This rhetorical analysis is not geared toward a specific project. Rather, it applies to any project. In writing your rhetorical analysis, therefore, you should modify it as much as you can based on the specific context of your project.This analysis can be any length–perhaps between 2 and 8 pages in a variety of formats. Please feel free to format this report in any way you find most comfortable. At any point in your analysis, if you feel you’re repeating points you’ve written about already, just refer me to those previous sections.

Following is a description of possible topics to include in your analysis.

A. Overall Background and Document/Project Goals
Tell me what you’ve discovered about the past, present, and future aspects of the rhetorical situation. What gave rise to the need for this document? How will this document be useful in the immediate future, and how will it benefit the organization in the long term? Tell me anything you know about the organization’s need for the document, the client’s need and preferences for the document, the target audience’s needs and preferences, how the target audience will see/use the document, and anything else you’ve discovered via your research that can give me insight into why this document is needed, and how it will be used/useful.

B. Project Constraints, Controversies, and Conflicts
Constraints, controversies, and conflicts are potential barriers to success. In this section, identify any constraints, controversies, and conflicts that could threaten smooth progress or the ultimate success of your project. Document constraints can be imposed by the organization, your client, others in power, segments of your target audience, or your writing group. Controversies (or “politics”) between the following:

• Writers and other writers
• Writers and the organization (its philosophy, values, approaches, requirements)
• Writers and the client
• Writers and other reviewers/approvers of the document
• Writers and segments of the target, multiple audience
• The client and the organization
• The client and other reviewers/approvers of the document
• The client and segments of the target, multiple audience
• Groups within the organization
• People in the organization and segments of the target, multiple audience
• Reviewers/approvers and others in the organization
• Segments of the target audience
• This document and other documents (past, present, future)
• This document and social interactions (past, present, future)

A. General Writing/Design Strategies
In general, how did your group write/design the document to fulfill the goals of this project, overcome the constraints of the project, cope with project controversies or “politics,” and move closer to a resolution of any conflicts characterizing the project? Refer to what you wrote in the previous sections of this report when addressing this question.

B. Content Design Strategies
How did you make your decisions about content selection? Why such content? How has your knowledge of the project (background/history, goals, constraints, controversies, conflicts) influenced your decisions about what to cover, what not to cover, how much to cover, etc.?

C. Organization and Format Design Strategies
How has your knowledge of the project (background/history/purpose; project goals, constraints, controversies, and conflicts) influenced your organization ad design decisions:

• What material was given priority and emphasis, and why, and how you designed the document to give priority to that material?
• What material was de-emphasized, and why, and how you designed the document to give less priority to that material?
• What particular design decisions you made, and why, and how, in order to ensure that your document would conform to expectations of your client, organization, reviewers/approvers, target audience segments, etc.
• Which material went where, use of headings and subheadings and sections, use of other visual cues and features, use of visuals, use of color, etc.
• Which design strategies you used to help readers access information of most concern to them, and why (how did you help readers read or use the document?). Did you apply any specific cognitive psychology principles or document design guidelines, and how, and why? Refer to some of the readings and topics we discussed in class when answering this question.

D. Style Design Strategies (How you expressed ideas in your document)
How did your knowledge about the rhetorical situation influence your decisions about the following?

• The level of technicality you used, and why
• The type of vocabulary you used, and why
• How you used definitions/examples, and why
• How you phrased ideas/messages, and why
• What image/persona/ethos you attempted to create (via tone and language), and why