Introduction to Unit 3: Advocacy Project CO300 Writing Arguments SP15 Instructor--Laura Thomas Colorado State University

1. Unit 3: Advocacy Project
• Composing rhetoric to mediate change in our communities

2. What needs to change?
• In Units 1 & 2, we engaged in conversations about
several issues, problems, or “imperfections marked
by urgency.”
Social justice
education
environment
HEALTH
ANIMALS
energy

3. Agents of Change: strong ties, weak
ties, & organizations
• Who is engaged in efforts toward change in our community?

4. Unit 3 Groups
Finding topics
• What did we write about
in Units 1 & 2?
• What (other) local issues
or problems concern
you?
• What local (campus, city,
county, state)
organizations are
addressing problems ?
Groups
• Form groups, based on
common interest in a
problem and/or ties to a
local organization
engaged in change.
• Each group may have no
fewer than 3 and no
more than 4 members

5. How does rhetoric mediate
change?
• Posters, brochures, flyers
• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogging
• Orally: presentations, speeches, performance, f2f
• Multimodal video, sound recording, photo essay, slide show,
buttons, stickers, etc.
• Mass media: guest editorial, commenting, public service
announcement (PSA)
• Correspondence: letters, memos, email messages

6. What makes rhetoric effective?

7. The Advocacy Project
Process
• Conduct inquiry into
the problem, organization,
& rhetorical situation.
• Analyze and evaluate
the rhetorical
situation
• Compose rhetoric
• Present your results to the
intended audience and to
the class
Assessments
Group portfolio—due May 4
Proposal (due 11/19)
Annotated Bibliography
Rhetorical Analysis
Discourse artifacts (rhetoric)
Group presentation—Last
week of class (May 4-8)
Individual Reflection—due
May 11