Fall 2003 English 1551: Writing 2
 

 

 


Argument 3: Causality (20% -- 200 points)

Due dates Rough Draft:  Weds. 10.8.03       Final Draft:  Weds. 10.15.03
Topic

 Strategy in Print Advertisements
REQUIRED
Sources
  • A total of 4-5, divided up as follows:
    1. One (one only) source with page numbers [PDF-format article, book, newspaper or magazine article in its original print form, photocopied article from a journal, magazine or newspaper]
    2. At least one full-text HTML-format article from ASP or any  EBSCO database
    3. At least one non-PDF full-text article from any of the following online services:  SIRS Knowledge Source, Infotrac Health Reference Center, LexisNexis, Newsbank Newsfile. [these links open in new windows]

      Note: the above links will work only from a YSU computer. For off-campus access to LexisNexis and Newsbank, you need to use OhioLink's remote authentication [see the directions at the Articles from Online Databases page in the Help Sites section of this website.]  Infotrac is not available off campus. And SIRS is available only through OPLIN. See the Articles from Online Databases page linked above for directions for accessing SIRS.

      The Articles from Online Databases page also includes a link to       a short help page for working with the online services listed above.

Directions   

  1. Find a suitable magazine ad

    For this assignment you are going to work with a full page (or multi-paged) magazine ad from a magazine published within the last year (Sep. 2002 or later). It should be ad that, in your opinion, is "successful." In other words, look for an ad that you think will achieve its desired effect with its intended audience. 

    While any ad that is not pornographic will do, you might find it easier to work with an ad that is relatively detailed or reasonably complex. Ads that include human subjects and also make use of both words and images are probably the best kind to look for, but, in the end, you are free to make your own choice.

    Note, too, that you don't have to choose an ad that you necessarily like, or whose intended effect you necessarily agree with. And you certainly don't have to pick an ad that has someone like you as its intended audience (but you could if you want to).

  2. Develop an argument

    Once you have settled upon an ad, then work on developing a causal argument that shows why the selected ad will achieve its desired effect. [For the purposes of the assignment, let's assume that the ad has either not yet been published or was only published very recently.] To build a strong case with good evidence, you'll need to do some research concerning any or all of the following areas:

  • advertising strategies (both general strategies and strategies particular to the kind of product/company featured in the ad)

  • the intended (or targeted) audience

  • the product (and/or company) featured in the ad 

For this argument your claim is more or less pre-set for you. You are going to claim that a particular ad will be successful -- that it will achieve its desired effect with its intended audience. You will, of course, have to explain what you see as the desired effect and whom you see as the intended audience. Having done that, you will then try to generate some causal evidence to support your claim about the ad's success. Basically, you'll be trying to show that certain features of the ad's images, words, and overall design will act upon the intended audience in certain ways that will contribute to the ad's success. 

Rough draft requirements

  • at least 500 words
  • sources list (APA or MLA format)
  • use of  2 sources, with at least 2 quotations and at least two places where you paraphrase and/or summarize from a source [note: your ad doesn't count as a source and won't be included in the sources list for this argument]
  • inclusion of necessary in-text citations and/or signal-phrases
Final draft requirements
  • 900-1100 words 
  • MLA or APA format for opening page, header, in-text citation, and sources list
  • use of  4-5 sources
    • at least 4 well-integrated quotations
    • effective paraphrasing and/or summarizing from sources [and remember to use signal phrases and/or in-text citation when paraphrasing and/or summarizing]
  • good organization
  • careful editing and proofreading 
Folder requirements

 Left Side (top to bottom)

  • rough draft
  • rough draft peer response[s] written for you

Right Side (top to bottom)

  • cover letter (in class 10.15.03)
  • final draft (stapled)
  • your selected magazine ad
  • printouts of the first page [only the first page, please -- for books use the title page] of all sources
    • arrange your source print-outs in the same order as they appear on the sources list, and staple them together
    • on each source print-out [except for title pages from books] highlight the name of the database or service. If the database or subscription service name does not appear on the print-out, then write the database name at the top. 

Useful links and resources

  • Chapters 11 and 15 in ea (pp.161-172 and 251-259)
  • Using Academic Search Premier (page from this web site)
  • Finding Books (page from this web site)
  • Finding Articles from Online Databases (page from this site)
  • MLA guidelines in LBCH (pp. 348-389)[5th ed., pp. 356-398]: specifically
    • all pages from Argument 1, plus
    • 4th ed., 358-63 (how to cite books in a Works Cited list)
             [5th ed., pp. 364-370]
    • 4th ed. 372, #42 (citing non-PDF articles from an online database in a WC list) [5th ed. p.376, # 33]
  • APA guidelines in LBCH (pp. 392-409) [5th ed., pp. 401-425]: specifically
    • all pages from Argument 1, plus 
    • 4th ed., 399-401 (how to cite books in a References list)
             [5th ed., pp. 407-409]
    • 404, #24 (citing sources [specifically, non-PDF articles] from an online database in a References list) [5th ed., p. 412, #21]
    • Note: for this assignment you can ignore the APA requirement for an Abstract.