. The temptation to read from a manuscript can be strong, and the speeches, which are meant to be extemporaneous and engaging, become stiff and distant.
This being said, during your rehearsal stage incrementally pare down your speech outline into “talking points” for your personal speaking notes. Perhaps devote one note card for the introduction, one note card for each main point within the body, and one note card for the conclusion. Write key words and phrases that will guide you through the bulk of the speech, and if necessary, write out complex sections more fully. Some speakers benefit from writing down stage directions, as well. (Example: pause here.)
Ideally, your note cards will be comprised of key words and phrases that can prompt you to speak extemporaneously, rather than a full-text version of your speech that lulls you into reading and hinders your connection with the audience.
Bottom line: When going to the podium, take as much as you need and as little as you can get away
with. I will never collect your personal speaking notes, so this is up to your best judgment and personal preference.
SPEAKER TIP:
For added peace of mind and smart planning, gather all necessary materials (the hard copy of your outline you’ll submit, your speaking notes, your visual aids, etc.) in advance. Do not wait until morning of your presentation.
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Civic Artifact Speech Grading Rubric
CAS 137H
Introduction: _____ out of 15 points
Gained attention and interest
Oriented audience to artifact and purpose
Provided strong central claim (thesis)
Previewed main ideas with clarity and style (preview)
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Content: _____ out of 40 points
Supported the central claim (thesis)
Examined civic and rhetorical dimensions of artifact
Connected artifact with the course’s concepts and terms
Developed ideas fully with relevant explanations
Backed ideas with specific supporting materials
Avoided abstractions and generic blanket statements
Generated interest; went beyond the obvious and trite
Integrated visual(s) purposefully to advance analysis
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Organization: _____ out of 20 points
Excellent
Chose fitting and clear organizational pattern(s)
Good
Average
Formatted content into logical, understandable points Poor
Placed content (examples, explanation) sensibly Unsatisfactory
Used clear and stylistic transitions between ideas
Provided focused conclusion that resonated & synthesized
Outline: _____ out of 10 points
Follows guidelines
Attends to grammatical correctness
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Speaker ________________________________________
15, 14
13, 12
11
10, 9
8 and below
40, 39, 38, 37, 36
35, 34, 33, 32
31, 30, 29, 28
27, 26, 25, 24
23 and below
20, 19, 18
17, 16
15, 14
13, 12
11 and below
10, 9
8
7
6
5 and below
Delivery: _____ out of 40 points
Appeared well-practiced and confident
Spoke understandably (volume, articulation, rate)
Spoke fluidly (smooth, natural, not choppy)
Varied tone, cadence, rate for emphasis/interest
Evaluated on a scale of 5 (excellent) to 1 (unsatisfactory)
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Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Avoided verbal fillers
Maintained consistent eye contact
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Demonstrated natural stance, gestures, movement I ------ I ------ I ------ I ------ I ------ I
40, 39, 38, 37, 36
35, 34, 33, 32
31, 30, 29, 28
27, 26, 25, 24
23 and below
Avoided distracting tendencies
FINAL COMMENTS
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
TIME Under 3:30
-10 points
4:00 – 5:00
Requirement
5:01-5:20
- 5 points
5:21-5:40
- 10 points
5:40 –6:00
- 15 points
Beyond 6:00
For the sake of other presenters, speeches above 6 minutes will be stopped
Grade: __________ out of 125 points
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Rhetorical Analysis Essay Grading Rubric
CAS 137H
CRITERIA
Content (55 points – or roughly 45%)
 Made a strong claim (thesis) about the artifacts’ rhetorical appeals, context, and/or audience(s).
 Supported the thesis throughout the essay with specific, detailed, thorough, and insightful analysis (not merely description of the artifacts).
 Offered clear points for comparison and contrast given the accurately identified goal(s) of the artifacts under consideration.
 Demonstrated a strong understanding of and ability to use rhetorical concepts of textual and contextual analysis (ex: ethos, logos, pathos, arrangement, kairos, context, audience, etc., depending on the thesis you’re
 advancing)
Demonstrated strong understanding of the artifacts’
 rhetorical situations.
Engaged readers and went beyond the obvious.
Organization (40 points – or roughly 30%)
 Arranged essay coherently with a well-developed introduction, body, and conclusion.
 Controlled the focus of individual paragraphs with fitting analytic topic sentences.
 Demonstrated logical progression and relationships between ideas, with each paragraph stemming understandably from what precedes it.
 Used smart and stylish transitions to guide readers between key points, paragraphs, and sentences.
Style (30 points – or roughly 25%)
 Written in a lively, unique, memorable voice through the use of original verbs, precise phrasing, and a variety of
 sentence structures.
Avoided unnecessary complex or muddled prose.
 Edited to eliminate errors in grammar and mechanics.
Student Name _________________________________
GRADE and COMMENTS
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Unsatisfactory
55—50
49—44
43—39
38—33
32 and below
40—36
35—32
31—28
27—24
23 and below
30—27
26—24
23—21
20—18
17 and below
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