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For this essay, you will be performing rhetorical analysis of advertisements, either in the form of commericals or PSAs. First, choose 2-3 visual or media examples that are related to one another, either in terms of message, topic (either a cultural value/aspect/issue or a product), and/or creator. These examples can be any kind of visual or media: a print/still advertisement, a commercial (video or audio), PSA, social media post, a billboard, political cartoons, etc. Feel free to mix and match media! Some suggestions for these examples include: Examples that are communicating a message on the same cultural issue (such as anti-smoking, drinking/texting and driving, domestic violence, politics, environmentalism, etc). Examples that discuss the same cultural value (such as home ownership, career or financial success, the military, family values, patriotism, etc.), either reinforcing or challenging it. Examples that are promoting a similar product (such as luxury or sport cars, trucks, make-up and other beauty products, food, clothing and accessories, etc.) Examples that share the same creator and demonstrate a larger campaign for the brand, organization, or individual (such as Nike, Banksy, McDonald’s, or the CDC) Examples that are similar in one of the above ways, but come from different time periods, allowing you to trace the evolution of these messages and how they’re communicated (such as looking at how cigarettes, families, men or women’s roles, or a brand itself like Nike are represented differently over time). You can use any of the examples we’ve discussed so far in class or select ones of your choosing. Main Guidelines: Using these examples, you will analyze not only what these media are communicating, but: Who is the audience that this example intends to reach, Who is the creator and what kind of reputation/connotations do they have? Why is this media example created? What's its purpose? How does the creator use rhetorical appeals in order to express his/her message, and How the creator reinforces the message through other rhetorical elements such as design and composition? After analyzing each example, conclude your essay by discussing how these media compare to one another: How are these examples, in terms of both message, composition, and other rhetorical aspects similar or different? How effective are these media at achieving their purposes and communicating their messages? How do these examples relate back to American culture? What kind of cultural values, issues, or behaviors are being reinforced or addressed in these examples? As a viewer, what was your response to these examples? Are you a member of this intended audience? Your argument for this essay will answer the following questions: What rhetorical and visual aspects or techniques do these examples use to convey their messages? How effective are these creators at communicating their ideas on this topic? Are some more effective than others and how? What larger cultural messages or values are being communicated (either challenged or reinforced) here? When choosing your examples, you can pull from a variety of media types (i.e. examine a PSA and a political cartoon) or from the same kind of media type. You can use examples that are from different time periods as well to show how this topic, creator, or product has changed (or stayed the same) over the years. To help ensure that your analysis is evidenced by a close reading of the selected media examples, you will only be allowed to use 2 outside secondary sources. You should have enough details from the examples themselves to pull from and analyze here, but outside sources may help with context or learning about the creator. As always with analysis, providing plenty of evidence from the argument itself is necessary in order to support your claims. The final essay will be 5-7 pages long and in proper MLA format (12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins on each side, page numbers and last name on each page). Your final page will count as your Works Cited page, and the examples you're analyzing as well as any secondary sources used will need to be cited.

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Dealing with Framerate differences: What are the potential source media framerates we may need to work with and why do they exist in the post industry? What determines the framerate of our project and how do we resolve delivering different framerates?

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The different impacts of social media on marketing

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One example from the Steal This MP3 File: What Is Theft? Do you take music/movies/etc from the Internet-Illegal? ( Not Netflix or YouTube) Is it ok? Is there ever a point where you think you’re doing something wrong. Five paragraphs

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There are two components to a strategic communication plan: the elements and the message. For this assignment, you are a human-resources (HR) consultant tasked with implementing a performance management system for an organization of your choosing (you will describe the company or organization in a Word document). Instructions: You will submit both a Word document and a slide presentation. The slide presentation is for the purpose of informing executive leadership of the communication plan you intend to implement as the performance management system is launched. 1.Word document: Describe in one page your organization. Include the size, number of employees, product or service, and location of distribution (e.g. in the state of Kentucky, national, or international). 2.Slide presentation a.Determine goal. b.Identify and profile audience. c.Develop messages. •What is performance management? •How does performance management fit into our strategy? •What’s in it for me? •How does it work? •What are my responsibilities? •How is performance management related to other initiatives? •Select communication channels. •Choose activities and materials. •Establish partnerships. •Implement the plan. •Evaluate and make mid-course corrections. The slide presentation should be 8-10 slides (not including title or reference slides, which you must include). You can use PowerPoint. You must include a minimum of three scholarly sources.

