PWR

1 | The Rhetoric of Gaming | Fall 2017

THE RESEARCH-BASED ARGUMENT

Introduction Draft Assignment
Assignment Description: This assignment asks you to draft an introduction for your
research-based argument.

Due: Introduction draft due: Thursday, November 9 by 5pm

Format: 1.5 spacing; page numbers; in-text citations and works cited in MLA form; 1”
LOGISTICS

margins; visual evidence as appropriate, with rhetorical captions.

Submission Format: Electronic posting of all materials to your RBA folder; no pdfs or
Google docs. No printouts necessary. Put the introduction in the same file as your outline –
it should be inserted in the spot of the outline where the introduction would go.

Grading:
The RBA is worth 45% of the overall class grade. The intro draft does not receive an
individual grade, but failing to complete it to assignment specifications will affect your
grade for the RBA assignment as a whole.

Introduction draft: Details

Due Thursday, November 9 by 5pm

The introduction is the first moment where you signal your topic, your tone, your level of style (grand, middle,
plain), your approach and your argument to your readers. It’s where you first hook them in and where you
give them a sense of what they can expect from your essay. Even at this early stage of writing, it’s a good time
to start thinking about how you want to use your introduction to frame your essay as a whole.

In keeping with our practice of invention and play, and building on the work with introductions that you’ve
done for the previous assignments for this class, for this assignment, you should experiment with writing a
powerful introduction to your research-based argument. This assignment will at least provide you with a
starting point for thinking about how you would like to convey your topic and argument to your audience.

Remember the different options available to you as you write your introduction:
• Featuring rhetorical appeals or rhetorical concepts (pathos, logos, ethos, kairos, doxa)
• Using different strategies of argumentation (narration, definition, example, comparison/contrast,
process, cause-effect, classification, description)
• Starting with a significant/unexpected quote, statistic, story or fact
• Starting with your counterargument
• Setting up context and background
• Establishing a strong and engaging voice
• Establishing your level of style

In all likelihood, you’ll use a combination of the different strategies above – the key is to be strategic in how
you compose your introductions and keep your reader in mind. This is not just about framing your essay; it’s
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 PWR 1 | The Rhetoric of Gaming | Fall 2017

about introducing your readers to your topic, convincing them that your argument is interesting, worthwhile,
and relevant.

Your introduction can be more than 1 paragraph long, if appropriate. Be sure to include a working thesis (a
“starter” thesis) statement in your introduction, even if you’re still developing your claim at this point.

Please include the introduction in the same file as your outline – simply insert your introduction in your outline
in the place where it would be. No printouts needed. Upload your drafted intro/outline to your RBA folder.

See the outline assignment sheet for more information about your outline.

Feedback, Evaluation, and Grading

Note: The intros are not graded, but failure to submit them or complete them to the assignment specifications
will result in a reduction of your overall RBA grade by ½ a grade (from an A- to an A-/B+).