you are to provide a 5-6 page (11 pt. regular font, double-spaced
notice the page length is a little longer) rhetorical/argumentative analysis, this time
focusing on the The Oracle Science Article (it was also a podcast, and though you can
still find the original article here, the podcast is no longer there). You will again be using
concepts discussed in the extensive power point on science writing, but you *must* re-
use *at least* one term used in your first analysis, as you will have occasion to draw on
that analysis.
One of the main themes of this this course is to understand and practice writing scientific
information for general audiences, much like the information presented in the Tyson
videos. You will notice that The Oracle communicates about the same subject as
Toxicology, but in a different way, in a different format, and really, for a wider, more
general audience. It reads like a story; you can imagine it being delivered as a podcast
in a middle school science class (maybe as part of a unit on science meets history);
anyone with a general education could understand it. Part of your aim here, then, is to
compare/contrast how rhetorical/argumentative terms are used in both articles, and you
should draw directly from material you wrote in your first analysis — maybe a page or so
might more or less boilerplate over into your second analysis (thats why the 2nd RA
should be a bit longer: 5-6 pages rather than 4-5, and why you must re-use at least 1
term). For example, one might compare how Toxicology used logos in specific ways
(you can insert some material from your 1st analysis) to how The Oracle implements
logos (here you would be generating new analysis).
As before, there are several ways you could approach this analysis you might choose
two or more concepts youve already writing about and then generate your
comparison/contrast. Keep in mind that you should look at both what is similar
(comparison) and different (contrast).
And again, you will want pursue your analysis beyond the merely descriptive. Dont
just name and describe conceptual features explain how and/or why they are being
used.
At the end or your analysis (say, in the last paragraph or so) assess which article
(Toxicology or The Oracle) you think is more effective, and give reasons in support
of your assessment
Of course, you will want to remember that your analysis itself should demonstrate good
argumentative structure have a clear introduction and central claim, provide supporting
evidence, and make appropriate insights. And, be sure to edit your final document before
you submit it.
