For this assignment, you are tasked with composing an expository essay on social profiteering/cooptation, with the third body paragraph designated for a rhetorical analysis of the researched material utilized to compose this piece of academic writing. I asked you to read four articles: “How the LGBTQ Pride Month Became a Branded Holiday” by Alex Abad-Santos, “Fight Like an Activist, Not a Consumer” by Edan Zinn, “Corporations and Social Movements: Profitability and Incentives in Corporate Decisions and Social Endorsements” by Sofia Perrin, and “Social Profiteering: How Businesses are Co-opting the Black Lives Matter” by Gabrielle Mills. You were to select one citation from 3 of the four articles, one for each body paragraph. The following is a framework for you to consider in the production of your essay:
Introduction Paragraph – 3 to 4 sentences
– Hook Sentence (choose one type: Definition, Fact, Question, Quote, Statement); any ONE of these to open the essay and introduce the topic
– Transition sentence to bridge the gap between the hook and thesis; I’d prefer this to be a fact sentence since it comes before the thesis statement
– Thesis statement: Please remember, your thesis statement is the most important sentence of the essay because it establishes a claim; your sentence you read like a claim, something you know to be true about social profiteering/cooptation, but with an informative tone, no negative adjectives
Body Paragraph 1 – Explanation of Social Profiteering/Cooptation – 6 to 8 sentences
– Topic sentence
– Textual Evidence; *suggested article: “Social Profiteering: How businesses are co-opting the Black Live Matter movement”
– Explanation of the textual evidence
– Example (PLEASE DO NOT USE EXAMPLES FROM ANY ARTICLE; give a general example without referring to any real corporations)
– Conclusion
– Transition
Body Paragraph 2 – Examples of Social Profiteering and/or Cooptation as done by major corporations and organizations – 8 sentences
– Topic sentence
– Textual Evidence #1 / Corporation or Organization
– Explanation #1
– Example #1
– Textual Evidence #2 / Corporation or Organization
– Explanation #2
– Example #2
– Conclusion / Transition
Body Paragraph 3 – Your rhetorical analysis of the articles read for research – 8 sentences
– Topic sentence
– Textual evidence for chosen article #1
– Explanation of why this article is effective or ineffective
– What knowledge did you gain from this article that you can now apply to the real world? / Example #1
– Textual evidence for chosen article #2
– Explanation of why this article is effective or ineffective
– What knowledge did you gain from the article that you can now apply to the real world? / Example #2
– Conclusion
Conclusion Paragraph – Summarize your discussion – 3 to 4 sentences
– Restate the points you made from body paragraphs 1 – 3
Don’t Forget to…
*Cite at least one source per body paragraph; using a definition is not necessarily a source. The work that is cited should serve to establish the points you are making for a particular paragraph
*Make sure the paper is presented in MLA format
– 12pt font
– Times New Roman font
– Double-spaced with 1-inch margins
– Last name on each page with the page number (top right)
*Works cited page must be in proper MLA format, and each source should include a link and be double-spaced
