When analyzing them, please consider more than what you see, but also consider what you hear. Is there any music? If so, what kind of music is it? What do the people in the commercial say, and how is it said? How do you feel after you watch the video? Those are just a few questions that you may want to consider. Also, in the essay, please refer to the videos by the names below, and remember that quotes help make your evidence more specific.
Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIuXv7Y8QA4 (Vintage McDonald’s)
Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtWRCIkFl00 (New Dad)
Video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuy0MSCDHk8 (Grandmother and Granddaughter)
Video 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oACRt-Qp-s (Jordan vs. Bird)
Video 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKLncvGxQ8 (Japanese McDonald’s)
Video 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eN9KP6lOZs (Cha Cha Slide)
Video 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4OAtMEXNfc (Spiderman)
Sample Thesis Statement:
The videos Grandmother and Granddaughter, New Dad, and Cha Cha Slide show how McDonald’s commercials appeal to consumers’ family values in order to perpetuate the idea that McDonald’s is their “trusted friend” (3).
Rhetorical situation
Audience: An academic audience that has not seen these commercials. That means that you have be specific when you describe each commercial.
Goals: This assignment addresses the following institutional student learning outcomes:
- “Communication: Effectively communicate thought in a well-organized manner to persuade, inform, and convey ideas in academic, work, family and community settings.”
- “Ethics: practice and demonstrate standards of personal and professional integrity, honesty and fairness; apply ethical principles in submission of all college work.”
- “Aesthetics: Use multiple modes of inquiry and approaches to experience and to engage with the art and nature; develop and express personal creative visions throughout all aspects of one’s life.”
Documentation guidelines
- 12-point Times New Roman font. (No bold font in the document).
- Double space throughout the entire document. (Do not skip extra lines between the paragraphs).
- 1-inch margins on all sides (i.e., top, bottom, right, and left) of each page.
- A header should be on the first page only. The header should include your name, then the instructor’s name, the name of the class (EN 101), then the date of submission.
- Include an intriguing title below the header.
- Include a page number in the top right corner of every page.
- Please follow MLA guidelines. (See the following link.)
Grade Weight: 20% of your final grade (100 points)
Length: 1000 – 1300 words and at least 5 paragraphs
Sources: The 3 – 5 videos and the excerpt from Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Excerpt of Fast Food Nation: https://books.google.com/books?id=dU13X_AM_N8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=fast+food+nation&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xIQYVcCzCYacgwTAnITQAQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=fast%20food%20nation&f=false
(Do NOT use any other outside sources, and do not forget to cite the sources both within the essay and at the end of the essay in the Works Cited page.)
Other considerations:
Make sure that you save a copy of all of your essays on a flash drive and/or an online file saving system such as Google Drive or dropbox.com. Be sure to submit a complete draft of your paper to the online writing center for review and proofread your paper several times before turning it in.
Do NOT use any other outside sources without the instructor’s permission. This should be based on your view, not any source you read online. Remember, plagiarizing will lead to a 0 on this assignment and other possible consequences.
Post any questions that you have regarding this assignment on the forum so that all of the class can see the question and the answer.
Rubric:
100 – 90 points (A) – it contains all or very close to all of the following: The essay follows assignment guidelines, appeals to the appropriate audience, and maintains a clear purpose; a thesis statement guides the paper and provides an insightful entrance into the topic; body paragraphs focus on one topic each and are introduced in a sensible order; the ordering of and transitions between paragraphs and sentences enhance development of ideas; the introduction and conclusion are thought-provoking and provocative; voice, tone, and level of formality are used to appeal to the audience and effectively accomplish the essay’s purpose; the sentence style is consistently sophisticated and creates an appealing reading experience; grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout the paper; quotations, paraphrases, summaries are integrated smoothly, and documentation is handled correctly; and formatting is correct throughout the paper.
89 – 80 points (B) – it contains most of the following: The essay follows assignment guidelines, appeals to the appropriate audience, and maintains a clear purpose; a thesis statement guides the paper and provides an insightful entrance into the topic; body paragraphs focus on one topic each and are introduced in a sensible order; the ordering of and transitions between paragraphs and sentences enhance development of ideas; the introduction and conclusion are thought-provoking and provocative; voice, tone, and level of formality are used to appeal to the audience and effectively accomplish the essay’s purpose; the sentence style is consistently sophisticated and creates an appealing reading experience; grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout the paper; quotations, paraphrases, summaries are integrated smoothly, and documentation is handled correctly; and formatting is correct throughout the paper.
79 – 70 points (C) – it contains some of the following: The essay follows assignment guidelines, appeals to the appropriate audience, and maintains a clear purpose; a thesis statement guides the paper and provides an insightful entrance into the topic; body paragraphs focus on one topic each and are introduced in a sensible order; the ordering of and transitions between paragraphs and sentences enhance development of ideas; the introduction and conclusion are thought-provoking and provocative; voice, tone, and level of formality are used to appeal to the audience and effectively accomplish the essay’s purpose; the sentence style is consistently sophisticated and creates an appealing reading experience; grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout the paper; quotations, paraphrases, summaries are integrated smoothly, and documentation is handled correctly; and formatting is correct throughout the paper.
69 – 60 points (D) – it lacks most of the following: The essay follows assignment guidelines, appeals to the appropriate audience, and maintains a clear purpose; a thesis statement guides the paper and provides an insightful entrance into the topic; body paragraphs focus on one topic each and are introduced in a sensible order; the ordering of and transitions between paragraphs and sentences enhance development of ideas; the introduction and conclusion are thought-provoking and provocative; voice, tone, and level of formality are used to appeal to the audience and effectively accomplish the essay’s purpose; the sentence style is consistently sophisticated and creates an appealing reading experience; grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout the paper; quotations, paraphrases, summaries are integrated smoothly, and documentation is handled correctly; and formatting is correct throughout the paper.
59 points and below (F) – it lacks all or close to all of the following and/or does not address the topic: The essay follows assignment guidelines, appeals to the appropriate audience, and maintains a clear purpose; a thesis statement guides the paper and provides an insightful entrance into the topic; body paragraphs focus on one topic each and are introduced in a sensible order; the ordering of and transitions between paragraphs and sentences enhance development of ideas; the introduction and conclusion are thought-provoking and provocative; voice, tone, and level of formality are used to appeal to the audience and effectively accomplish the essay’s purpose; the sentence style is consistently sophisticated and creates an appealing reading experience; grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout the paper; quotations, paraphrases, summaries are integrated smoothly, and documentation is handled correctly; and formatting is correct throughout the paper.
