Overview

Since you have been engaged ininvestigating a particular issue, you have become familiar with multipleperspectives that inform your knowledge. You are, indeed, a stakeholderwho is invested in the outcome of the issue you have been researching,and in this assignment, your objective is to convince an audience who is uninvolved, unconcerned, uninterested, or not invested tofind value in your argument and to agree to your call to action. Such atask requires you to invite your audience into the conversation aboutyour topic by anticipating the kinds of questions they might have andproviding them with the kind of information that they would need todecide to take the action you recommend. You’ll want to make good use ofyour written and visual evidence as you give your audience reasons theywill value as you educate, engage, and empower this non-engagedaudience through the writing of your multimodal argument.

Skills & Strategies

This Part 1 assignment will help you to

• build on information literacy, visual analysis, and critical thinking skills
• expose you to different modes of composing
• analyze the stakeholder’s reasons for non-engagement and the potential to become engaged and empowered
• apply effective rhetorical strategies to educate, engage, and empower
• substantiate your multimodal argumentative essay with research and evidence
• consideryour rhetorical choices related to the multiple modes of constructionincluded in your Multimodal Argument and the way they convey yourintended meaning
• identify and develop organizational strategies that contribute to the effective delivery of information and presentation
• constructan introduction and a call to action thesis that concludes what youdetermine is a reasonable solution to the problem you have conveyed
• write a conclusion that highlights the main points and considers forward-thinking research ideas for research/action
• cite sources according to the assigned requirements

Description (and Step by Step)

Project 3 incorporates the skills andstrategies that you have developed over the last two ENC 1102 projects.More specifically, prior to this assignment, you have selected anon-engaged stakeholder, drawn on the credible sources of the researchyou have conducted in the past two projects, recognized the rhetoricalchoices stakeholders made in designing images that best representedtheir goals, and created substantial content by answering guidingquestions. You are now ready, in Part 2, to construct the intermediatedraft of your multimodal argument.

Part 2 asks you to create amultimodal argument that aims (1) to educate an audience of non-engagedstakeholders about the topic you have been exploring, (2) to engage thisaudience by convincing them that they should care about this issue, and(3) to empower the audience to agree to your call to action.

You’ll construct this multimodalargument by combining two or more channels or systems of communicationthat include (1) writing text as argument (2) incorporating staticimages, and (3) connecting a dynamic visual or auditory component via ahyperlink.

Together, in one unified multimodalargument, all three communication modes will (1) educate an audience ofnon-engaged stakeholders about the topic you have been exploring, (2)engage this audience by convincing them that they should care about thisissue, and (3) empower the audience to advance your cause by takingaction in some defined way.

More specifically, your multimodal argument requires

1. a textual constructionthat includes linguistic and spatial constructions in the writing of a1,000 – 1,200-word essay that incorporates compelling and persuasiveevidence that supports your thesis;
2. a visual component, which strategically integrates a total of twostatic images (photograph, diagram, infographic, graph, map, and/ordrawing) that support your argument in important ways. Vary the type ofstatic visuals to avoid including two of the same type;
3. one dynamic media componentvia a hyperlink of an appropriate word or phrase that intentionallymerges a single video or podcast of two minutes or less into yourmultimodal argument in meaningful ways.

Your Multimedia Argument

You should think of your multimodal argument as morethan the static words on a printed page. Rather, embrace yourmultimodal argument as a balance of thoughtful static and dynamic imagesand words, as a balance of text and visualization.

Your purposeful incorporation ofmedia compels you to make rhetorical choices as to the type of media touse, the ways in which the media will educate, engage, and/or empoweryour audience, and the location of where the media will work best in themultimodal argument to enhance, unify, supplement, and/or complementyour text. As you recall, in Project 2, you analyzed how a stakeholder’svisual arguments reflected the stakeholder’s goals. In your Project 3multimodal argument, you now actively assume the stakeholder role as youuse effective visual and/or auditory arguments along with writtenarguments to communicate your message to your non-engaged stakeholder.

