WRT 205 Unit 2 Assignment

Research Encounter Synthesis & e-Portfolio

“Like all writers, intellectuals need to say something new and say it well. But unlike many other writers,
what intellectuals have to say is bound up inextricably with the books we are reading, the movies we are
watching, the music we are listening to, and the ideas of the people we are talking with. Our creativity thus
has its roots in the work of others—in response, reuse, and rewriting” (2).
~Joe Harris, Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts

Your Work in this Unit

In the quote above, Joe Harris claims that “intellectuals” [a category which includes you as an academic writer, as well as
professional academic scholars] are always checking in with other writers, thinkers, and texts. We do so because our writing
projects necessarily involve using and rewriting the words and ideas and perspectives of others. In Unit 1, you began exploring
our inquiry with the questions you found most intriguing. The research questions you generated at the end of Unit 1 will guide
you as you search for sources, but the sources you find will in turn impact your research focus; so be prepared to revise, refine,
and narrow the questions—and ultimately to decide on one specific and precise question.

Your individualized research and analysis of your sources in Unit 2 serve as the next step toward preparing to compose a
persuasive research proposal/project in Unit 3. Over the next few weeks, you will:

 engage in primary research by collecting “artifacts”, observing, interviewing, etc.

 conduct targeted keyword searches in the library databases for secondary sources
 choose two primary and two secondary sources that you deem most interesting or worthwhile for your developing
project out of all the research you’ve uncovered
 analyze these sources in relation to your developing research question with attention to genre, source use, rhetoric, etc
 create a research portfolio that includes your analyses with supporting visuals and a thorough reflection that further
hones your research focus

I will expect you to engage closely and critically with your sources—specifically to use material from the sources as evidence
for the claims you make in the written products for this unit. The above work will enable you, as Harris puts it, “to say
something new and say it well” in your persuasive research proposal/project in Unit 3.

Primary Research Encounters

In this unit, to get started with primary research, you will begin by collecting representational artifacts of a number of different
items from the list below (items off the list are encouraged, but please run these by me). You will likely need to take a
photograph, post a link, grab a screen shot, write a description/summary, etc. to show me and your classmates evidence of the
items you collected or observed. In addition, plan to record or keep careful notes of any interviews and observations. (For
interviews, make sure you have permission to record.)
 Potential Primary Research Encounters
 visit a location involved with your research question(s)
 attend a meeting/lecture/conference/seminar related to your topic
 look up photographs/visuals connected to your inquiry
 view a TED Talk associated with the subject matter
 watch a related documentary in your area of interest
 listen to a corresponding podcast (This I Believe: http://thisibelieve.org/, StoryCorps: https://storycorps.org/)
 interview someone with knowledge on the subject (lived experience, expert, etc.)
 explore pertinent art, i.e. music, poetry, painting, play, album cover, literature, sculpture, etc.
 follow a blog, vlog, or website covering the topic
 listen/watch a relevant newscast
 find a story which resonates in a popular magazine or news publication
 read a memoir germane to your research
 collect brochures from service organizations
 locate an apt poster, flier, hand-out
 uncover fitting legislation
 discover an apropos cartoon
 observe patterns/trends…

Secondary Research Encounters

In addition to the primary research above (related to your developing area of interest from Unit One), you will also locate a
small selection of secondary sources on the library databases. Our goal is for you to locate at least one peer-reviewed
scholarly source useful for your developing research project by the end of this unit. For an explanation of scholarly sources, go
to: http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/content.php?pid=38738&sid=284702

Rhetorical Analysis & Summary

As we go, you will draft a rich description of each potential source for your research portfolio (750 words) including how
genre played a role in the source’s impact on you, and you will draw on other concepts from chapter one of Everything’s a Text.
As you develop your Unit 2 analyses, you’ll find Joseph Harris’s ch. 2 “Forwarding” helpful in analyzing how composers’ use
sources. In addition, refer to the classical appeals hand-out, and the brief assigned readings on audience & exigence, and
kairos. Include in your analyses: background/context (name, title, date of publication/creation, place or site of
publication/creation, what you discover about the composer(s)); genre (what is the genre/sub-genre and the
conventions/characteristics); purpose (what is the composer(s) attempting to do in the text and how are they doing it);
audience (who is the target audience, how do you know, how is the audience shaping the choices the composer is making in
terms of persona, choice of medium, etc.); and key concepts (record three quotes that resonate with you and any keywords
or concepts that circulate in the text—meaning they repeat, seem significant, or connect with your evolving research topic).
Conclude with a two sentence summary (how would you summarize this text in two sentences for someone outside our
class—a parent, for example, or a college student studying something similar but who has not encountered this text. What
information seems most important to include? What can you leave out?)

Research Encounters Synthesis

From your research, you will then select the two primary sources and two secondary sources (one must be scholarly) that you
believe to be most fruitful for your developing project. The next step is to, compose a synthesis in which you analyze and
compare the genre *conventions of each source, how each source uses sources, and how each source utilizes rhetorical
appeals…and the impact this has on you as a member of the audience. In composing, be sure to synthesize ideas. Rather than
reflecting source by source, organize around the analysis concepts we have been using. For example, you would consider the
role genre played across sources in one section, you would consider rhetorical appeals across sources in another section, etc.

*When thinking about genre, research the conventions and answer the following questions: What ideas does the genre
include or leave out? What kinds of sources (people, conversations, texts, and experiences) are usual in the genre? What kinds of attitudes
and values are represented by the genre and its patterns or conventions? How do rhetorical appeals vary across genres? How is this different
from the ways you’ve seen ideas and research presented in other genres and situations? In presenting ideas and research in this way, what’s
gained? What’s lost? What kinds of research are necessary for understanding your topic? What do you need to know to compose a
persuasive proposal/project for the next unit?
 The Nitty Gritty
The Unit 2 Research Encounter Synthesis & e-Portfolio involves showcasing your research, rhetorical analyses & summaries,
and the final Synthesis on your Expressions site (which serves as your e-portfolio). As you create/compose, keep visual appeal
in mind. Include Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) and an appropriate title. The Unit 2 project is due to be uploaded
in its entirety on your Expressions site before class on Monday 10/29 unless otherwise specified. This assignment will count as
200 points, 20% of your final grade.

An additional 75 points are available for invention/homework completed during the course of this unit; these smaller assignments are considered a
valuable part of the composing process. To receive credit for invention, these assignments should be posted during the week due as indicated on the
course calendar.