Multimodal Persuasive Argument Essay/Website

Overview
You have been researching theme/topic that you selected and wrote about for your rhetorical
analysis, in which you have analyzed written, visual, and multimodal aspects of this topic. Now
it is your turn to construct a researched and well-written persuasive argument related to your
theme; eventually, you will present your persuasive argument as a multimodal essay on your
English website.

The term “multimodal” means “more than one mode” of communication. The digital essay you
will write will incorporate more than one mode of communication. Additionally, it will be
presented digitally—in website form. This will be an argument that your audience reads online,
and it will make strong use of the affordances of the web. The web gives writers the ability to
combine many modes of expression—to mix text with still images, slideshows, hyperlinks,
sound files, videos, and much more. In other words, multimodal texts are works that use more
than just words and letters to communicate a thought–they may include audio, video,
photographs, drawings–basically, any visual element used to supplement the text in some
purposeful way.

Your task here is to compose more than just a traditional college research paper. Instead, you’ll
turn your essay into a digital document that allows you communicate with readers in various
ways. In the past, students have created original images, charts, and even videos to incorporate
into their digital arguments.

In a broad sense, multimodal assignments can help learners develop visual and digital literacy,
which is key in a world where new technologies are constantly emerging. Today, people are
constantly interacting in digital contexts that require multimodal writing. By completing this
multimodal essay, you will be better prepared to effectively communicate in digital spaces.

Requirements
Much like a traditional college essay, your digital multimodal essay must meet the following
requirements:
 Present a claim/thesis in which you take a stance on your theme/topic and propose some
kind of solution to the “problem” you’ve identified
 Support your claim using effective rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos)
 Incorporate research (both “popular” and “scholarly” sources) to support the thesis
 Present/summarize various perspectives from other experts on your course theme/topic
 Have a clear introduction, organized body paragraphs, and a conclusion
 Cite all sources, images, videos, etc. using MLA rules
 Include around 5 pages of text

Unlike a traditional, print-based college essay, your essay must meet these requirements:
o Be presented in digital form on your website
o Make use of at least one other mode of communication (beyond simple text on
screen). For example, you might incorporate images, sound files, videos, hyperlinks,
drawings, graphs, or something else that helps support your thesis

Digital Multimodal Essay Instructions (page 1

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 o Include results and discussion from your own original survey related to your
argument. You must reference and discuss what you found as a result of your own
survey.

Your Audience
You should write your essay for an educated, academic community: your peers and instructors.
Not only do you have the task of educating your audience about the selected topic/controversial
issue, you also need to persuade them to consider or agree with your point of view. To
accomplish these rhetorical tasks, assume that your audience depends on you to adequately
inform and persuade them. The audience is relying on your quality research and effective
rhetorical presentation of the topic to see the issue from multiple perspectives. While your
audience may or may not agree with your position, they should at least be persuaded to consider
or respect your perspective after reading your Multimodal Persuasive Argument.

Why Complete this Assignment?

This assignment has many purposes. By writing your Digital Multimodal Argument, you should
be able to:
1. demonstrate your ability to gather and select relevant, credible information through
research;
2. explain clearly and accurately to your audience a controversial or debatable issue;
3. evaluate and ethically and fairly summarize opposing viewpoints;
4. demonstrate critical thinking by questioning, analyzing, and synthesizing information;
5. practice incorporating various genres and applying knowledge learned this semester in
order to present a rhetorically effective message for 21st century audiences.

Due: Friday 12/15 9:00 AM

Your final exam for this course will be a presentation of your website. The final essay and
website are due at this time.

Digital Multimodal Essay Instructions (page 2

of 2)