RWS 100

Fall 2010

M. Hess

Project 4 Prompt: Parody and Satire / Environmental Humor

Text: You may choose to work with a text that we have covered this semester in class, a text of your own choosing, or your project may be entirely creative without a basis in another’s text.

Part One (35 points): A creative endeavor that encompasses elements of humor, parody, or satire on the subject of the environment and/or sustainability.

Your creative project can parody some well-known cultural element in order to support the environment, mock some element of the environmental movement or one of the texts we’ve read in class, or walk a balance between the two (as Scott Adams does). These will be presented in class on December 9th and 14th.

We will look at several examples in class, and your project will be pre-approved through your prospectus. As for sufficiency in length, etc, follow the general rule of “2”: a 2-minute video, a 2-page piece of writing, a 2-minute skit, a 2-minute speech, 2 editorial cartoons.

Some suggestions:

  1. A satirical op-ed (2 pages).
  2. A commercial, either done from scratch or “adapted” from a pre-existing advertisement (2 min).
  3. A political speech (2 min).
  4. A comic strip.
  5. A set of editorial cartoons (2 cartoons).
  6. A music video (2 min).
  7. A poem (singular).

For those projects—such as a poem or a comic strip—which are singular, please bear in mind that creative work requires just as much thought, energy, and editing as essays. If you would like to work in a pair or a group (of up to four, no more) for this project, you are welcome to do so—but your project should expand correspondingly in length, scope, and/or quality. A terrible ten-minute video is less valuable than a well-crafted four-minute one.

Part Two (40 points): A two-page analysis of the rhetorical choices and strategies made in part one.

This is essentially a critical reflection on your own work. It is your chance to make connections to the texts we’ve read and the rhetorical tools we’ve learned this semester. You must defend, justify, and argue for your creative work, explaining why it is the way it is—what are the PACES represented here? Why have you chosen that word, that color, that structure?

For part two: Formatting and citations: MLA

Length: two pages, double-spaced, 1” margins.

Due: Either Thursday, December 9 or Tuesday, December 14. Sign-ups in class.

Project Four: Grading Rubric

PART ONE Creative Work / Earned / Possible
Displays a level of rigor and creative engagement appropriate to a final project: i.e., shows attention to detail, is well-crafted, and overall is quality work. / 10
Creative choices effectively communicate your argument and purpose. Demonstrates the ability to use rhetorical strategies effectively and persuasively. / 10
Relates to concepts learned in the class (as concerning the environment, sustainability, and/or class texts). Displays critical understanding of humor, satire, and/or parody. / 10
Conceptualization and presentation are thoughtful and comprehensive. / 5
Total points for creative work: / 35
PART TWO Analysis (two pages double-spaced) / Earned / Possible
Effectively and persuasively explains, analyzes, defends, and justifies choices made in the creative portion of the work with attention to rhetorical strategies used. What is the argument your project makes? Its purpose? Who is your audience? What strategies did you choose? How are they displayed? Why did you choose them? Why are they effective in this particular context? / 20
Organization: Uses an effective structure that guides the reader from one idea to the next. Uses transitions. / 5
Topic Sentences: Uses strong topic sentences to indicate the focus of each paragraph. / 5
MLA formatting: Follows all MLA formatting guidelines. Uses proper in-text citations. Works Cited page is free of mistakes (your Works Cited page should include any texts referenced or parodied in your creative work, or any texts which contributed to your formulation of these ideas). / 5
Editing: Is thoroughly edited. Is free of typos and grammar mistakes.
Style: This includes the appropriate use of academic language, including word choice, voice, diction, syntax. In general, articulation and eloquence. These papers should be concise and precise. / 5
Total point for analysis / 40
Other comments: / Total Earned / Total Possible
75

Parody and Satire Texts:

  1. Parody in Poetry: William Carlos Williams and Kenneth Koch
  1. Op-Eds:

Scott Adams “How I (Almost) Saved the Earth:

Peter Singer “Should This be the Last Generation?”

  1. Write down any elements of humor you can think of.
  1. Share some elements of humor. Continue writing as we watch these next videos and see what you can add to the list.
  1. Did you know the book?
  1. Working Stiffed: The Daily Show
  1. Chevy Tahoe Commerical Parody:
  1. What are elements you recognize from original Chevy commericials? What’s new? What would it normally say? Can we move both backward and forward? Do you even need to know the original commercial in order to understand what this is making fun of?
  1. Chevy Tahoe Parody taking it even further:
  1. What about this? How many layers does it mock? What are the elements of humor?
  1. Cartoons: I hate Al Gore
  1. Sesame Street: This Tumblr is Now Diamonds (parodies Old Spice ad)
  1. Parody with a Purpose: Plastic State of Mind (music video parody of Empire State)