English Composition
Format MLA
Volume of 2 pages (550 words)
Assignment type : Essay
Description
This month, we’re asking you to analyze an ad to see what makes it persuasive, and then engage in an academic, professional discourse to teach your classmates about what the ad does to appeal to its target audience. Focusing on an ad to practice analysis gives you the opportunity to examine carefully crafted, high-quality communication and discover how it is possible to convey a complex idea concisely, using more than just words.
But that’s not all.
To become a master, you must learn from the masters.
By completing this analysis, you will begin to develop the necessary critical thinking skills to analyze the work of master creators in your future industry, which will give you the power to turn every creation you encounter into a model or example you can learn from, just by asking, “What did they do?” and “How does that work?”
In learning how to examine another person’s creative work and then explain what you have learned in writing, you will develop the skills to clearly and effectively communicate your own creative ideas.
Analyzing how other creators reach a target audience can help you better understand how audience influences all of your creative work.
And by practicing using research to support and develop your analysis, you will learn effective methods for finding reliable new sources of information that can help you continue to expand on your knowledge and skills long after graduation.
Analytical and critical thinking skills, research skills, and written communication skills are what industry professionals call transferable skills—meaning that they apply to any industry—and they will be essential in your career.
THE PROCESS
You will complete the essay in five steps over the course of the next four weeks. After each step, you will receive feedback from your instructor, which you should apply to the next step.
WEEK 1 // Step 1: Preparing to Write
In Week 1, you will choose an ad and complete a worksheet to help you brainstorm, engage in critical thinking, and record your observations about the ad’s methods of persuasion. You will also begin working toward a thesis statement for your essay.
WEEK 2 // Step 2: Organizing
In Week 2, you will take the approved thesis statement from Step 1 along with your insights from the worksheet and use them to build an outline, which will serve as the blueprint for your essay. You will also begin your research, with the goal of finding two additional sources to support your analysis.
WEEK 3 // Step 3: Composing With Care
In Week 3, you will finalize your research and compose a best-possible first version of your essay based on your outline, applying any feedback from your instructor.
WEEK 4 // Step 4: Peer Review + Step 5: Revising
At the start of Week 4, you will share the first version of your essay with your classmates to get feedback. To finish the week, you will revise your essay, applying the feedback from your classmates and your instructor.
Length: 300 to 900 words (If using the template, aim for 500 to 1100 words in total: 300 to 900 of your own words plus the guiding text.)
Style: Follow the structure of a formal outline (see example below). Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-space your lines.
Your essay must:
Be at least 700 words and no more than 1400 words, not including the title and references pages.
Present a thoughtful analysis of how the ad works to achieve its intended aim. Avoid merely summarizing the ad’s audio/visual content or plot; instead, focus on explaining how key elements contribute to the overall message of the ad.
Include supporting research from the “Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in Advertising” video (from Step 1), one credible, in-depth article from the library databases, and one additional credible, in-depth article that may come from the databases or online. (Consult your instructor if you want to use additional sources.)
Include APA-Style in-text citations within the essay to indicate which sentences contain quotes, paraphrases and summaries of information from your sources.
Include a references page with APA Style reference entries for all research sources and the advertisement that you chose to analyze.
Follow APA Style, including formatting the title page, essay body, and references page according to APA guidelines. Do not include an abstract.
