The purpose of Essay 2 is to investigate how the choices that Serial producers make influence your perceptions of the justice system.
Purpose
After completing Module 3 and listening to Serial, you should have some sense of Koenig’s choices as a composer and a perception of the credibility of the podcast. The purpose of Essay 2 is to investigate how the choices that Serial producers make influence your perceptions of the justice system. For this paper, I would like you to answer one of the following questions:
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Is Koenig’s depiction of the justice system just? In other words, does Koenig fairly assess the state of the justice system? To form your answer, you might consider elements like evidence selection, journalistic process, vocal delivery, or storytelling. This assignment is not an argumentative essay against Koenig’s basic premise; instead, it should be a critique of Koenig’s work in assessing the justice system.
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What rhetorical appeals and composition choices does Koenig make in the podcast that work together to create an argument? You might consider traditional appeals, like ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos, her success in conveying her message to a specific audience, and/or the podcast composition choices that she makes.
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Word count: 1000 words
Audience
For this paper, your peers in the class and I will be your audience. For analytical writing, it’s important to consider evaluative criteria, to provide strong examples from the analyzed text, and to analyze the influence of the examples on your overall assessment of the text.
Organization
You should follow the standard academic essay organization, including:
- An introduction with a hook, background, and thesis
- A body, comprised of paragraphs that support the thesis. Each paragraph should include
- A topic sentence that supports the thesis
- Evidence from Serial and outside sources to support the topic sentence
- Analysis of the evidence and how it supports your claim in the topic sentence and the thesis
- A conclusion that summarizes your purpose and helps the reader see the significance of your paper
Format
MLA
Grade Requirements
- Meet 1000-word word count
- Address one of the writing prompts listed above
- Include a clear, insightful thesis that addresses the prompt
- Use specific terminology from course readings to support your analysis (e.g., ethos, logos, pathos, exigency, bias)
- Provide evidence from Serial and one credible source to support the thesis statement
- Use standard academic essay organization, as outlined above
- Complete an outline and revise based on instructor feedback
- Proofread the paper so your meaning is clear, although a few errors may be present
- Submit Microsoft Word/Grammarly report
- Submit Editing Checklist
- Revise paper after receiving peer feedback
- Use recognizable MLA format for the paper, although few minor errors may be present
- Cite each episode of the podcast used and outside source in the paper and in an MLA Works Cited
- Document others’ words mostly effectively, where necessary, using MLA, and avoid plagiarism
- Turn in a final draft no more than 3 days after the due date