Assignment: Becoming a Special Education Advocate

Becoming a leader in the field of special education entails being an advocate for issues and discrepancies often faced by students and their families, those with and without disabilities. Not only will you have to take on the challenge of defending your position and presenting your case, you will have to be innovative in how you deliver your message to a variety of audiences.

For this Assignment, you will synthesize the resources and research collected, and create an opinion editorial (op-ed) piece addressing the identified issue.

Purpose: To synthesize collected research and practice scholarly writing.

To prepare:

·Review resources on TED Lines, the CEC TED Division Newsletter.

·Think about what you might include in an op-ed piece on a specific issue for your state’s CEC TED Division Newsletter.

Submit a 3-page opinion editorial. Include the following in your op-ed:

·Introduction, clearly identifying the issue and presenting your position for transformation

·Research to support your position and evidence for the need for transformation of the identified issue

·Conclusion, summary of the facts and findings

·At least 5 scholarly sources cited in APA format on a reference page

Rubic:

·Opinion Editorial Candidate creates a 3 page Opinion Editorial sharing his or her insight on their identified issue in the field of special education. Candidate shares specific information substantiated by current research, supporting his or her position and evidence for the need for transformation of the identified issue.

·Candidate identifies and includes at least five scholarly resources supporting his or her position and evidence identifying the need for transformation in the field of special education.

·Problem Statements- Candidate formulates at least two problem statements based on issues identified in the Case Study related to Jamal (Case Study Student).

·Introduction Candidate includes an introduction that clearly identifies the issue presenting his or her position for transformation.

·Conclusion Opinion Editorial summarizes the facts and findings.

In the article by Leff & Utley, you will notice that they use a “close reading” method of analysis that specifically focuses on “ethos” as created in the text of MLK’s Letter from Birmingham jail. This is an excellent example of a “close reading and you ought to notice some ideas I spoke about in the lecture.

In our discussion here, let’s share your thoughts on the efficacy of this method of criticism (a how effective it is) for illuminating subtle, but critical, aspects of King’s persuasion. What stands out to you? Was this letter intended to simply inform his colleagues of his plight (as are most letters from jail)? Tell us what King’s deeper purpose was. If needed read the letter https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_B…

Also, tell us your thoughts about the movie The Laundromat. As far as I can tell, all events and portrayals are true. Who were the people that produced it (as evidenced in the movie)? For whom did they intend the movie as a form of persuasion? What do you think the intent of the movie was? The final scenes bring this out clearly. Two people portrayed in the film (the lawyer and accountant) tried to block it’s release. A judge determined that it was “constitutionally protected” speech. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laundromat_(film))

How might you approach doing a “close reading” of an entire film?

No wrong answers here. I ask these questions just to get you thinking. What I’d like to hear about more are some issues you noticed that I do not ask about, as well as thoughtful answers.

Use our developing rhetorical vocabulary as much as possible. Text, artifact, rhetoric, rhetor , rhetorical, criticism, close reading, etc.

I’m working on a psychology writing question and need a sample draft to help me understand better.

Please refer to the attached rubric and please be sure to put everything in your own words. Especially when you are describing the original research, please do not copy from the original research article. Instead, take notes in your own words and then write your paper based on your notes. This is a very effective way to avoid plagiarism associated with not paraphrasing enough.

The purpose of this assignment is to become a critical reader of popular
media. You will be asked to critique the paper on a number of areas such as: (1). accuracy of
description of results, (2) was the study only correlation when the popular article made it seem like it
was an experiment, (3) did they describe the methods accurately, etc. I will attach the rubric here.

this is going to be 3-4 pages in length.

The rubric for the media critique paper, is very helpful. If you are unsure, do let me know. I appreciate your help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwvAgDCOdU4 (Links to an external site.)

1. (50-100 words) Quickly do a few of the readings on the “What is Rhetoric?” link and click on a few and read until you have a sense of what rhetoric is. When you hear the word “rhetoric” used in everyday life, what do you imagine that it is? How is rhetoric defined in these more academic ways? How does rhetoric seem to be different from “English” or “Literature” (the English classes you took in high school or maybe community college?)

2. (50-100 words) Make a list of the 5 elements of the rhetorical situation. Keep these in your notes. What is the rhetorical situation, and why do you think it is called it a “situation?” What are the things about it that make it a situation? In the video, how does Dr. Cruz Medina define rhetorical situation? In the ThoughtCo piece, Richard Nordquist defines the rhetorical situation has having five parts, and not just three. Why do you think he adds two more? Is this completely different than Medina’s definition?

3. (50-100 words) Do this question quickly. List the five canons of rhetoric and briefly describe how each one is part of the writing process (including presenting to an audience). How can you use the five canons of rhetoric to help develop a more organized process for your writing?

4. (500 words or more) FINAL BIG QUESTION: Use these questions as a guide to your analysis.

Review the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad and the analysis on the Module 2 page. Then analyze the actual Pepsi ad. Begin by describing what you see. We must begin with the literal, factual answers to the questions first. THEN let those factual answers lead you into analysis. Do not begin with an interpretation or your opinion before you describe what you actually see.

• who created the message? (Hint, the creator is a company) What kind of reach and influence does this “creator” have? Did this make the speech easier or more difficult for people to accept?
• what is the form of the message? Is it a text, a picture, a video, an advertisement as a picture or a video, a meme, a news article, a speech?
• who is the intended audience? Who is the target audience for the product as represented in the advertisement? In other words, who are the characters in the video? Describe them as a demographic group. What is their age, race, class, cultural background, where do they seem to live? Who is the broader audience of the American public?
• what is the date/time/place and the context of a message? What was going on in American culture at the time in 2017 when this ad was created? What happened in 2017? (You should look this up on Wikipedia to situate this in the literal context of 2017, and not vaguely as “what is going on right now.” Consider the location represented in the video ad. Why is this location so important?
• what is the purpose of the message? This is a VERY complex question put in a simple way. There are many layers to this question, and honestly, a professor could write an academic article about this question. SO… Don’t get frustrated. Just take this one layer at a time. What is the literal purpose for Pepsi for making an advertisement about its product? What are the secondary purposes for Pepsi to bring Kendall Jenner into the ad? What is the purpose for situating the enjoyment of Pepsi in the context of Black Lives Matter protests?
• NOW your opinion: Do you personally think Pepsi’s add is effective or not? Successful or not? To use the language of rhetorical transaction: is this a successful or unsuccessful transaction for Pepsi? Consider each element of the rhetorical situation to give yourself ideas: Considering the context, is the ad helpful to the Black Lives Matter movement? Why or why not? Considering the intended audience, does this ad speak to its audience or does it alienate them? Considering the creator/author, is Pepsi using its cultural power to take an appropriate stand on the protests and the problems raised by BLM and racial injustice? There are no right answers here.