This essay and the presentation are 35% of your overall grade [30% for the paper; 5% for the presentation]. The essay will be 1625-2275 words long (5-7 pages) and will be written using APA formatting, in-text citations, and bibliography. Word/page length does not include bibliography or cover page; therefore, the total essay will be 7-10 pages in length. The essay will be written in third person. The primary audience of this essay will not be me; instead, you will determine to whom you are directing your argument. The essay will also incorporate an original visual element.
What is a Multi modal Essay?
Multi modal essays are just that – essays that use multiple modes of communication. In this increasingly digital world, knowing how to incorporate visual elements into your argument is fundamental; how many times have you read something online that does not contain a visual element? The answer is probably never! In fact, you probably already write multi modal texts all of the time. Ever use an emoji? If so, you have written a multi modal text (literally and figuratively!) J While multi modal includes visual, audio, and other modes, for this essay, you will incorporate an original visual element.
More about multi modal texts can be found at http://rhetoric.olemiss.edu/student/multimodal/ and http://kcwritingcenter.weebly.com/multimodal-projects.html.
Visual
Options for incorporating a visual argument into the essay are listed below. Visuals should not take up more than half a page. All visuals must be original. However, if you utilize any visual elements that are not your own in the creation of your original visual element, you must cite them. Cite all sources used in your visual (including yourself if applicable) in your bibliography; if you created the source, use your pseudonym in the bibliography. Free resources for creating these visuals are readily available through a Google search. Failure to cite the source(s) of your visual element will result in a grade of zero on the essay.
You will write a paper on a topic or question that has arisen while reading Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Your topic should be related to a social justice issue and to the novel. Keep in mind that Atwood (1998) asserted, “[T]here is nothing new about the society depicted in” the novel (316). Therefore, you may take a historical or contemporary perspective of your topic.