Description

In this speech, you will provide an analysis of acultural artifact (theuse of baseball in Puerto Rico) using public identity as a critical lens. Your goalin this speech is to explain to your audience the basis for yourcritical judgment about the artifact.

This speech should last at least, but no morethan, 6–8 minutes. You will be given a 15-second grace period oneither end. This time limit is not a suggestion. It is arequirement, and points will be deducted if you go over or under thetime limit.

Instructions

The object you analyze (theuse of baseball in Puerto Rico) should be well known oreasily shown to your audience. Your analysis should focus on claimsmade by the artifact on the audience in terms of the issue of publicidentity (race/gender/orientation, citizenship, or public memory).Additionally, your speech should inform us about the context of theartifact by presenting sufficient historical and cultural backgroundfor the audience in class. Ultimately, you should be presenting aclear and thoughtful argument about the object as something that canbe understood as a material instance of rhetoric. This argumentshould not be limited to whether the object wasmerely aesthetic, functional, or in conversation with communitystandards, but should judge it according to the criteria of howit—intentionally or not—persuades someone to think, to act, or tobelieve in specific ways. Were the purposes of the object (assumingit had an intended purpose) fulfilled by its persuasive stance orcontradicted? What were the consequences or potential impact of theartifact? Were the principles behind it valid?

This assignment will rely on logos. Logos is oneof the rhetorical proofs that lead to judgment by the audience. Logosis based on evidence and reasoning, language, and structure. Youranalysis, given in a speech, will demonstrate how you use criticismas a form of civic engagement. What you believe to be the persuasivedimensions of the cultural artifact will demonstrate that you knowhow to be a critic involved in public life, that you know how to docriticism that is engaged in civic matters, and that this functionsin ways that are important for the good of the public.

Provide support for your speech by drawing on whatothers say about the artifact or about artifacts like it: include aminimum of six published sources cited orally in the speech, cited inthe outline for your speech where you use them, and listed in theoutline bibliography / Works Cited page. Four of the six sources mustbe scholarly (edited, peer-reviewed) publications. Journalisticsources, news-aggregators, and general web pages are not scholarlysources, but they can be used to provide factual information,historical background, or pertinent cultural characteristics anduses. The artifact you analyze is not a source: it is the object ofyour analysis. The textbook for this course is not a source: it isyour guide for preparing your speech. Your instructor can be aninvaluable resource in developing your perspective: ask yourinstructor for suggested scholarly readings that will help youconduct your analysis. Remember, your purpose is not merely toprovide facts in an informative speech, but to use these facts toargue persuasively for the perspective that you are taking.

Keep in Mind…

• The fullsentence, preparation outline for your speech is worth 40 points.
  • We haveprovided an outline shellthat will help you structure the body, introduction, and conclusionfor your speech.
  • The outlineshould be completed as a Word document and submitted here when yousubmit your video.
• The speech, asit is presented in the video you submit, is worth 160 points.
• Also review theevaluation criteria established by CAS for the assessment of allspeeches.
• The time frame for completing andsubmitting your presentations is indicated on the course schedule.

CulturalCommonplaces Speech Outline

CulturalCommonplaces Speech Outline