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Essay Option # 2 NOT White in American Race and ethnicity are physical attributes of people, but also ways of seeing and understanding the world. Media plays an influential role in shaping how we think about and enact race in our everyday lives. In the United States and other Western contexts, whites and whiteness have historically been associated with superiority and privilege; people of color have historically been associated with inferiority and framed as less than or “Other.” While we have made some progress in dealing with racial discrimination; inequality and injustice still remain, and the media is a key site where these ideas persist. Consider that the text Brutal Imagination, the events that influenced the text, relied heavily on the prejudicial notions of black men in America. Have you ever wondered… …why most of the main characters in movies and television shows are white? …why non-white groups are often cast in certain roles such as the maid, the gangster, the “model minority,” the supportive best friend, the terrorist? …why certain products like cars or phones are marketed differently to specific racial or ethnic groups …why certain races and ethnicities are portrayed more often as lower class individuals in mainstream American media? In regards to the essay assignment, develop a thesis-driven response to the question listed below. Media creates meaning about race and ethnicity, and plays an important role in shaping the way we understand race and ethnicity as part of our identity, our history, our social institutions, and our everyday lives. To what degree do media forms contribute to the stereotypes, biases, and/or prejudices faced by people of color/marginalized groups? Essay Requirements: 4 full-5 full pages All parts of the essay: Introduction which ends with a thesis statements Body paragraphs that begin with a topic sentence A conclusion that restates the information presented in the introduction References to 2-3 primary sources and 2-3 secondary sources All citations must be incorporated proficiently Citations must be referenced in MLA format and requirements MLA must be perfect! Inclusion of a Works Cited page that follows MLA format and requirements By completing this assignment I am meeting the following course objectives: I will show my ability to recognize and assess argumentative claims embedded in literary works, advertisements, political tracts, and presentations in other media. I will express critical viewpoints and develop original arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory. Lastly, I will demonstrate my ability to evaluate electronic sources and databases, to incorporate research from on-line and print media, and to compose unified, coherent, fully supported argumentative essays that advance their claims by integrating primary and secondary sources, and by employing the tools of critical interpretation, evaluation, and analysis

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Define a problem  in the media and entertainment industry, in this case Media effects on violent behaviour in movies
Write a coherent literature review
Develop an appropriate research design and substantiate your choices
Write a good introduction

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If the proverbial alien from outer space landed on Earth and watched American television for 24 hours a day, describe what he/she would learn about African-American culture in no fewer than 300 words, but no more than 500 words, What would the alien notice about television's treatment of the black family, as well as about black men and black women. Would what the alien sees be accurate?  Feel free to use the shows viewed in class as a backdrop, but you may use other shows from other genres as examples

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Formal full-‐‐sentence outline due 05/18 – 20 points                                2.  Minimum of three oral citations (include citations in outline & reference page)                                3.    One type of presentation aid                                  4.  Peer-‐‐Evaluation: Complete in class -‐‐ 10 points                                5.  Self-‐‐Evaluation: due 05/27 -‐‐ 10 points 

We seek knowledge for three reasons: we want to know, understand, and use information. The goals of anyone  delivering  a  speech  to  inform  are  to  impart  knowledge,  enhance  understanding,  or  permit application. (Grice & Skinner 2013)In  this  speech  “Exploring  Traditions”  we  are  going  to  bring  the  community  to  our  classroom  by researching local, regional and even global traditions in order to craft an informative speech.  Particular emphasis should be placed on providing the audience with new information.
Tradition
1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to    generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice2. a long-‐‐established or inherited way of thinking or acting3. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices. 4. a customary or characteristic method or manner(Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved January 03, 2013)
Objectives of this assignment: 1. To convey new knowledge and understanding about a tradition. 2. To develop and apply effective research skills. 3. To use a clear organization pattern that allows the audience to follow your speech.4. To analyze your audience and adapt your message accordingly.5. To write and deliver effective introductions and conclusions. 6. To effectively use a presentation aid to assist in clarifying and supporting your ideas.In preparing your speech, be careful not to become persuasive. Speeches to inform do not advocate for audience members to change or adopt specific beliefs, attitudes and behaviors on controversial issues. Being persuasive in this speech assignment will result in a loss of points. Example Topics: The Olympic Flame, The Tooth Fairy, The Nobel Prize, The Handshake,  etc…

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INSTRUCTIONS: For the assignment that follows this one, you’ll write an article as you would if you intended to publish it in a particular publication. In order to do that, you’ll need to study the publication. 

