Example Assignments:
- Multimodal Meta-media Argument (1000 words, 175 pts) This is a group assignment that we will complete in pairs (with one group of three if necessary), and everyone will be responsible for 1000 words separately (you can let me know who wrote which section). Choose one of the following options for your multimodal argument:
- The Persuasive Video Podcast (video script – about 800 words, media statement – about 150-200 words): With your partner, record a Zoom session structured like a video podcast (we will discuss examples of video podcasts in class). Make a collaborative argument, with a thesis statement, about media (a show on Netflix, a YouTube channel, a recent film, etc.). You might argue about the different layers of communication in your media (how the sound is working in conjunction with the visual, or even how they aren’t working well together). Analyze the audiovisual rhetoric of the media you’re working with, making an evaluative argument. You might imagine this is one episode out of a series where you do something like this in each episode. You may also decide to use humor for your video podcast, but just be sure to stay persuasive as well. Keep it specific, rather than general, because you should plan on using about 1000 words on your script and saving the final 150-200 words for a brief statement about how you were able to make your argument multimodal and why you decided to use certain features like audio jingles or clips from the media you’re discussing. Tell me briefly, why you feel that your argument is effective.
- The Public Service Announcement (video script – about 150-500 words, media statement – the remaining words to reach 1000 total): Make a short (2-6 minutes) persuasive video about something that should be changed or something that people should be aware of today. You might decide to take a humorous stance with this, but if you do so, it should still be persuasive. Consider your audience and how you will meet the demands of your audience by your use of rhetorical appeals. In your media statement, describe the process of making the announcement and the choices you made in order to cater to the audience you were targeting. Also describe why you feel this media format is effective at making an argument to this targeted audience. How were you able to communicate in multiple ways beyond the actual verbal communication you presented—how is your argument multimodal and why is that significant for your audience? What was the editing process for the video and how does it contribute to the rhetoric/rhetorical appeal of the video?
- Imagetext Argument (divide the 1000 total words between the image-text argument and a media statement – you’ll likely have more words for the media statement): Imagetext is the term for a category of visual-verbal media first used by W.J.T Mitchell to describe how text and images are read and seen in complex and reflexive ecologies. To make your imagetext argument, you might draw small comics panels with characters and speech bubbles, or you may make a found image collage using images found on Google (keep the URL for your images and submit them in the media statement). You may decide to make a Zine with your partner and take photographs of your Zine for your submission. I’m open to any kind of argument that you would like to make in this format (something you’d like to see changed in today’s word, an argument about media or even about the relationship between text and images or about the lack of sound), but be sure to keep a target audience in mind. You may decide to use humor, but again, please remain persuasive. In the media statement, discuss who the target audience of your imagetext argument is and how you feel this imagetext media format is particularly well-suited for this audience. Explain the choices you made in making this media format, how you feel it was particularly effective as a form of communication, what its shortcomings might be, and/or how you might revise this for a second attempt or second version. Discuss the lack of sound communication in your imagetext argument as well.
Professional Correspondence (450 words): Using professional correspondence style, send a hypothetical “letter from a nut” to an actual company or organization. Feel free to create any outlandish scenario and/or characters for your letter, just make sure that the content is not inappropriate. Check out Ted L. Nancy’s website for examples.
Letter to a Sponsor (450 words): You work as a technical writer for a production company (think film production, video podcast production, television series production, etc.). You are tasked with sending a letter to a sponsor about either of the following issues:
- Your company accidentally advertised the sponsor’s product or service inappropriately (you can take this in a few different directions—be creative!). Your letter must explain the situation entirely, apologize to the sponsor, and consider how you might use the sponsor’s product or service in your production moving forward. Discuss your company’s policy for working with sponsors and your dedication to working appropriately with their
products and services. - Your company is accepting a sponsorship from a sponsor and needs to write a proposal for how you plan on advertising/using the sponsor’s product or service in your production. Detail an exact procedure of how the product or service will be used, taking into consideration various contextual concerns for use (ie. the script you use to talk about the sponsorship or certain colors used in a film set that are near an advertised product). Discuss your company’s policy for working with sponsors and your dedication to working appropriately with their products and services.
Instruction Manual (1000 words per student): Working in groups of three, students will create an instructional guide within a specific area around campus designed to provide advice or instructions for either the general student body at UF or a specific group of students. The instruction manual will be housed on a website created with Adobe Spark. The website should incorporate multimedia content (images, video, infographics, etc.) where rhetorically appropriate. Each student is responsible for writing the content for their specific section of the website. Although the entire group is responsible for (and should provide input on) all aspects of the assignment, individual students will be assigned specific technical roles.