Analysis of Rhetorical Structure

Tips for completing the best possible journal entry so that you can reuse it as part of your Research a Current Debate Essay

Assignment Description

This entry will offer an analysis of one or more of the articles you will use for your Research a Current Debate essay. It is to be a 400+ word essay in itself that includes: a brief summary of the text, an overview of its rhetorical structure, and a clear interpretation or judgment on the efficacy of that structure. It will NOT include your personal opinion or viewpoint on the content. These elements should be well balanced – the summary should be minimal and more words should be dedicated to the overview of rhetorical structure and interpretation or judgment. This entry should not use first person pronouns. The only source that must be used and cited APA style at the end is the text being analyzed, though you are welcome to include other sources if you wish.

Presentation Map

• Slides 4-8 provide a more detailed description of the assignment reviewing what each paragraph of the essay-style entry must contain.

• Slides 9-17 explain how the essay-style entry requirements differ depending on whether you are analyzing one or more than one article

Introduction: summary

Include a brief summary of the text. This should be in your introduction or in a “background” paragraph immediately following your introduction. It should take about 3 sentences.

Thesis

The final judgment (see slide 7) should be your THESIS, with the rest of essay serving to support and defend that judgment.

Body ¶s: Analysis

This is the body of the essay and will include analysis of the elements of rhetoric in the article(s). It should quote the authors often, in very brief bits, noting language, tone, and other details.

Conclusion: judgment

It will NOT include your personal opinion or viewpoint on the content – you are only assessing the quality of the argument(s) presented to you. Consequently, this essay should not use first person pronouns.

FormattingThis essay should use APA style parenthetical in-text citations.

The only source that must be used and cited APA style at the end is the text being analyzed, though you are welcome to include other sources if you wish.

Topic?Are you writing about one of the essays, or a few?

If one, you will focus on all aspects of its rhetorical structure

If more than one, you will compare one aspect of rhetorical structure present in each

If one, your introduction will include answers to the

following…What is your writer’s central claim?

What is his/her major premise?

What are some minor premises?

If one, your thesis will include answers to the

following…Is your writer’s conclusion valid based on the quality of his argument?

What, if any, limitations are there to this validity?

If one, your entry will include answers to the

following…

What data does your writer use?

What what other facts?

What concepts?

If one, your entry might include answers to the

following…

What assumptions does your writer make?

What what is his/her frame of reference?

If you compare more than one article, your

introduction will include answers to the following…

Which aspects of the writers’ arguments interest you the most:

The data and facts chosen by each?

The frame of reference chosen by each?

The concepts (laws, theories… etc.) chosen by each?

If you compare more than one article, your thesis will include an answer to ONE

of the following…Which author is better at using:

The data and facts?

The frame of reference?

The concepts (laws, theories… etc.)?

If you compare more than one article, your entry will include answers to ONE of

the following…What are the similarities in the way the author uses:

The data and facts?

The frame of reference?

The concepts (laws, theories… etc.)?

If you compare more than one article, your entry will include answers to ONE of

the following…What are the differences in the way the author uses:

The data and facts?

The frame of reference?

The concepts (laws, theories… etc.)?