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last.updated 1.12.09

 

Multimodal Argument


Purpose

To culminate the work you have done in this course, you will develop a multimodal argument. In other words, your text will be delivered in a way that not engages your audience's literacy skills, but uses visuals, audio, and video to enhance one's argument. The purpose of the project's multimodal feature is twofold. First, due to the multimodal nature of computer usage, using multimodal media to compose your argument will enhance how you are able to convey your message. Second, the project gives you an opportunity to move outside the role of the passive consumer of multimodal texts and participate in the discourse as a producer.


Instructions–Epistemological Process

Choose a topic related to cybercultures and digital writing. You are encourage to build upon or respond to work you have already done previous assignments; look at your multimodal argument as a way of building upon, synthesizing, and/or repurposing work you have already done in the class.

Instructions–Writing

Compose an argumentative text that has a focused argument, appropriate supporting evidence, and converses with fields relevant to the course. Additionally this text will be ten minutes length composed with a computer software program that allows for multimodality (the inclusion of visuals, video, gestures, and/or sound to traditional literacy). Some software programs you may choose to use, but are not limited to, include...

  • PowerPoint
  • Sophie
  • iMovie

As you add in multimodal elements, think about the features of your argument that can be conveyed best through modalities other than the printed word. This means you will need to strategize before you compose about which elements will be multimodal, how you will preesent them in the text, and where they will be placed.

Instructions-Presentation

On April 22, 2009 you will present your argument in a conference situation.

Instructions-Rhetorical Statement

On April 29, 2009 you will submit the multimodal argument either physically on disk or drive to the instructor or, if you have posted your work to the web, you can email the URL. This needs to be submitted by 3pm. In addition to the multimodal argument, you will want to compose a 500-750 rhetorical statement. In this rhetorical statement you will ...

  • explain the argument you conveyed in your multimodal argument
  • describe the specific strategies you used to present the claims that support your argument
  • explain how these strategies that you chose helped to support your argument
  • analyze how the multimodal delivery of your argument affected the impact of your argument, as compared to a traditional print delivery


Criteria

Logistics:

  • a ten-minute presentation
  • presentation due on April 22, 2009
  • final text due on April 29, 2009 delivered on disk or as an URL in the body of an email by 3pm
  • 150 points

In addition to the general evaluation criteria, the instructor will be looking for evidence of...

  • a ten-minute presentation that engages with a relevant issue in the fields of Cyberculture studies and/or Digital writing/rhetoric
  • a sense of audience–the audience for the conference presentation will probably be other scholars in English Studies. Make the text understandable to them.
  • a research project that is "original," at least in the context in which it is being applied
  • a text that demonstrates an honest effort to consider the rhetorical implications of a multimodal method of delivery; the instructor is not looking for studio quality work
  • an ability to articulate your knowledge of the course material and an ability to converse with scholarship relevant to the course
  • appropriate use of conventions, including MLA or APA citation formatting