Wired essay project

logistics

grading
points possible: 100
weight:  15% of final grade

due dates
option 1: draft, march 10/revision, march 29
option 2: draft, march 22/ revision, april 19

length
5-6 double-spaced pages submitted in manuscript format (Times New Roman, 12 point with one-inch margins) You may include related images such as photos, charts, graphs, and diagrams.

sources
at least four sources. These could be your assigned book plus the three additional sources used in your presentation. Most likely, you will need to do more independent research because the argument you will make in your paper naturally will differ in some ways from the one you made with your group in the presentation.

citation style
you will include a bibliography for me in MLA or APA format. However, because this is a magazine article, your in-text citations should follow that format and not an academic one. Read articles in the magazine and on the website to see how authors cite their sources. You will publish your article as part of your portfolio for your final web project, so in that version, you can link directly to web sources. For this project, cite your sources as if the article were published in the print version of the magazine. The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Center) has a wonderful section on conducting research and citing sources.

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overview

You are writing this essay to be published in a magazine or website such as Wired. Your general audience has at least some college education and is interested in computer technology and the internet. You should assume they own a computer and have high-speed internet access. Most also own one or more portable computing devices such as a smart phone or netbook. Economically your audience is at least middle class and predominantly white and male. These are audience statistics only. You can make guesses about this demographic’s values, but they would be just that—guesses. The best way to determine reader values and interests is to look at the articles the magazine and website publishes. What topics come up repeatedly and what positions do the authors and editors take on them?

This is an argumentative essay. As in the TED Talk, you will be presenting your position on your chosen topic and supporting it with examples and evidence from your sources. Please refer to the design plan handout and presentation for information on ethos, pathos, and logos including details on types of logical arguments.

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deliverables

on draft date

  • your design plan. Before drafting your essay, write up a design plan that will guide you. You may need to modify your design plan as you draft because your ideas will evolve through the act of writing. (see the end of this page for the list of design plan components.)
  • a complete draft of your essay with a bibliography page submitted electronically in the Writing Studio dropbox. Your essay is still in-progress at this stage, but it should be a first attempt at a complete argument and be at least four pages in length.
  • a brief (no more than one page) list of areas of concern that you would like me to comment on when I read your draft. This list can cover a wide range of issues from “I don’t think that I have provided sufficient evidence to support such and such a point” to “I don’t think I am using commas correctly.”

on revision date

  • your design plan (this can be the same document you submitted at the draft stage if you didn’t change anything)
  • your revised essay with a bibliography page submitted electronically in the Writing Studio dropbox.
  • a two-page (double-spaced) reflective analysis explaining how your essay meets the needs of your statement of purpose as stated in your design plan. For example, explain why you chose particular ethical, emotional, and/or logical lines of argument; if you included images, what function do they serve in your argument; how and why did your choose your outside sources?

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design plan components

First you craft a Statement of Purpose (SOP) that defines your:

  • purpose
  • audience
  • context

At the end of the SOP your group should state its thesis or the claim that you will be arguing for in your presentation.

Next the design plan should outline how you will carry out your SOP:

  • What production strategies will you use and how? (ethos, logos, pathos)
  • What mediums and modes of communication will you use? (this section should include a discussion and images you use in addition to the alphabetic text)
  • What forms of arrangement will you use in both your verbal and visual materials?

Please refer to the design plan handout and presentation when preparing your design plan.

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