Essay #1: Source-Based Essay

Assignment Resources

Goals for this Assignment

With this assignment, we want to familiarize you with the rhetorical terms that we list above. We will use these rhetorical terms throughout the semester; they form the basis of the course. Throughout the course, we want to develop your understanding of how rhetoric and writing function in social contexts. We hope that you’ll take this knowledge and apply it when you encounter writing assignments in other classes and in the workplace. We also want to familiarize you with CCNY’s academic databases. You already know how to search for material on the open web; a better understanding of how to make use of academic databases will expand the range of materials to which you have access.

Technical Details

For this assignment, you will write a 5-6 page (1250 – 1500 words) source-based essay in which you will analyze and make connections between the concepts of rhetorical situation, purpose, audience, genre, and stance. For this analysis, you will choose four sources that you have found on the subject of your choice. You should have at least four sources, and they should include: a web site (including social media posts), a magazine article, a newspaper article, and a scholarly source. With the exception of the website, you must locate your sources within CCNY’s academic databases. We recommend that you use Academic One File, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, and the National Newspaper Index, but the choice is up to you.

For each article you choose, then, you will provide a brief summary, describe its rhetorical situation, purpose, audience, genre, and the writer’s stance toward their subject. Your rhetorical analysis–your discussion of your source’s exigence, purpose, audience, genre, and stance–has two parts. When you identify, for example, the writer’s purpose, you’ll want to tell us both what that purpose is (to inform, to persuade, to argue, and what have you), and also what in the text tells you what the purpose is. If, for example, I think the article’s purpose is to inform, it’s likely because the article doesn’t really express any opinion on its topic. To complete your rhetorical analysis, you’re going to want to look at both the article you chose and the overall publication. Looking at the publication’s web site will give you a lot of information about your article’s purpose and audience. You will then make connections between the various articles that you analyze.

Once you have completed your essay, you will also write post-essay reflection (250 – 500 words) in which you begin to develop your own theory of writing, considering the concepts of genre, audience, and rhetorical situation, and how they connect.

Sample Essays

Short Writing Assignments

Throughout the writing process, you will engage in a series of short writing assignments designed to help you hone your research and writing skills while gathering source material. 

  • ESSAY #1 TOPIC REFLECTION: Write a brief description of a social issue that interests you–what is the issue, and why does it interest you? What do you want to know more about? If you’re stuck, use one of these invention strategies, or another one that you already know works for you. 
  • ESSAY #1 SOURCE LIST: Identify four articles that you will use as the basis for your Source-Based essay. Write a brief summary (100-150 words) for each article. Be sure to include PDF attachments or links for all of your sources.

Format

As in the sample essays above, you’re describing a series of articles. Instead of making an argument, as school essays often do, you’re exploring your sources from a rhetorical perspective. The essay should include:

  • A general introduction, that tells the reader what your subject is
  • Rhetorical analyses of four sources
  • Your thoughts about the relationships between the rhetorical elements of your sources

5-6 pages (1250 – 1500 words); Size 12 font, Times New Roman, standard margins, double-spaced. Cite all sources in proper MLA format. You must include a Works Cited page with your essay. *Note: Works Cited page does not count toward the word count.

Submission

Upload a digital copy of your Final Draft as a Word file (.doc or .docx) via Blackboard.

Evaluation Rubric 

CONTENT – 40%

  • Does your essay include a general introduction that orients readers to your subject?
  • Does your essay provide a compelling rhetorical analysis for all four sources?
  • Does your essay identify and make comparisons between the various rhetorical aspects of your sources, including exigence, purpose, audience, genre, and stance?

DEVELOPMENT – 25%

  • Does your essay include all four required source types: a web site (including social media posts), a magazine article, a newspaper article, and a scholarly source?
  • Does your essay provide a rationale for your analysis based on evidence from the source text?

ORGANIZATION – 20%

  • Does your essay have a coherent structure?
  • Are your ideas united and logically organized in a way that leads to a thought-provoking conclusion?
  • Are your paragraphs focused on distinct units of thought, controlled by specific and detailed topic sentences?
  • Do you implement appropriate, clear, and smooth transitions?

STYLE – 10%

  • Are the sentences well-worded and well-constructed? Should some sentences be combined for clarity? Should others be broken into two or more sentences, so ideas receive proper emphasis?
  • Do you use quotations and MLA citations effectively?

GRAMMAR & MECHANICS – 5%

  • Have you proofread and edited your piece for grammatical and punctuation errors?
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

Skip to toolbar