WRITING PROJECT 2: INQUIRY

DUE APRIL 2nd

AUDIENCE:

This writing project is geared toward an academic audience. As part of this project, you will create a web space with a Digication e-portfolio. Please see the additional considerations at the end of this assignment for privacy concerns.

INQUIRY ESSAY:

The inquiry essay invites writers to pay close attention to details, and to consider those details in a rhetorical comparison to brief excerpts from “Spring” (paragraphs 3 and 15: (http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden17.html), a chapter from Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1854). These excerpts were chosen because they provide an excellent example of thick description and details for a specific rhetorical situation. Then, you are invited to write an Inquiry Essay of 1500-2000 words based on 1 of the following prompts:

1)    Describe and analyze a place for which you have a strong sense of connection. Observe your place more than once, at different times of the day, on different days of the week. Gather as many details as possible. What rhetorical similarities do you notice to Thoreau’s “Spring”? Why?

2)    Summarize and analyze a movie, song, or chapter from a book with which you have a strong sense of connection. Gather as many details as possible. What rhetorical similarities do you notice to “Thoreau” “Spring”?

3)    Review and analyze a speech from Martin Luther King or Robert F. Kennedy from the list of readings for Project 1. Gather as many details as possible. What rhetorical similarities do you notice to Thoreau’s “Spring”? Why?

Suggestions for Organizing The Essay

• Process: How and why you chose your topic.
• Detailed Inquiry: Close reading of the place or text you chose.
• Rhetorical Significance:  Rhetorical similarities to Thoreau’s “Spring.”

BUILDING A WEB SPACE:

Your web space should be built on Digication and should include the following pages:

1. Inquiry Essay: Described above.
2. Works Cited: The works cited page includes an alphabetical listing of each source that you included in your essay and as part of your multimedia page. All sources should be listed in MLA style. You need at least 3-5 sources.
3. Multimedia: Photographs, videos, sound clouds, drawings, diagrams, maps, and other multimedia relevant to your place or text.   
4. Reflection: Reflect on what you learned about writing from Project 2, how you know you learned it, and why your learning was significant. (200-350 words)
5. About the Writer: This page describes your ethos as a writer. What background and experiences do you bring to your writing? Does your course work or major have relevance to your ethos? Do your experiences in the arts and humanities, in business, or in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics add ethos? Do jobs, internships, or volunteer positions help to create ethos? What else would help to build your ethos as a writer?

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Project 2 Writing Goals:

• Reading closely to gather significant details
• Drawing connections between different media
• Analyzing rhetorical features

Selection of Place: Please be mindful in your choice of text or place, and carefully consider the rights and responsibilities of writing for the Internet. Sacred places or texts, place or texts that hold deeply private significance for you or others, or places that would expose you or others to unwanted public attention may not be appropriate for this assignment. Would you publish this place or text on public social media, for example? If not, then you probably would not want to choose this place or text for your assignment.

Privacy Notice: You have the option to make your Digication web space private. See the reading assignment for Week 7, and see me ASAP if you have questions or concerns.

Celebration of Writing: If you choose, your e-portfolio can be nominated for ASU Writing Programs’ “Celebration of Writing in Digital Spaces,” a showcase of Writing Programs students’ and teachers electronic portfolios.