FSEM 1111-60

Project Three: Collaborative Project

15 pages in two parts, plus a presentation
At least 6 sources
MLA Citation

By design, the class has not adequately or fully discussed all moments of
“change” in the history of the US that led up to the “Yes We Can” message.
Your job for this final project will be to research, discuss, and analyze as a
group a particular moment of change, its cultural and historical context, and
the successful and unsuccessful rhetorical strategies used by people who
participated in this moment. In addition, tie your rhetorical analysis of the
moment of change you select back into one other moment of change
discussed in the class, and create an argument that identifies how the
moment of change you’ve researched influences the rhetorical messages
and arguments we’re receiving today.

In choosing your topic, you have two options. You may:

1) Pursue with more depth a moment of change already covered in the
class, but with more detail. For example, you might discuss the
March on Washington as a day of change rather than discuss Civil
Rights more broadly speaking, and tie this to discussions of civil
rights today. Or you might discuss Timothy Leary’s League for
Spiritual Discovery as a component of youth counter-culture, and tie
this to perceptions of youth culture today.
2) Pursue a moment of change NOT covered in the course materials.
For example, you might discuss some aspect of the Suffrage
Movement, Stonewall, or go farther back in American history and
discuss the kinds of political and social freedoms espoused by our
founding fathers. Then tie this to rhetorical arguments for change
as you see them today, perhaps even in “Yes We Can.”

These projects will use both primary research (in terms of the historical texts
created during moments of change) and secondary research (in terms of
academic texts written about this moment) to conduct your analysis and
interpretation of the rhetorical moves made, by whom, why these moments
did or did not bring about change, and their influence on rhetorical messages
of today’s political realms. What are the primary rhetorical moves made,
and on what grounds, that made this moment of change successful or
unsuccessful? Why? Apply your knowledge of rhetoric in describing and
historicizing the moment of change your group has selected, and tie these
into a discussion of one or more of the texts we’ve discussed this term.

This project will have three components. Two of these components will be
written, and one will require a visual/aural presentation method of your
choosing:
 Part One: Final Collaborative Project Proposal (3 pages):
In a three-part document, propose your group’s chosen moment of
change to research and examine for your final project. First, provide
an “Abstract” of your project. In no more than 150 words, summarize
your chosen topic, your particular claim about the rhetorical strategies
that made this change persuasive, and how this ties in with other
rhetorics for change we’ve discussed. In Part 2, summarize your
group’s plan for writing a 12-page paper about the moment of change
you’ve chosen. Discuss how you decided on your topic, what primary
texts you’ve chosen to illustrate your topic, and what credible,
academic secondary sources you’ll search for to help you understand
the rhetorical moves made during your moment and by particular
parties involved. In Part 3, discuss your plan to revise your paper to
present your arguments and information textually/visually and orally to
an audience of scholars.

Part Two: Final Collaborative Project (12 pages, MLA citation):

Seems fairly straightforward, but in Part Two, your group will work
together to write a 12-15 page analysis of the moment of change you
researched. In this written portion, analyze the moment of change you
proposed in Part One, provide your readers with its cultural and
historical context, and the successful and/or unsuccessful rhetorical
strategies used by people who participated in this moment. In
addition, tie your rhetorical analysis of the moment of change you
select into one other moment of change discussed in the class, and
create an argument that identifies how the moment of change you’ve
researched influences the rhetorical messages and arguments we’re
receiving today. Expect to share this written portion with the class as a
part of peer workshopping.

Part Three: Presentation

Not only will your group be charged with the writing components of
this project, but your group will also revise your written component as
a presentation of research and arguments in a multi-media project,
using a combination of textual, visual, and verbal forms to present
your work in Power Point, online, or in audio/video fashion. Be creative.
Create a video documentary of your research; an audio essay of some
kind that presents your argument; use a combination of video and
audio; create a website, blog or other online form; or a series of
brochures or fliers that help your audience understand the issue as
you’ve analyzed it. We’ll set aside time at the end of the quarter for
small groups to present this work to the whole group.

These projects will be collaboratively written and presented. We’ll assign

groups early on in the process, and your first task as a group will be to write
a group contract (see document attached under Assignments) to determine
how you will work best as a group to:
1) Conduct research on the chosen topic,
2) Write a seamless collaborative text, or what roles in terms of research,
writing, and revision each group member will play;
3) Determine what your group will do in case of group conflicts,
4) Choose one of the following two options for being evaluated for this
project. These are: A) Everyone receives the same grade on both the
evaluated final paper and presentation of your research, or B)
Everyone receives a different grade on the final project, which will be a
grade averaged between the final project grade and grades received
from the other members of the group.

Your Project Will be Graded On:

• How the project shows an understanding of concepts of rhetoric as
we’ve read and discussed them throughout the term,
• How the project applies these rhetorical principals and concepts
learned in discussion toward the creation of an in-depth analysis of
primary text or texts,
• The level and depth of your analysis texts using these rhetorical
principals,
• How you use research to contextualize and analyze the moment of
change you’ve identified, and how you create an argument that applies
this to contemporary political messages,
• The rhetorical effectiveness of your presentation and how you present
your information in mediums other than alphabetical,
• How the project utilizes peer feedback to create a polished and
finished product
• The overall project’s effectiveness in delivery, including arguments
made, use of evidence, and the effectiveness of prose

Due Dates:
Collaborative Proposal Due 11/3
Rough Draft of Part Two Due 11/10
Final Draft and Presentation Due 11/17