This document outlines the requirements for Unit 1 of the English 102 course. Students will analyze a social media post related to the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer to practice rhetorical analysis skills. They will examine the context of the post, rhetorical strategies used, and their personal connection to evaluate its rhetorical effects. To receive a guaranteed B, students must write a 3+ page paper that identifies rhetorical strategies, summarizes the post, incorporates personal experience, and meets formatting requirements. They must submit their draft by September 15th.

1. ENGL 102 – 02
Fall 2019
Unit 1: Rhetorical Analysis
This unit is to refresh and practice the skills you learned in English 101. In Unit One, you
will explore the ways in which a social media post is rhetorical by examining its context
and rhetorical strategies, and your personal connections to the text to evaluate its
rhetorical effects. By considering your personal connections to the text, you will abele to
understand and describe the ways in which it has had an impact on you.
In order to complete this project, you will have the choice to analyze either a tweet or video
(provided by me) that is related to the Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. These posts
show how the digital age we now live in changes the way we communicate and circulate
messages. Think about how effective/ineffective this way of communicating is. What are
the benefits? Is there a bigger picture to posting on that specific platform? What role does
this play in regard to a topic that is already controversial?
You are guaranteed a B if you meet the following requirements:
1. Write a minimum of 3 pages
2. Meet all MLA format requirements (including a works cited)
3. Have a clear thesis that identifies the rhetorical strategies used
4. Summarize the post/video
5. Incorporate personal experience that helps clarify the post’s/video’s impact on
him/her and makes connections in order to evaluate the posts effectiveness
6. Have clear introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs
7. Follow the conventions of English appropriate for the audience, situation, and genre
8. Submit their completed draft on BBLearn by Sunday, September 15th at 11:59 PM.