1.    Choose a publication from this list: Boston Review, The Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, Seed (seedmagazine.com), Orion (orionmagazine.org), Salon (Salon.com), The New Republic, The New Inquiry, The Root (theroot.com), Colorlines (colorlines.com), Harper’s Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Guernica Magazine, ProPublica (propublica.org), The Toast (the-toast.net). I’ll consider others, but first you’ll have to convince me.

2.    Write a profile of it, including details like its owners, editors, publishers, history, etc. and why those things might matter, but more importantly, look at the rhetoric it uses to frame its content. What is the overall ethos of the magazine? Who is the intended audience? What ethos does it encourage readers to adopt? What are its politics? How can you tell? Which topics does it tend to emphasize? How? Which ones does it minimize or outright ignore? What images accompany these stories? How does graphic design work as rhetoric? If there are advertisements, how might they be relevant to your understanding of this publication and its relationship to its audience? Is this a print only publication? Is it totally free online? Is some or all content paywalled for subscribers?  Does it feature staff writers or regular columnists and contributors? If so, who are they and why is it significant that they have a regular platform here?

3.    Explain why this publication would be a good fit for your A3 essaySafe Haven Act), and how the key details from your profile will matter to the rhetorical decisions you’ll make as a writer in A3(Safe Haven Act).

(Assignment 3 is going to discuss about Safe Haven Act and write a research paper about this topic).

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Instructions:

One form of communication is through visuals.  For this assignment, I would like you to evaluate several examples of visual communication.  Please complete exercise 9.3 at the end of chapter 9.  You will find 8 different visual that are designed to communicate very specific information.  I would like you to evaluate each of these visuals by answering the following questions:
1. Is the visual's message clear?
2. Is it the right visual for the story?
3. Is the visual designed appropriately? Is color, if any, used appropriately?
4. Is the visual free from chartjunk?
5. Does the visual distort data or mislead the reader in any way?


While this is not a formal paper, I do expect your answers to be grammatically correct.  While your opinions should be part of this response, you also need to incorporate information from the reading as well as outside sources.  You should have a minimum of 2 sources (including the text), please remember to put your sources in proper APA format using both in-text citations as well as a reference page at the end.

Please submit your response in a Word document attached to this assignment.  While there is no minimum page requirement, I expect your answers to be thorough and well written.  Please do not just list the question and then list the response.  I would like to see the questions incorporated within your answers in a well written short essay. 

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Assignment Option #2: Magazines

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. So what happens when you find out that the picture you’ve been looking at is really a dishonest representation of the subject?

Magazines know the power that images carry, and, therefore, they have become increasingly adept at digitally enhancing or changing an image in order to portray something in a different light. For example, a family photo of the Royal Family of England was altered so that Prince William was smiling rather than looking glum as he really had in the original. A photographer in Iraq digitally combined two photos to make a different photo. Many celebrities reportedly routinely hire Photoshop experts to retouch all photos that are for publication.

Advertising agencies frequently “shave” pounds off a model or airbrush a blemish from a face. (Keep in mind the differences in altering photos for paid advertising as opposed to altering photos that are not part of ads.) Submit 200-300 words in which you consider the following questions:

How do you feel about publications' practices of altering photos to enhance or change an image?
Do you feel the publication has a right to make such alterations?
Are such alterations acceptable at any time? If yes, give an example. If no, explain why not.
See if you can find an example of a photo from a magazine (perhaps right on the cover) that you think was probably altered. Why do you think the photo was altered? What is your clue? Assuming you are correct in your assessment, is this an acceptable use of alteration or not? Why?