Rhetorical Comparison
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Due Tuesday by 11:59pm
Points 30
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Important terminology to understand before reading this assignment:
-Professional Magazines= magazines whose target audience are people who work in a particular profession, trade, or industry. They can usually be accessed by subscription only, but some have free issues offered online. Topics may include current issues, events, and trends in that particular field. Professional magazines often contain regular columns of news and commentary, and sometimes “how to” articles, and valuable, practical advice for practitioners in a given area. Articles are usually written by specialists in the field.
-Professional Magazine article=one single article from a prof magazine.
-Academic Journal=an academic publication written for professionals in a particular field of study. Include more sophisticated, in depth coverage of topics (articles can be up to 50 pages). Authors are professionals, with some of the highest credentials in their fields. Articles go through a rigorous review process by experts in the field before they are selected for publication. Typically come out monthly, have volume and issue numbers.
-Journal article=one single article from a journal.
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Overview
This assignment will expose you to two types of professional sources in your field. You will research and make observations about the similarities and differences between professional magazines and academic journals. To do so, you will first have to find an academic journal in your field; since you already found a professional magazine for our first assignment, you already have that. You can access some journals online and also through KCC databases.
You must read 3 articles from the professional magazine and 3 from the academic journal before making your observations. Then, you will develop a claim regarding the similarities and the differences and ultimately write your paper to defend this claim using support from all of these articles.
Specifics (*Include the headings below when you write the paper)
I. Introduction: Introduce both the mag and journal (their titles go in italics) and state who the target audience is of each (you can research this; remember, it won’t be the general public. These are written for professionals in certain fields.) There is no need to name all of the articles you will be using in the paper at this time. End with your claim about the similarities and/or differences in the conventions.
For example: While both the English Teaching Professional magazine and College English journal are written for English instructors, it’s fairly evident that College English targets college professors based on the content, extensive research, and formality whereas, English Teaching Professional targets high school and college instructors who want practical advice on teaching.
II. The Professional Magazine: Open this paragraph by sharing your overall impression of the magazine: what kinds of information is included in it and who specifically would be interested in, and benefit from, this information? Also, provide the titles of the 3 articles you reviewed. Article titles should be in quotations marks and capitalize all major words in the title.
Also, discuss the following: (NOTE: you don’t need to answer the following questions separately for each article. Instead, skim your 3 articles and base your answers on all 3):
-The credentials/backgrounds of the authors of the articles, if provided.
-The average length of the articles
-Types of sources cited. Name some specific ones.
-Any visuals included like graphs, charts, or images? Describe some specific ones.
-How are the articles organized? Any section headings, for example?
-Tone of the writing (formal, informal).
-Provide some examples of any jargon used (terminology used in this profession).
-Any other observations.
III. The Academic Journal: Open this paragraph by sharing your overall impression of the journal: what kinds of information is included in it and who specifically would be interested in, and benefit from, this information? Also, provide the titles of the 3 articles you reviewed. Article titles should be in quotations marks and capitalize all major words in the title.
Also, discuss the following: (again, you don’t need to answer the following questions separately for each article)
-The credentials/backgrounds of the authors of the articles, should be provided.
-The average length of the articles (should be quite long…if not, you might not be looking at a journal)?
-Types of sources cited. Name some specific ones.
-Any visuals included like graphs, charts, or images?
-How are the articles organized? Any section headings, for example?
-Tone of the writing (formal, informal)?
-Provide some examples of any jargon used (terminology used in this profession).
IV. Conclusion: Discuss your personal impression of these publications. As a future professional in this field, do you find either/both interesting? Helpful? Educational? If you were asked to contribute an article to one of them, what would you like to write about, AND in what way would that topic fit in with the purpose/content of the publication. Be as specific as possible.
Length: at least 3 pages plus a Works Cited of your 6 articles.
Rubric
Updated Rhetorical Comparison
Updated Rhetorical Comparison
Criteria Ratings
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeBasic Expectations: At least 3 full pages with 6 sources. Observations that are based on at least 3 articles from a professional mag AND academic journal NOT observations based on 1 article from each.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeQuotes vs. italics and capitalization: Journal and mag titles=italics. Article titles=quotation marks. Capitalize all major words in titles.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroduction: Intros both publications, target audiences, and claim.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe Professional Magazine: Answer questions posed in assignment description.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe Academic Journal: Answer questions posed in assignment description.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConclusion: Discusses personal impressions and potential contribution.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProper MLA format
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCarefully proofread for errors
