Learning Goal: I’m working on a english writing question and need support to help me learn.

Your first step will be to choose a particular controversy within your theme/topic that you believe is ripe for such an analysis. The key will be to find a topic that you are already quite knowledgeable about and that you believe demonstrates rhetorical concepts that you are. comfortable in explicating. Once you have chosen your approach, you will need to have it approved by me; while I am open to controversy, I do reserve the right to veto any topic that I believe may cause significant issues. That being said, I will do my best not to censor you in anyway.

After you have chosen an approach, you will need to select artifacts from the various perspectives on the issue to demonstrate your points. It is not enough to claim how each side uses liaisons to their advantage—you need to show your readers this through analysis of artifacts (e.g. speeches, essays, articles, interviews, visual imagery, film clips, podcasts, etc.). Make sure you can back up your claims with actual evidence! You will probably only want one to two artifacts (probably one a piece) for each perspective; furthermore, it usually works best if both artifacts are of the same medium and/or genre (e.g. speech compared to speech, essay compared to essay, podcast compared to podcast, etc.).

Next, you will need to decide which rhetorical theories and concepts you will discuss. You may choose to address the manner in which the various sides of the debate employ ethos, pathos, and logos; you could examine how different sides create liaisons and what assumptions of the audience(s) drive these liaisons; you could demonstrate how various rhetors make certain aspects of the issue more salient (or present) for the audience(s); you may choose to focus on where the presumption lies in the debate and how the side opposite the presumption attempts to shift the burden of proof; you could address epistemological differences in the types of evidence each side presents. The possibilities are endless, yet you should discuss at least two of the theories we have discussed in class.