ADVICE as you Compose and Design your websites * Your website must have the following 3 pages: ● Home Page: ​This page should make very clear right away what the purpose/mission of the website is (what’s be advocated for). It should be visually appealing to draw readers in and make them want to continue to explore the site. It typically provides some background information on the issue and makes clear there’s a problem that needs addressing. Students often have striking visual images, pull-out quotes, and relevant statistics on this page. It also often links out to the other “content” pages on the website. ● About Page: ​This page should tell your readers the name of your “made-up” advocacy organization, its purpose, philosophy, mission, history, etc. ● Works Cited Page:​ This page should serve as your Works Cited page, providing the professional citations of all sources used in your website. It should also cite the images or videos you used/incorporated into the website. You may want to have two lists: Sources Cited and Images Included. * Your website must also have a minimum of 3 additional “meaty” content-driven pages. It may be helpful to think of these 3 pages as the “body” of a research paper, were you writing this in the form of a traditional academic research paper. What are the 3 themes you would cover in the body of your essay? Examples​: ● Home Page, ​Problems Page, Solutions Page, Get Involved Page,​ About Page, Works Cited Page ● Home Page, ​What Page, Why Page, How Page, ​About Page, Works Cited Page ● Home Page, ​Problems/Solutions Page, Take Action Page, News Page,​ About Page, Works Cited Page ● Home Page, ​History Page, We Need Change Page, How You Can Help Page, ​About Page, Works Cited Page ● (Thematic, based on topic): Home Page, ​Sources of Pollution, Impacts of Pollution, Solutions for Pollution, ​About Page, Works Cited Page * All of the Pages should be accessible by a Menu on the Home Page. ​Most templates place the menu at the top of the page. * Be sure to draw on and apply your ​rhetorical knowledge​ and ​rhetorical and writing style techniques​ you’ve learned this semester as you compose and design your Advocacy Website. In other words, demonstrate ethos, utilize pathos, and provide enough logos to persuade your readers there is a significant problem that they should take action on. In addition, consider the hypothetical rhetorical situation for your website, including the constraints of the target audience and you as the author, any possible exigencies you can draw upon to engage readers, and the affordances of the multi-modality of website design (possibilities for visuals, text, audio, interactivity, links to other sources/resources). Consider whether any elements of Rogerian argument or rhetorical empathy would be applicable here. ​You will be writing about your consideration of rhetoric in composing and designing your website in the required Letter of Explanation​ that must accompany the website. * Images: ​You will likely be incorporating a number of visual images (and perhaps some videos or audios). Some of the website design programs include images you can use. Otherwise, consider using Creative Commons to search for images. If you do not plan to keep your website Published beyond the purposes of this class, there is less worry about whether you have “permission” to use the images” from the artists. If you do plan to keep your website published beyond this course, you should be sure you use images that you are allowed to use and give full credit to the artist (Creative Commons allows you to search for images that you can use as long as you give credit and/or link to the image.) * Source material: ​Please make sure you use in-text citations when citing source material in your Advocacy Websites (even if some real-world websites don’t). And be sure you cite all your sources formally (you can use APA or MLA, whichever you prefer) on your Works Cited Page of the website. You must incorporate a minimum of 7 sources in your Advocacy Website, but you may (of course) use more. A minimum of 3 sources must be scholarly. * Assessment:​ I will be grading your websites in the following 5 categories: Persuasiveness, Depth, Research, Design, and Letter of Explanation. See the original assignment prompt for descriptions of each of these. Multi-Modal Advocacy Website Project (25% of course grade) For this assignment, you will research a social, cultural, or political issue of deep interest to you. After conducting thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate scholarly research, you will create an advocacy-driven website that utilizes the affordances of multiple media and communication forms to engage, educate, and persuade a public audience to take action. The website, which should draw from and cite a minimum of 7 reliable, quality sources (3 of which must be academic articles accessed through library databases), should be designed to persuade a general public audience that the issue you’re discussing is an important one, and one that requires action (donations, membership, education, etc.). PAGES & FEATURES You should compose the website as if you work for an advocacy organization. Make up a name for your advocacy organization (for example: College Students for a Better College Experience, Mothers for Wildlife Advocacy, etc.). Your website should have a Home Page, an About Page (about your organization), at least 3 additional topical pages that expand on issues raised on the Home Page, and a Works Cited Page. These pages should be accessible by a Menu on the Home Page. The website should also make strategic use of provocative visuals, “pull-out” quotes, and other design features. Get creative! This assignment is meant to be the equivalent work of writing an 8-10-page research paper, so keep that in mind as you decide how much text and how many visuals, videos, etc. to include. STYLE Overall, work to model your writing style, tone, and voice on those of other successful advocacy websites and websites in general. The writing should be accessible AND appealing to a wide public audience. Use visuals, audio, etc. in a style appealing to the public as well. RHETORIC Be sure to draw on your rhetorical knowledge and rhetorical techniques to persuade visitors to your website that the issue is important, needs their consideration, and needs action . Demonstrate ethos, utilize pathos, and provide enough logos to be persuasive. In addition, consider the hypothetical rhetorical situation for your website, including the constraints of the target audience (the public), the text (a website), you as the author, and also any possible exigence(s) and kairos. Allow that information to inform how you compose and design your advocacy website. WEBSITE DESIGN TOOLS You are not expected to be professional web designers, but rather to (as best you can) utilize the free and easy-to-use software that’s available to demonstrate your ability to apply rhetorical principles and techniques in a multi-modal format, in this case a website. Some of the most popular website creation applications are the following. If you are more familiar with a different one and would prefer to use that one instead, please do so. • Weebly (for a good advocacy website example, go to weebly.com, click on Websites, scroll down and click on View Themes, Select Business, and click on the Wildlife Conservation Services example) • Wix • Adobe Spark • Squarespace Do note, as you explore these applications, if there is a “free trial” expiration date so you can ensure your website will be accessible by me up until at least a week after the project is due so I have time to view and grade it. (See next page...) LETTER OF EXPLANATION (1-2 pgs. single-spaced) When you submit the mock website to me, you will also submit a letter of explanation to me that explains the following: 1. What is your goal with your website? What issue do you take on? Why? And what are you working to persuade readers of? 2. How, specifically, have you worked to implement much of what you learned about rhetoric, rhetorical appeals, the rhetorical situation, and/or non-agonistic argumentation earlier in the semester into creating a persuasive and engaging advocacy website. SUBMISSION You can submit a link to your published website within your letter of explanation (this is the easiest way to submit both). If you are uncomfortable publishing your website for the week or two I need it for grading purposes, you could give me your account sign-in info so I can pop in and look at your unpublished creation. You may choose whether to leave your websites published after the assignment is graded or whether to unpublish it. The real goal here is to give you experience composing in a multimodal real-world form. Some students have been proud enough of their websites that they have left them published. ASSESSMENT The grade for this assignment will reflect the level of success in each of the following categories, weighted evenly (20% each). ♦ Persuasiveness (use of rhetorical techniques to persuade viewers that the cause is important and worth their attention & action) ♦ Depth (level of depth of research and discussion through text, visuals, video, audio, etc.) ♦ Research (quality of research, appropriate integration of source material, correct citations, and Works Cited page) ♦ Design (visually appealing, easy to navigate) ♦ Letter of Explanation (thoughtful, well-written, meets the requirements)
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