Rhetorical Comparison Paper
Start Assignment
Due Jun 30 by 11:59pm
Points 100
Submitting a file upload
File Types doc and docx
Overview
The largest paper we will write in this course is a 1800-word long article (referred to in this class as the “Argument Paper”), which could be published in either an academic journal or in a professional magazine. For this paper, you will imitate the writing conventions of your chosen publication. Before you can do this, you obviously have to fully understand those conventions: the style of writing being employed, the rhetorical choices being made, and the topics being covered. These stylistic and rhetorical conventions will vary from the academic journal to the professional magazine. In order to make an informed decision about which type of publication you will write the article for, you will formally compare the two in a Rhetorical Comparison Paper.
To begin, you will review the common writing styles and conventions evident in both publications. Then, you will make a claim regarding the similarities and the differences in their styles; this claim will be the thesis for your Rhetorical Comp Paper. You will support your claim with a thorough analysis of each publication’s style with examples and evidence drawn from multiple articles from both the academic journal and the professional magazine.
Steps
Find an academic journal in your field of study using KCC’s databases. Make sure it is peer reviewed.
Find a professional magazine in your field of study online. Make sure it is a professional publication.
For each publication, you must complete the following steps:
Read three articles from each
Analyze the writing (or stylistic) conventions of the articles – tone, diction, organization, sentence structure
Analyze the rhetorical conventions of the articles – use of rhetorical tools and strategies, use of rhetorical appeals
Develop a claim regarding the similarities and the differences in the conventions
Write the Rhetorical Comparison Paper using support from multiple articles in each publication
The Minimum Requirements for the Rhetorical Comparison Paper
You are required to write at least 1500 words. You may not write over 2100 words for this assignment. Please note that works cited/reference pages do not count toward minimum length requirements and block quotes (quotes of four lines of text or longer) may not be used in papers for this class without my prior permission.
You are required to select both one academic journal AND one professional magazine from the same discipline or profession to analyze.
You are required to read at least 3 articles from each of the 2 publications you’ve selected (for a total of 6 articles) and use specific examples from these articles to support your analysis of the publications’ writing styles and conventions. These 6 articles will count as the 6 required sources for this paper; if you want to use additional sources, however, you are free to do so.
Required Outline
Introduction: Be sure to introduce both publications in your introduction. Name the publication and briefly summarize the purpose of the publication – you may have to research this and cite your sources (probably the About page). Do not name all of the articles you will be using to back up your claims as to style. Conclude this section with your claim about their typical writing styles.
The Academic Journal: Open the section with a brief explanation of the audience for the publication. Write your body paragraphs wherein you analyze specific conventions (at least 3-4 specific features should be analyzed, each in its own well-developed paragraph). Be sure to explain how those stylistic features are appropriate for the publication’s intended audience (discourse community). What effects do you think these stylistic features have on readers and why? How do these style choices support the purpose of this publication?
The Professional Magazine: Open the section with a brief explanation of the audience for the publication. Write your body paragraphs wherein you analyze specific conventions (at least 3-4 specific features should be analyzed, each in its own well-developed paragraph). Be sure to explain how those stylistic features are appropriate for the publication’s intended audience (discourse community). What effects do you think these stylistic features have on readers and why? How do these style choices support the purpose of this publication?
Conclusion: This may include brief final reflections on the two publications’ styles, their similarities and their differences. Do not summarize what you have already said in the paper. Be sure to also make some conclusions about which type of style you’d prefer practicing/imitating further as you write the WID paper later in the semester. Do you think it would be more beneficial for you to practice writing as a professional in your field for an academic journal or for a professional magazine?
Note: I want to emphasize that the body paragraphs in this paper need to be organized around the specific stylistic choices that you’re analyzing, not the individual articles that you’re referencing as examples. The focus should be on the style choice, not the articles themselves.
Note on Headings:
Please use the bolded headings above in your paper itself to aid your reader as they read the paper. Think of the above numbered headings as SECTIONS of your PAPER not paragraphs in the paper. You will definitely have more than one paragraph for numbers 2 and 3 and you will may have more than one paragraph for numbers 1 and 4.
