RHET 1311.

08/10

Williams

Project I Exploration of Genre

Draft 1 Due: February 4, 2013 Final Due: February 11, 2013

What is Genre? Over the course of this semester, we have learned that genre is defined as categories or subcategories that have specific conventions and share a common purpose. How is this relevant to my life? Genre is one of the most important factors of the rhetorical choices that you make as a writer. Failing to meet the genre expectations will result in failing to reach the appropriate audience. What will I need to know to complete this assignment? Material covered in chapters 1, 3, 4, 8, 18, and 20 How to make appropriate rhetorical choices

This assignment will help me understand the following WPA outcomes:

Rhetorical Knowledge Focus on a purpose Respond to the needs of an audience Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation Understand how genres shape reading and writing Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing Understand a writing assignment as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources Processes Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text Learn to critique their own and others' works Knowledge of Conventions Learn common formats for different kinds of texts Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling Composing in Electronic Environments Use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts

RHET 1311.08/10

Williams

Instructions: For your first assignment, you will write a movie review. You will choose a movie genre and two movies of the genre one that fails and one that succeeds at meeting the qualifications. You will write one review in the writing genre of a newspaper article (print) and the other review in an online movie review genre. The Rhetorical Situation The Office of Campus Life has decided to hold themed movie nights in the Donaghey Student Center. Each week, they will choose films from different categories. They have asked you, as a member of The Forum, to present your choice of movies. They will decide between the choices of you and your colleagues (members of this class) which movies will be shown and in what UALR publication will the reviews appear. Be sure to consider the components of the rhetorical situation as your write.

Subject: whichever movie genre you choose Occasion: a segment in The Forum newspaper, the UALR movie review site and a
feature by campus life

Audience: students of UALR who will be attending campus life movie nights Purpose: to inform UALR members of the category and to persuade campus life to
select your choices

Speaker: You, as a writer for the UALR Forum newspaper staff

Requirements: Each movie review should be between 300-600 words depending on your writing genre choice for that review. Most likely, one review will be 300 words and one will be 600 words. Each review must incorporate at least one attention-getting, relevant image from the movie. You will submit a first and final draft. Deadlines: Monday, January 28, 2013: Choose your movie genre. Create qualifications within your group. Decide which two movies you will review. HMWK: Read Ch. 18 on Document Design to decide on design of articles.

RHET 1311.08/10

Williams

Wednesday, January 30, 2013: Decide which two movies you will use. HMWK: 1 positive and 1 negative movie review written in different genres. Friday, February 1, 2013: Dissect movie reviews. Work on first drafts in class. HMWK: Read Ch. 4 on peer revision. Monday, February 4, 2013: Peer Review Day 1st Draft Due, Bring four copies of your paper. HMWK: Read Ch. 20 for editing your work. Begin editing your draft. Wednesday, February 6, 2013: Bring one copy of draft to class. HMWK: Edit your work. Friday, February 8, 2013: Bring one copy of draft to class. HMWK: Edit your work. Monday, February 11, 2013: Bring your final draft to class for project questions reflection. Submit final e-copy by 11:59pm via BB drop box. Part One (Collaborative) 1. Write a list of your top five movies of all time. List each movies category (genre). 2. Choose, from your list, a movie category (horror, action) that you are familiar with, preferably your favorite. You may choose one of the following: action & adventure, drama, horror, comedy, or romance. 3. Write down what qualifications make up this genre. This is based on YOUR personal opinion. For example, if its horror, does it have to make you feel goosebumps? Or if its a thriller, should you jump out of your seat? Dont simply say, It has to be funny. What makes something funny to you? What type of humor do you like? If something is scary, what makes it scary? Is it gory? Or is that tasteless and not scary at all to you? 4. Once you are placed in groups, discuss which qualifications make up your category. Use your phones, tablets, laptops to find qualifications. You will write your review from your group consensus of qualifications of the genre. 5. As a group, answer the following questions: What are the conventions of your movie genre? Who attends/rents/watches this type of movie? What does an audience expect to experience/feel/learn/see from this genre?

Part Two (Individual) 6. Select two movies that you have already seen and have access to (dvd, Netflix) in your chosen genreone (1) that is successful at fulfilling the genre qualifications (think of the top 5 list) and one (1) that fails. You may NOT choose any movies that someone in your group has already selected.

RHET 1311.08/10

Williams

7. Write a movie review about each of the movies. Each review will be between 300-600 words depending on your writing genre. Include how each movie meets or fails to meet the group qualification and the four essentials elements of film reviews. 8. Remember, your research should help you create your qualifications but this is not primarily research-based. This should be mostly your opinion backed with evidence from the movie. *Remember, struggles and epiphanies along the way make excellent process journals. Resources The website of the movies you are researching. The information will be slightly biased but has good information about the cast and production. http://www.imdb.com/ Internet Movie Database provides catalogues on information about current movies including biographies of filmmakers and casts, movie trivia, information about the locations, and relevant anecdotes about making the movies.

Please keep in mind the following policies while completing this assignment. Public Nature of the Classroom: Please consider all writing for this class to be "public. Part of becoming an effective writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and feedback of others; in this course, our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that all students will be expected to share writing with others. Avoid writing about topics that you wish to keep private or that you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to the perspectives of others. Additionally, the feedback that is provided is intended to help improve your writing; be open to the suggestions about your writing. Academic Integrity Statement: College and University regulations regarding academic dishonesty, as set forth in the UALR student handbook and other University documents and publications, will be strictly enforced in this class. Any student who submits work that he/she did not produce for the given assignment will be assigned a grade of zero points (F) for the assignment in question, and may possibly fail the class. In accordance with Section VI: Statement of Student Behavior, under the code of student rights, responsibilities, and behavior, the university defines academic dishonesty under the classifications of cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and duplicity. Cheating and blatant plagiarism in this class can result in disciplinary sanction. EXAMPLES of PLAGIARISM: Copying from a Source without the use of Quotation Marks Failure to Acknowledge all Quoted Material Paraphrasing without Documentation Paraphrasing with incomplete Documentation Copying Papers off the Internet, INCLUDING Websites set up for this purpose.