UNIT TWO: Pop Culture and Social Responsibility

So, you’ve watched “Formation,” read a few articles and music reviews of it (and Lemonade as a whole), and performed what we call “a rhetorical analysis” of it—that is, you’ve investigated a bit about what Beyoncé is doing, how she is doing it, and why she is doing it.

NOW WHAT?

First:

Pick a popular culture artifact of your own choosing—this could be another video, or an excerpt from a movie or TV show, or a movie, or a comic book.  But whatever it is, it needs to deal with some social issue. This should be something that really speaks to you and that you want to spend some time with.  Please notice that we spent a lot of time talking about Lemonade, but we only really closely studied “Formation.” That’s simply because we could not watch all of Lemonade closely enough without a year to do it and without a book to write about it. So keep this in mind! If you want to write about a novel, that’s great—but you’ll need to pick a chapter (or excerpt) to study. If you want to study your favorite TV show, you’ll have to pick your favorite 10 minutes or so to REALLY study closely. That doesn’t mean you can’t refer to the rest in passing. But I’m asking you to read something or watch something a few times.

Next:

You will answer–in-depth, at least 100 words each–the rhetorical analysis questions about the artifact you have chosen. (Due March 7. These questions will be posted on the website.) You will type these up and post them as a blog post on your portfolio. Turning this in thoroughly, thoughtfully and on-time is worth 20% of your grade!

PLEASE NOTE: YOUR ON-TIME RHETORICAL ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE IS WORTH 20% OF YOUR GRADE FOR THIS UNIT (ZERO POINTS FOR LATE QUESTIONNAIRES)

I WILL NOT ACCEPT FINAL PROJECTS WITHOUT THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE!

Next, choose which of the two following options you want to do for your final project. You have two choices.

Option One: The Article

This is an paper of at least 1100 words about your artifact that you will post on Open Lab. This may be an academic article, or a music (or book or movie) review, or any other genre of article that seems appropriate to writing about your artifact—but you should:           

1. Include at least two outside sources
2. Find a “mentor article,” as we’ve discussed in class. By this I mean, you will find a published article (about something else) that you admire that you would like to emulate in a publication that you would like to be published in. This way, you can turn to the article for help in writing—what are they doing that you would like to do? You do not have to copy the style of writing—but you can turn to it for tips in tone, structure and so on.
3. Include some of the work you did on your rhetorical analysis worksheet—you did good thinking about your artifact there!! So don’t let it go to waste.

So What Will I be Graded On?

1. Your rhetorical analysis questions being answered thoroughly, thoughtfully, and ON TIME!
2. The strength and clarity of your “so what?” Remember, you are talking about important social issues. “This is America” being a wild video is not interesting enough to write about for 1100 words. What is Gambino trying to say– and WHO CARES???? Remember to frame yourself in conversation with others (your outside sources) who have written about the same artifact.
3. Your own rhetorical awareness. Who is YOUR audience—and what are you doing to reach them—with tone, with subject, with images (if appropriate to your genre)?

Final papers due March 21 ! REMEMBER: FOR EACH DAY LATE, YOU LOSE 1/3 A LETTER GRADE FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS. AFTER THAT, YOU LOSE A FULL LETTER. SO BY DAY 6, YOU FAIL THIS UNIT. Don’t play, slay!

Option Two: Creative Interpretation

If you choose this option, you will do a creative project in which you use your artifact as a mentor text to talk about social issues. In other words, you will use your artifact as inspiration to make a creative piece of your own. This is a project INSPIRED BY your artifact, NOT ABOUT your artifact. You won’t paint a painting of Childish Gambino, but instead, you’ll think about what he’s doing that you would like to do.

This doesn’t mean that if you’re using a video, you have to make another video. It means you can use your artifact as a starting point. Look at your rhetorical analysis worksheet for ideas! For example, “This is America,” has elements of parody (“parody” is a genre that mocks serious literature, art, or society—like The Onion or The Daily Show) so if you chose this video, one option would be to make a parodic comic book based on some of the same issues Gambino tackles.

Artist Statement:

If you choose this option, you will need to write a formal artist statement of at least 500 words explaining how you were influenced by your artifact. In other words—what did you find in your rhetorical analysis that inspired you to make the art object you did? There will be a handout to help you write this statement. Please note: this artist statement will be a substantial part of your grade! Make sure it’s organized, and take enough time to revise it!

I Wonder How You Grade Something Like This?

1. Your rhetorical analysis questions being answered thoroughly, thoughtfully, and ON TIME!
2. The thoughtfulness of your project (how much time and effort you put into it, basically)
3. Your own rhetorical awareness. Who is your audience—and what are you doing to reach them using the factors we’ve discussed in class?
4. The strength and clarity of your artist statement. This should tell your viewers a. Why you created the work, b. What inspired you. c. How (SPECIFICALLY) you were influenced by the mentor artifact and d. What you learned from making this work. Remember, even though this is short, it’s a huge part of your grade, so you need to leave yourself time to revise it!

Remember! Rhetorical Analysis Worksheets Due March 7!

Final Project (with Artist Statement) Due March 21! Don’t lose points for lateness!