Week 11

Blog Post #5 Directions

Topic: Sports

BP #5 Percentage Value: 4%

Format: Complete sentences, paragraphs, MLA citations

Submission: Post your BP #5 to your blog.

Due Date: Refer to the course schedule.

In your blog this week, focus on one of the following American sports teams, leagues, athletes, or events . . .

The Super Bowl

Shaun White

The U.S. Women's National (Soccer) Team

March Madness

Tim Tebow

Danica Patrick

The Boston Marathon

The US Open

Michael Jordan

Abby Wambach

NASCAR

Major League Baseball

Serena Williams

. . . and compose a post that focuses on these five components:

1. the team's/league's/athlete's/event's background  

2. the team's/league's/athlete's/event's existence, thus far, in 2012 (i.e.  In 2012, has the team/league/athlete been in the news for anything or won any games/tournaments?  Has the event occurred yet, is it occurring now, or is it going to occur soon?) 

3. the merchandise that is available for fans of the team/league/athlete/event

4. the team's/league's/athlete's/event's online promotional efforts (Ex. official website, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.)

5. an assessment of the team's/league's/athlete's/event's value in American culture  

Additional Information

Your response to each prompt should be one-paragraph, minimum, in length.  

Use credible secondary sources (Ex. an official website and/or article content from a recognizable news outlet) for your research, and make sure that you include in-text citations and a Works Cited page.  

Week 9

Topic: Technology

BP #4 Percentage Value: 4%

Format: Complete sentences, paragraphs

Due Date: Refer to the course schedule

Directions: Choose a contemporary technology to evaluate.   Then, respond to the below prompts.   Any sources used should be cited in MLA format (in-text citations, Works Cited).

1. Describe the appearance and the components of the technology.  2 paragraphs minimum.

2. Who does the company of the product seem to be marketing the product towards?

3. In what circumstances/situations/jobs can the technology be used?

4. Who uses the technology?  Who might not have/use the technology, and why? (Go beyond 
"People use it.  Some people might not use it."  Think particular demographics.)  1 paragraph 
minimum

5. Which currently available products are similar to the technology you are focusing on?   
How are they similar?  1 paragraph minimum

6. What past products (i.e. previous technologies) does the technology seem to build off of?  
How is the technology you are evaluating differ from these past products? 1 paragraph 
minimum

7. How has the technology affected American culture?  1 paragraph minimum

Week 6

Blog Post #3 Directions

Topic: Popular Music

Directions: Select one of the artists listed under the “Charts” sections (“Hot 100,” “Billboard 200,” et cetera) in the Billboard website, http://www.billboard.com/charts#/, and reflect upon why he/she is (or, why they are) popular.  Specifically address the following prompts:

1.   Who is the artist, and what genre can her/his/their music be classified as?

2.   What songs of this artist are popular? Make sure that the song titles appear in quotation marks.

3.   Is the artist fairly new to the music scene, or has the artist been around for a while? (Think Madonna versus Lana Del Rey, for instance.  Madonna has a longstanding music career (1980’s to present), whereas Del Rey is a new artist—her first album was only recently released.)

4.   Describe the artist’s (artists’) appearance.  Does he/she (or, do they) wear particular clothing or have a unique style? 1 paragraph minimum

5.   Review the lyrics of one of the artist’s songs.  How would you describe the lyrics?  Are they catchy, inspiring, offensive, or nonsensical?  Include examples from the lyrics in the context of this response.  1 paragraph minimum

6.   Watch one of the artist’s music videos and describe the content.  1 paragraph minimum

7.   You’re the judge: Would you like to see this artist’s popularity continue, or would you prefer for her/his/their career to quickly come to an end?  Make sure you provide reasons to support your opinion.  1 paragraph minimum

Week 4

Blog Post #2 Directions

BP #2 Percentage Value: 4%

Format: Blog post
Submission: Post your BP #2 to your blog.
Due Date: Refer to the course schedule.

Topic: Television


Directions:  

Compose a five-paragraph minimum evaluation of a television show episode. (Make sure to choose a show that currently airs on television.)  Inform your audience of the show's genre, of the channel it airs on, and of the day and time it appears on that channel. Your evaluation should include an overview of the episode’s plot, descriptions of its featured persons/characters, and your opinion about what worked well (or, what didn’t work well) in the episode.  Also assess the reasons for the show's popularity.  

Week 2

ENG 247: Blog Post #1 Directions

Topic: Advertising

General Directions: In correspondence with the assigned textbook reading for Week 2, you will perform a critical analysis of a contemporary commercial, of your choice, for this first blog post.  The commercial should advertise a current, popular product.  Your goals are to summarize the content of the commercial, address the commercial’s application of the rhetorical appeals, and offer a response to and/or criticisms of the commercial’s effectiveness. 

Compose thoughtful, thorough responses to the following questions and prompts:

1. Inform your audience of the product featured in the commercial and the brand or company associated with the product. (1-2 sentences)

2. Provide a summary (2 paragraphs minimum) of the chosen commercial. Offer a beginning-to-end overview of the content, while also being descriptive.  Assume that your audience has never seen the commercial before.

3. Apply the three rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to the commercial.  Is the commercial’s intended message sound/logical?  Is the commercial’s content credible/reliable? How does the commercial attempt to emotionally appeal to viewers? (1-2 paragraphs)

4. Lastly, offer your own evaluation of the contemporary commercial.  Is it effective or ineffective, and why?  (1-2 paragraphs)

Welcome to the course!