Extra Credit Options s1

EXTRA CREDIT OPTIONS

1. Write a letter (25 points)

In this age of Twitter, Facebook, texting, and other social media, the handwritten letter may be a form many of us are unfamiliar with. Yet this genre can still be a powerful tool of communication and connection. We write letters to keep in touch with people who are far away, to express things that cannot be as clearly expressed in person, or to request a course of action. This genre can be adapted to include everything from a heartfelt hello to a family member to a frustrated (yet professional) entreaty to a politician.

So for one extra credit option, I invite you to write a letter. This letter does not need to be sent (though it can be); it could be a letter you wish you could write but would never send in real life. Or it can be an opportunity to communicate with someone you haven’t seen in a while. The only requirements for this letter are (1) it should be at least one typed, single-spaced page or two handwritten pages (your choice!), and (2) it should be carefully thought out and rhetorically aware—meaning you have considered both your audience and your purpose for writing the letter, and made stylistic and content-based choices accordingly.

For inspiration, I suggest that you take a look at the wall in North Santium Hall titled “Letters We Wish We Could Write.”

2. Genre experimentation (20 points)

Choose a genre we have NOT experimented with in class (screenplay, satire, poem, allegory, fiction) and write at least one typed page (double-spaced) that experiments with this genre. The content of this experimentation is up to you; the important thing here is that you are considering both the limitations and the possibilities of this genre. Please include at least one paragraph (in addition to the page) that describes the choices you made and your experience with this experimentation.

3. Attend a library event or reading (20 points)

Eric Dickey, one of the English faculty members, will be reading his picture book, Alex the Ant Goes to the Beach, on Tuesday, March 10 from 12-1 pm in the Library Reading Room. He will also be answering questions about writing and publishing a children’s book. If you are able to find another reading that takes place within the next week, feel free to go to that as well. Write a one-page (double-spaced) report of the event, describing both what happened and your reaction in detail. Remember to be specific!

4. WR 121: Choose a cultural artifact (TV show, advertisement, billboard, novel, etc.) to analyze rhetorically (15 points)

Write a 1-2 page (double-spaced) rhetorical analysis of your chosen artifact. Be sure to answer the following questions:

 Who is the author, publisher, or producer of this work? What do you know about them?

 Who do you think the target audience is?

 How does the artifact use ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to that audience?

 What is the artifact’s purpose? What is it trying to do?

 Do you think it is successful in achieving that purpose? Why or why not?

5. WR 115: Short-words experimentation (15 points)

Choose one of the essays we have not read in the book (not including those you looked at for your second paper) and write a 10-12 sentence response paragraph about it. The catch: You may only use one-syllable words. Refer back to “The Case for Short Words” for ideas on how to do this.

With this paragraph, include another, brief paragraph reflecting on this process. Having practiced using only short words, how do you feel about Lederer’s essay? Did this experience change your opinion? Why or why not? Feel free to mix and match among these options – you may do any combination of them, or none at all. Remember, though, that the maximum you can receive is 50 points. All extra credit is due hard copy on the last day of class (March 11-12).