Final Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

Overview: I plan to do a rhetorical analysis of a television commercial advertisement that is the equivalent of an 8-10 page research paper. This analysis will utilize the theories of various authors we've discussed in class and argue for a specific interpretation of the kind of emotional appeals being made visually and verbally in the advertisement. The final project will be linked to the webfolio and condensed into a 4-5 minute presentation for the class.

Specifics:

1) I will be using Nike's television commercial titled "LeBron Rise" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c) as the focal point of my analysis. I intend to analyze the rhetorical situation surrounding the production of this commercial and inform my audience of the various ways that Nike and LeBron James attempted to appeal to an audience beyond basketball fans. I also intend to use a fan-made edit of the same commercial as a comparison to highlight the different appeals being made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEVCjUG1Mww).

2) I will develop a claim, which tentatively is “LeBron James' commercial is an example of emotional appeals attempting but ultimately failing to change the public's disapproval of James' character and actions."

3) My analysis will involve:

• A visual and verbal analysis of the content of the commercials 
• An analysis of the context surrounding the commercials drawing on outside sources
• Evidence for the claim through the use of one or more of the authors studied in class and other statistics

4) My presentation will utilize PowerPoint as accompaniment to my oral comments. This presentation will be given in class on May 3rd/May 5th.

5) The project will go through an oral workshop on Tuesday, April 26th and a formal peer review on Thursday, April 28th.

7) The final project will be posted on the blog and linked to the webfolio by May 5th.