Essay #

Public Argument Zine Project

20% of Final Grade for the Course

Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day. Thomas Jefferson, on education, democracy, and public argument The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia (1900), p. 277 In an era marked by the rapid centralization of corporate media, zines are independent and localized, coming out of cities, suburbs and small towns across the US, assembled on kitchen tables. They celebrate the everyperson in a world of celebrity. [Z]ine writers form networks and forge communities around diverse identities and interests. Stephen Duncombe, on defining zines Notes from Underground (2008), p. 7

Important Dates
3.31 In class, finalize group membership for collaborative zine project. 4.8 Formal group proposal for Essay #3 is due by 5 pm in the D2L dropbox. 4.7 Peer response for public argument rough drafts. 4.14 Peer response for group zines. 4.16 Final draft of your groups zine is due in class.

Purpose & Audience

Now that you have thoroughly and carefully researched an issue of your choosing and written an analysis of that issue, you are ready to take your place among those who have argued on this issue and make your own argument. Based on the research you did during our Controversy Analysis unit, you now may choose an aspect of the controversy to argue. However, this assignment asks you to work individually and collaboratively as you compose your own argument. You will individually compose your argument in the form of a public argument essay meant for publication in your groups collaborative zine. In other words, each member of your group will write their own public argument, and the group will work collaboratively to compile these articles into one, cohesive zine. In other words, Essay #3 has two parts: Part 1: Everyone composes an individual public argument essay. Part 2: Work in small groups (3-4 people) to publish a zine containing the group members public argument essays.

As you compose your public argument essay and work with your group to design your zine, you will need to identify a specific audience for your communications. This, in fact, will be the emphasis of our assignment and the rest of the semester: How does a rhetor identify or responsibly imagine her/his audience? How does a rhetor responsibly and meaningfully shape her/his argument to teach, delight, and move that audience? For this assignment, your group will establish an audiencefor your zines and your individual public argument essaysthat includes me, your classmates, and a larger, specific public. Moreover, in your drafts of Essay #3, you will demonstrate how your rhetorical decisions (i.e., the argument you write and the textual strategies you employ to shape and support your argument) are appropriate and persuasive for your specific audience.

Londie Martin \ First-Year Writing II: Rhetorical Analysis and Argument \ Spring 2011

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The Assignment Part 1: Your Individual Public Argument Essay no page length requirements
To write an effective public argument, you will need to draw upon related views of the issue that you address (the issue you explored in your Controversy Analysis), including opposing arguments, and you will need to develop your line of argument with specifics from a range of credible sources. For this assignment, I will suggest a Rogerian approach to argumentone that asks you to seek a common ground with your audience and respectfully present arguments from many sides of your issue before advancing your own unique argument. However, you are also free to consider other argument arrangements explored earlier in the semester (i.e., Classical, Deductive, Inductive, Narrative, Toulmin, and creative hybrids). Your goals for this assignment are to: Establish a well-defined argument that includes specific claims about your issue and is supported with meaningful reasons, examples, and evidence (including at least 2 researched sources); Include an introduction that establishes the focus of the article, engages readers, outlines a specific and argumentative thesis statement, and presents context or background information to situate your readers; Faithfully and respectfully present and respond to many sides of the issue; Develop clearly defined points in body paragraphs that include meaningful and appropriate analyses of related sources, specific evidence and explanations, and supporting explanations that relate your points to your overall argument; Use style, tone, and other textual rhetorical strategies to effectively shape your argument for your specific audience (i.e., your zines audience); And follow correct MLA formats for citing, introducing, and discussing sources.

Part 2: Collaboratively Produced Zine no page length requirements

This portion of the assignment addresses the zine your group will design, assemble, and deliver. Although you will find a lot of creative leeway during this assignment, there are a few criteria that your groups zine must fulfill: The cover includes original artwork and/or images as well as a creative title and overall design that supports, complicates, and/or accentuates the purpose of the zine and appeals to a specific audience. The collaboratively authored mission statement appears in the first few pages of the zine and clearly identifies the specific purpose of the zine. In other words, why is this zine necessary, what will it cover, and to whom is it directed? I will evaluate your zine based, in part, on the specific goals you outline in your mission statement. The zine features organizational strategies that guide readers: a table of contents, page headers and numbers, titles for all entries or articles, and any other organizational strategies that readers will find helpful. The zine features a visual and material design concept that speaks to the zines purpose and audience. In other words, all visual elements (i.e., text, font, color, size, line, direction, image, paper type/color, zine binding, etc.) work together to meaningfully support the purpose and audience of the zine. The zine includes a citations and resources section that presents credits for all images/art not authored by the group and citations for any other information that resulted from outside research.

Londie Martin \ First-Year Writing II: Rhetorical Analysis and Argument \ Spring 2011

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What to Include in Your Zine Each group member should contribute her/his public argument essay to the groups zine. However, your group may elect to include supplemental materials appropriate to the purpose and audience of the zine (e.g., poems, visuals, posters, announcements for relevant public events, recipes, games, artwork, etc.). Working Together I argue that working well with others is not just a necessity; its an opportunityfor invention, creativity, and action. Though you will work individually to compose your public argument essays, a significant portion of your grade for this assignment will be determined by the nature of your participation in group activities. Specifically, I will use self-assessments and group member assessments to evaluate how well you: Worked with your group members to develop the theme, focus, and purpose of your zine; Worked with your group members to design and assemble the zine; Met all the goals and benchmarks established by your group; And did your fair share of the work. Deliverables In class on April 16, your group will deliver a final draft of your zine for evaluation. Additionally, each group will prepare a brief 8-10 minute (maximum!) informal presentation to be delivered in class on April 16. In your presentation, your group should help the class understand: The purpose of your zine; The reasons informing your design choices; The challenges you facedas writers, designers, team members, and rhetors; And the joys you experiencedas writers, designers, team members, and rhetors.

Evaluation How Will I Be Graded For All This Work?!

Your grade for Essay #3 will be determined according to this table: What You Turn In Individually written public argument essay Collaboratively written zine group proposal Collaboratively designed and produced zine Assessment of individual participation in the group project How Its Graded Each group member receives her/his own grade Group members receive the same grade Group members receive the same grade Each group member receives her/his own grade Total # of Possible Points for Essay #3 # Possible Points 50 points 10 points 30 points 10 points 100 points

Londie Martin \ First-Year Writing II: Rhetorical Analysis and Argument \ Spring 2011

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