Students are expected to choose a speech given within the past 50 years and present an analysis of that speech. The speech must be prose – it may not be poetry or fiction – and it must be publicly available. For example, it may be a political speech, a legal speech, a commencement address or other ceremonial speech. No minimum length is required for the speech, but it should include enough content to allow for analysis.
Students are expected to comment on the purposes and effects of the speech. What is the central idea or goal of the speech? Discuss the audience(s) for the speech. What is the context in which the speech was given – the era and socio-political setting or occasion? Discuss the extent to which the context is significant or relevant to the speech. Discuss whether the speech is forensic, deliberative, epideictic, or a combination of these, and explain why you categorize the speech as you do. How does the speaker create identification with audience members? Discuss how well the speaker uses language effectively. Discuss any weakness(es) in the speech’s arguments. Was the speech effective – did it achieve its goals, and how do you know? What might Aristotle say with regard to the use of logos, pathos, and ethos in the speech? What might Walter Fisher say about coherence and fidelity in the speech? What might Kenneth Burke say was the source of “guilt” that motivated the speech? Please note students are expected to address all three of these approaches – Aristotle, Fisher, and Burke – in the analysis. Include a citation indicating where the speech was published in print or online.
Do not choose speeches discussed in the textbook or examples on the course website. If you do, you will not receive credit. You will also not receive credit if you choose a fictional speech. Write your analysis in essay format.
The rhetorical analysis is expected to be uploaded as a Word document by the deadline and is expected to be typed in English, in complete sentences, in a 12-point font, double-spaced, at least 1,000 words long and free of errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Subjects and verbs are expected to agree; pronouns are expected to agree with their antecedents. Do not include an abstract. Do not include footnotes or endnotes. Please pay attention to the grading rubric.
Each student’s submission is expected to be original work the student personally researched and wrote for this class. Most of the submission is expected to be the student’s own writing and analysis in the student’s words, not just including a lot of quoted material. No more than 20% of an assignment should match something already in the Turnitin database. Paraphrase or cut quotations. If the originality report indicates more than 20% of an assignment matches something already in the database, students may revise and resubmit the assignment until the deadline. The instructor grades only the last submission. Turnitin typically gives an originality report immediately for a first submission, but may take 24 hours or longer to generate originality reports for subsequent submissions. Emailed assignments are not acceptable. Students who have difficulty uploading an assignment are expected to contact Canvas help before the deadline.
Students are expected to present a clear thesis and to construct valid, logical arguments with supporting evidence. Any references are expected to be formatted in the style of the American Psychological Association (APA). If citing websites, students are expected to include the URL.
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