Notes on writing your introduction
Here are some of the questions you might try to answer when introducing your 2 chosen publications and their discourse communities (each one’s sponsoring organization/publisher, readership, scope, aim, etc.):
What organization publishes the journal/magazine?
Who belongs to this organization or who does this organization serve?
What is that organization’s purpose/mission statement?
What overall purpose does the publication (the actual journal/magazine) serve? How does the publication want to affect or change the reader?
Tell me about average lengths, or ranges of lengths: How many articles are in a typical issue of the journal? On average, how long are the articles (average page count)?
What are some of the topics covered in the journal? (Skim through a few issues and look at the article titles to get a sense of this.)
Who subscribes to this publication? Who is the target audience? (Be specific! Not just “professionals”!) How did you determine that?
These questions are intended to help you get started with introducing your 2 chosen publications and their discourse communities; however, you’re not necessarily required to answer all of these questions in your paper. Furthermore, there may be additional points you wish to make about your chosen publications that I don’t mention here, which is fine too.
Academic Dishonesty
As with all assignments in this course, any instance of cheating will result in zero points on the assignment. Instances of intentional cheating, as determined by the instructor – may result in failing the course and being reported to the college. Cheating includes copying from online or print sources, using another person’s paper or part of a paper, using AI to write all or part of your paper, failing to cite sources in text and/or on a works cited page, or using a paper you have written for another class, among others. For the full Academic Dishonesty policy, see the Course Syllabus.
SimCheck (Turnitin)
This dropbox uses SimCheck (Turnitin) to check your work for language highly similar to that found online and within other student paper submissions. This program also detects the use of AI to generate papers.
You’ll be able to access the Similarity Report very soon after submitting your paper, so you’ll be able to see the same report that I will. I use these similarity reports to make sure that students are appropriately indicating any direct quotes (by means of quotation marks) and correctly citing outsides sources used in the paper.
You can visit the Turnitin website for more information on SimCheck (including instructions on how to access and interpret your Similarity Score).
Submission Requirements
Submit your final Article Analysis Paper (as a Word document file) to this dropbox by the due date. Make sure you are meeting the Minimum Requirements for Grading prior to submission.
Rubric
Rhetorical Comparison Paper Rubric
Rhetorical Comparison Paper Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroductory section
The introduction contains the necessary info to prepare readers for the paper, including a clear introduction to both publications (their titles, purposes, discourse communities, etc.) and the student’s claim regarding the publications’ writing styles.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAcademic Journal section
This section of the paper analyzes at least 3 specific stylistic qualities/features that are part of the journal’s typical writing style; the analysis is well-developed, using textual examples from at least three articles published in the journal and clear explanations. The student discusses the impact of the style choices on the journal’s readers. The paragraphs in this section are well-focused and demonstrate depth of thought (the student’s ideas are insightful, original, relevant, etc.).
20 to >17.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
17 to >14.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
14 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProfessional Magazine section
This section of the paper analyzes at least 3 specific stylistic qualities/features that are part of the magazine’s typical writing style; the analysis is well-developed, using textual examples from at least three articles published in the magazine and clear explanations. The student discusses the impact of the style choices on the magazine’s readers. The paragraphs in this section are well-focused and demonstrate depth of thought (the student’s ideas are insightful, original, relevant, etc.).
20 to >17.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
17 to >14.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
14 to >0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
Significant problems are present
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConclusion section
The final section of the paper includes the student’s final thoughts on the similarities and differences between the two publications (if this hasn’t already occurred in the body of the paper). The student clearly identifies which publication (s)he plans to write for in the WID paper and explains this choice in some detail.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSource incorporation
The student smoothly and appropriately integrates source material into his/her own writing and avoids dropped (standalone) quotes.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIn-Text Citations
The student appropriately provides in-text citations as needed, correctly following either MLA or APA citation guidelines.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting style
The student’s own writing style is appropriate and engaging in its tone and voice. The writing exhibits sentence fluency for ease of reading. The editing is strong in terms of grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEnd Citations
The student appropriately provides end citations for each source used in the paper, correctly following the guidelines for either a MLA works cited page or an APA reference page.
10 to >8.0 pts
Weaknesses are few to none
8 to >6.0 pts
Multiple weaknesses but minimum requirements are met
6 to >0 pts
Significant problems are present
10 pts
Total Points: 100