Keep in mind that visuals help us todevelop ideas in immediate ways, to transcend ideas that blur languagebarriers, and to understand experiences that language may not be able toconvey. Your static and dynamic multimedia will help to guide youraudience, convey your message and goals, provide clear emphasis, set aparticular tone, build credibility, and help persuade your audience toconsider the value of your argument.

Points to remember when using visualimages (note: you’re making rhetorical choices for everything you do inyour multimodal argument, and guiding your audience is one of thoseconscious choices):

• Placementof the static images and your one hyperlink are critical to theeffectiveness of the multimodal argument. Images should be large enough(but not overpower the text) to be seen clearly, be of goodquality/resolution, and be positioned near the text that the images orhyperlink reference. Be aware the relationship between the text and theimage should be clear. In other words, you should reference the image inthe text in a way that advances why the image matters to the argumentbeing conveyed. Wrap the text squarely or tightly around the image.Label all visuals with a relevant title and caption that explains theargument of the visual.
• Givecredit to the original source when using images, including bibliographicinformation in your Works Cited page. Refer to the required formattingguidelines for citing visuals.
• Introduceyour dynamic visual with a hyperlink, which will allow your audience toconnect to the video or podcast. Hyperlink an appropriate word or phrasein a sentence of your text that links directly to the dynamic visual.As you referenced your static images in the text, you will also connectthe dynamic image or podcast (introduced by your hyperlink) to thelarger multimodal argument being conveyed. Reference this source in yourWorks Cited Page.

At least five credible sources arerequired for this Intermediate Draft of your Multimodal Argument. Youcan draw on the relevant research conducted in the last two projects;however, you must include at least 3 new sources that you have not previously used. In addition to these 5 sources, you will document the 3 sources associated with your 2 static visuals and your hyperlink connection.

The following processes will help you to further develop your Part 2 Intermediate Multimodal Argument:

1. Begin witha creative and transparent title that reflects the critical nature ofyour research topic and your objective to persuade your audience toagree with your call to action.
2. Contextualizeyour chosen topic in your introduction. Identify the problem related toyour topic, let your audience know why your topic is important and whythey should care, and include a call to action thesis that concludeswhat you determine is a reasonable solution to the problem you haveconveyed.
3. Provide aprogression of ideas/evidence/appeals in a logical and cohesive patternin the body of your essay, introducing each paragraph with a topicsentence that positions an important point. Follow each topic sentencewith supporting evidence from your research to support your claim. Besure to anticipate your audience’s objections with a meaningfulrefutation and logically lead your audience to the call to action.Integrate appropriate evidence from your 5 sources, anchoring your ideaswith support by the source’s arguments.
4. Integrate a total of twostatic images, photographs, diagrams, infographics, graphs, maps,and/or drawings, that support your argument in important ways. Vary thetype of static visuals to avoid including two of the same types.
5. Include ahyperlink that intentionally connects an appropriate word or phrase toone dynamic media component, which may be a single video or podcast oftwo minutes or less into your multimodal argument in meaningful ways.
6. Be sure to use clear transitions as you move from point to point.
7. Provide source citations according to the required guidelines.
8. Write a conclusion that highlights your major points and provides realistic forward-thinking ideas for future research/action.
9. Include a Works Cited page
10. Proofread your Part 2 intermediate Multimodal Argument.

Helpful Hints

• While you want to convince yournon-engaged audience that your argument has merit and your call toaction is worth pursuing, you don’t want to offend your audience byignoring or not anticipating their questions and/or possible objections.Rather, invite your audienceinto the conversation about your topic by anticipating the kinds ofquestions they might have and providing them with the kind ofinformation that they would need to decide to take the action yourecommend.
• Make surethat the static and dynamic visuals you select add value to your writtenargument, are consistent with the text’s purpose, create a positivereaction from your audience, and effectively unify, supplement, and/orcomplement your text
• Envisionthe components of your multimodal argument as parts to a whole. Allcomponents are necessary to effectively persuade your audience.

Part 1 is attached

use the sources that are included in part 1 or you can use new sources but they should be scholarly and follow the same topic.