This document outlines Project 3 assignments for an English class. Students will write either an open letter or commencement speech, both examples of epideictic rhetoric meant to reveal community values. The project aims to help students grasp epideictic genres and skillfully incorporate tropes and schemes. Deliverables include a memo introducing the genre chosen, tropes used, and lessons learned, as well as the open letter or speech. The feedback will assess successful use of epideictic genre conventions, effective trope and scheme incorporation, and polished structure and style.

1. ENGL 309 Fall 2021
Project 3: Writing 2020
Unit 3 combines elements of Units 1 and 2. We’ll be revisiting the idea of genre by
having you write in a specific genre: namely, an open letter or a commencement
speech. Both of these genres are examples of epideictic forms of rhetoric (a fancy
Aristotelian word that means types of communication that serve to reveal or solidify
community perceptions and values. and lend themselves well to a high style, as defined
by Performing Prose, Ch 5).
Learning Objectives
By the time you complete Project 3, you should be able to…
● Grasp the rhetorical dimensions of epideictic genres and know how to write in
them skillfully.
● Meaningfully incorporate tropes and schemes into your writing.
Project Deliverables
I use “deliverables” to refer to the actual things you’ll be handing in for the assignment.
1. Short introductory memo. This will be the first page of the assignment, and should do
the following:
● Give a brief description of the rhetorical dimensions of the genre you chose
(open letter or commencement speech);

2. ENGL 309 Fall 2021
● Discuss what tropes and schemes you incorporated into your letter or speech,
and why;
● Talk about what you learned by doing the assignment, and what challenges you
had.
● Be in memo format.
2. Open letter OR a commencement speech for Fall 2020/Spring 2021 college
graduates.
You will use one of these genres to come to grips with some aspect of 2020-21.
Commencement speeches are generally forward-looking, though they process some
aspect of an experience for a certain group of people, namely college graduates; open
letters help to make concrete community perceptions or values of an event or time
period.
Your open letter or commencement speech must deliberately incorporate at least
one trope, and at least one scheme (see Performing Prose, Chapters 6-7). The trope
should do significant work - e.g., if you use a metaphor, it should be one that helps
structure the content of your piece.
Feedback Criteria, Writing 2020
I will use the following criteria to give you feedback on your Draft for Evaluation.
Remember that as per the grading contract, depending on the grade you want to earn,
you’ll be taking the feedback and revising the Draft for Evaluation for the Final Portfolio.
● Successfully reproduces the rhetorical and stylistic aspects of an epideictic genre
(commencement speech or open letter).
● Effectively incorporates trope(s) and scheme(s) into the open letter or
commencement speech.
● Has a clearly defined structure, and the final product is well polished, stylistically
sound, confident, and error-free.