Now that you have extensively researched an issue, your task is to advocate for some kind of change—a change in belief, in practice, or in policy. Drawing from the research you conducted for Project 2, you will aim to persuade particular communities to support or enact your vision for change. Because almost no problem is solved by a single text, you will create an Advocacy Campaign consisting of three documents you will compose to target multiple audiences and persuade through written and non-written genres.
Of the three documents you create, one is an opinion piece and the other is a visual or audio advocacy document. These are actual genres of communication that exist out in the world, and as such, you should select a publication, venue, or location that you envision encountering these documents (different for both documents).
Ask yourself:
Where would I want to see my opinion piece published? What publications will help me meet my purpose and ideal audience?
Where might I encounter my visual or audio advocacy document out and about in the world? What locations does my ideal audience frequent?
How do I curate my document for the audience of a specific publication, location, or venue? What are the submission guidelines (if any)?
This goes beyond choosing the right genre, but also where that genre would be experienced out in the world. You are not being asked to actually publish these documents with the publication, venue, or location of your choice, but you should compose with this in mind, striving to meet the expectations and conventions of the genre and your chosen location of publication.
Options for Opinion Pieces:
https://thenevadaindependent.com/editorial-policies (see section: “Opinion—editorials” about halfway down the page)
– https://nevadasagebrush.com/category/opinion/
https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014809107
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/op-ed-writing-guide-washington-post-examples/
https://www.latimes.com/oe-howtosubmitoped-story.html
choose from this list (https://www.theopedproject.org/submissions)of publications that accept opinion essay submissions
or find a publication of your choosing that specializes in a subject related to your project and publishes opinion essays (such as, a gaming magazine, a blog on women’s health, a website on wildlife and rangeland conservation, etc.)
Options for Visual/Audio Advocacy Document:
Physical locations where your audience might encounter your project: a shopping center, a highway billboard, a bus or metro station, the lobby of a doctor’s office, a community group, etc.
Specific social media pages and channels on: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.
Blogs, websites, journals, magazines, etc. that are specific to your subject
https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/6031274660116
Requirements
Your Multigenre Advocacy Campaign must include the following:
An Opinion Piece that presents your view on your topic to a public audience in 500+ words (be sure to also review your chosen publication’s guidelines).
For guidance on writing opinion pieces, you might utilize The Learning Agency’s “How to Write an Op-Ed: A Step By Step Guide” and/or The Op-Ed’s “Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks”
Visual or audio advocacy document(s). This component involves transforming your argument into another form that includes a different modality, such as a brochure, photo essay, video, or podcast. Note: The visual/audio document(s) can and, in most cases, will include writing. You should select a genre(s) appropriate to your situation. Who do you want to reach? What genre will allow you to reach them? What genre will allow you to make your argument most compellingly?
A Reflective Essay. This 700+ word essay has two parts (each part should have multiple paragraphs):
Part 1 (Rhetorical Choices): Describe the rhetorical situation of your campaign. What are you hoping to achieve? What audience are you trying to reach? What genres did you select, and why? Which publications, venues, or locations do you envision your opinion piece and visual or audio advocacy document being published in (this should reflect your choice of audience)? What main persuasive strategies did you use, and why did you choose those strategies over others? What are you most proud of and what do you still wish you could improve on if you had more time to revise?
Part 2 (Progress towards Student Learning Outcomes): discusses, with specific examples from your writing and process, how this project has helped you progress towards the following Student Learning Outcomes: (4) Produce coherent, well-supported arguments in different modalities in response to an ongoing public conversation; and (5) Create purpose-driven texts in different modalities that respond to a variety of rhetorical situations and anticipate and adapt to the needs of different readers. (note: the current samples don’t include Part 2, so keep that in mind when using the samples as a model.)
Submission
Complete steps 1–4 from above and combine them into a single document (if possible). Submit the assignment as a pdf, doc, or docx file.
