1. Purpose: To persuade a public audience to take action on the
issue that you researched in the Academic Argument Essay.
Audience: A particular group of people that has the power to act
on what you recommend. Examples may include: government
officials, members of a campus organization, school
administrators, non-profit organizations and advocacy groups,
or specific subsets of the population.
Genre: Instead of writing a print essay, this assignment asks you
to develop a multi-modal genre. Multi-modal genres blend text,
images, and elements of visual design (font, color, arrangement,
focus, etc.) to persuade readers. For our class purposes, I
recommend choosing a genre that can be submitted
electronically such as a PowerPoint Slidecast, Prezi, or video. If
you want to use another genre, please see Ms. Hogelin for
approval. Your choice of genre should be purposeful and
appropriate for your topic.
Basic Genre Requirements: 1. You must use a genre that blends
images, visual design, and text. 2. You must have a minimum of
500 words of text in addition to your visual images. 3. You
must cite all of the images that you use from web sources 4.
You must use (and cite) a minimum of 4 sources to support your
argument.
Assignment: Once you have identified and defined your
audience, you will formulate an argumentative thesis that takes
a position on the issue. First, you’ll need to improve your
audience’s understanding of the issue, then move them to
action, and/or change their attitude about how they should
approach or understand the issue. Different genres will have
different ways of communicating the thesis, so you should
carefully analyze samples of the genres you choose.

2. Regardless of which genre you choose, all multi-modal projects
should contain the following basic features: 1. Introductory
elements that engage the audience’s attention and convey the
issue’s importance. This section should also provide context of
the issue, necessary background information, and an overview
of the debates surrounding the issue. 2. Thesis statement that
makes a claim about the issue, supported with reasons and
evidence. Your claim, reasons, and evidence will vary
depending on the intended audience and genre. 3. The body of
the project should develop main ideas supported by visual and
textual evidence. Refer back to your past research to support
your argument. This portion of the project should translate your
research into language that is appropriate for your audience.
Remember to cite all sources, including the images you use. 4.
Develop one or two counterarguments to your position and
respond to them, either by disproving that position or conceding
to it while still standing your ground. 5. A conclusion that
provides a clear call to action that you want the audience to
take. In this section, show the audience why the issue matters
and why they should act on it.
Locating Images for Your Project: While it is possible to pull
images from the web and copy and paste them into your project,
doing so violates copyright law. You could, of course, write for
permission to use the image, but that takes too much time.
Instead, search for images that you are allowed to use without
permission by using The Creative Commons Search Engine:
http://search.creativecommons.org Most of these images are
available for you to use in your projects, but you still need to
cite them.
Visual Design: When you design your multi-modal project,
consider all of the elements that make visual communication
effective. These include: 1. Visual Function: A clear purpose
for the text and design elements in your project. Each element
needs to be functional rather than ornamental. 2. Visual Impact:

3. Visual images complement the text to create a persuasive
overall effect, one that engages the viewers/readers and moves
them to consider the argument. 3. Visual Coherence: Clear and
coherent connections between the visual elements of the text are
connected by color, framing, font, shape, size, etc. 4. Visual
Organization: Visuals and text are arranged in a way that makes
them easy for viewers/readers to understand.
Evaluation Criteria: • Introductory elements that provide
background and context • Thesis statement that makes a claim &
points to a call to action • Plenty of evidence to support, both
visual and textual • Insightful development of & response to
counterarguments • Conclusion that issues a call to action •
Visual Design that is purposeful, engaging, coherent, and
organized • Citations of images and quotations