VISUAL ARGUMENT PROJECT PROPOSAL AND AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

THE PROPOSAL

The written proposal for the group visual project should be 1.5-2 pages (typed, ds) and should respond to the following four items;

1.  Introduce your issue by explaining its exigence (background) and present it in question form.

2.  Explain why the issue is compelling to your group.

3.  Explain what you already know about it.

4.  Explain what more you need to learn

5.  Explain your tentative plans for your project.  What will your claim be? How will you present this claim visually?  Website? Powerpoint presentation? Collage? An op-ed piece? painting? photo essay? etc.

AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

Before you begin working on your visual project, your group should complete the following analysis of your audience (the group you have been paired with for critique).  Your responses should be typed.

1.  Describe your issue.  What is your audience's present position on your issue? Describe some other perspectives on the issue and ask for reactions to those ideas.  State your claim and ask if there is anyone who cannot accept it as stated.  If there is, ask why.

2.  How significant is your issue to the audience? If it is not considered significant, describe why it is significant to you, and talk about ways you can make it more significant to the audience.

3.  How involved are audience members in the ongoing conversation about the issue? What do they already know about it?

4.  How will you build common ground? What beliefs and values do you and your audience share about your issue? What motivates audience members in regard to your issue?

5.  What argument style will work best with them? A direct adversarial style? a consensual style? Why?

6.  Write what you have learned from this ananlysis to help you plan your appeal to this audience.  Include values and motives in your discussion.