Rhetoric I
Prof. G. Steinberg
ESSAY 4
Choose a paper assignment for one of your other classes - one that is due at or near the end of the semester. As long as the assignment meets certain criteria (outlined below), write that paper as your Essay 4 in this class. (In other words, use the same paper for your Essay 4 in this class as for a paper assignment for another class that you have this semester.)
For the paper to count in this class, however, it must
The paper need not be a research paper, but if research is part of the assignment for the other class, you should do the research as assigned.
You must submit a copy of the paper assignment from the other class to me before the Thanksgiving break.
NOTE: Different classes have different priorities and different criteria of evaluation. Know that you may submit the very same paper in two classes and get an A on it in one and a C on it in the other. In this class, the emphasis in evaluation is as much on presentation (grammar, style, organization, logic, etc.) as it is on content. In another class, which emphasizes content only, a poorly organized, stylistically weak paper might get an A, but in this class, that very same paper might get only a C because of its organizational and stylistic problems. Alternatively, a paper whose content is excellent for a general audience may not be very good for a more specialized course; so, I might give a paper an A (because its content seemed quite good from a layperson's perspective and its presentation was excellent), but the professor in your other class might give the very same paper a C (because its content wasn't sophisticated enough for that particular course). So, don't expect to get the same grade on the same paper in both classes.
SPEECH 3
In all the previous assignments in this class, you gave a speech and then wrote a paper on the same or a related topic. You in essence used your speeches as a way of preparing for your writing. In this assignment, things are reversed. You will write the paper first as preparation for your speech. In this way, you'll get practice in turning a large amount of written work into a manageable presentation.
SPEECH 3 must be 5-minute presentation on the same topic as PAPER 4. Treat this speech as a formal presentation, and dress and act accordingly. You absolutely may not read SPEECH 3. You may not even bring a written text of the speech to class. All you may have on the podium is notes (an outline or a couple quotations or statistics). I will ask to see your notes before you go up to give the speech.
Keep in mind that for this speech you will again be the expert, and no one in class (neither I nor your fellow classmates) will likely know much about the topic you're discussing (unless one of your classmates happens to be in the same class or be working on a similar assignment). You must therefore work to draw your audience in, inform them about your topic, interest them, and persuade them to your viewpoint.
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