Research Topic

Possible Topics- Government, national security, the FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, change over time.

At A Glance
1. Am I interested in the topic?

My passion, interest, and curiosity is in government. Ever since I was little and my father being in the FBI I have wanted to be a part of the “family business,” and be a part of the Department of Justice.
2. Can I argue a position on this topic?

The FBI as an organization and culture is capable of growing, changing, and adapting to meet new national security threats.
Question- Is the FBI organization and culture capable to adapt to new national security threat.
3. Will I be able to find enough research material on this topic?

The FBI is a broad enough topic where I can go into the many aspects and faces that it has to definitely will have enough research material. Plus, in my dad being a part of the FBI I have an inside source of information for an interview on controversial issues such as the Robert Hanssen.
4. Does this sort of research appeal to me?

Yes, with a topic of interest research will come easy; however, the hard part is pulling the information together and cutting it down.

Rhetorical Analysis Peer Review Form

Paper #1
Not Even Once: Methamphetamines Addiction Prevention through the use of billboards
By Rachel Bowers

Reflection: I understood the text how Meth truly affects all those around. Also, that the strategies can be underlined and not plainly states (said in a more creative and subtle way). In addition, the wording was very colorful and painted a picture of the consequences of using Meth.


Paper #2
China's Getting Ready
By Tim Rogers

Reflection: I learned about the history, culture, and desire to succeed of the Chinese and more information about a very recent issue of controversy. Also, the sentence that stood out to me was the last sentence, "No longer can we stand by while a modern nation is allowed to shamelessly go about governing it citizens in this manner." This stood out because it is rhetoric argument that persuades action and is very colorful showing the passion for this issue. In addition, it was clear that the issue has recently been thrown aside; however, the issue and problem is far from over and will continue to come up and influence foreign policy.

Superman Thesis

Both ads are very different; however, both are effective with their respective audiences. How can these two very different ads have the same effectiveness on their audiences? The answer is in celebrity endorsement. So do celebrity endorsements work? The answer is yes when it comes to a character that has been ingrained into our society’s values and culture. The American people are skeptical of celebrity endorsement, yet I don’t agree with this assumption. It is often an effective persuasive technique to appeal to an audience by using a famous endorsement.

Superman Ads

This ad for the Vespa is a very persuasive and the targeted audience is those who can’t afford a car or motorcycle. Also, it is much more “clean” so it is appealing to the environmental friendly crowd. Also, traditionally Vespa’s are frequent on college campuses and around town. Those who don’t have to travel far the Vespa is appealing. My interpretation is meant to be very patriotic and an “out of the earth” experience for Superman is meant to be perfect and something that is hard to come by. Thus, this ad is an example of pathos and ethos. However, logos is present, but very subtle. In addition, there are more elements present to analyze this ad sufficiently. In addition, I know that the author is from Vespa and they are relying on the “perfect” image the character Superman has.

http://creativebits.org/files/images/vespa_superman.jpg

http://media.marketwire.com/attachments/200604/257101_SupermanHighRes.jpg

I added the top picture (the "got milk" ad) to show how two very different ads uses the same subject of Superman and both be very convincing for the audience.

Being Green

“I guess it is easy being green,” is the slogan of one of the green campaign posters (pg. 46 Envision in Depth). In each advertisement, there are specific argumentative strategies and rhetorical appeals. In the slogan mentioned above, the targeted audience is the environmentally conscious and family oriented population. Regarding marketing in cars, the Escape Hybrid, a family car or SUV, has lettering which is also in green. Also, being a hybrid, it is more efficient than cars that are “gas guzzlers.” The purpose of the advertisement is to sell the car to the targeted audience; however, more subtly, it is to get people to buy the car, not the company. For example, the Ford symbol is very small in the right corner because Ford is close to going bankrupt and is in trouble financially so the purpose of the small logo is to detract from the company that manufactures the Escape Hybrid and focus on the looks and appeals of the car itself. This car has family appeal but also sporty appeal as it is advertised off-roading in the outback. The car is framed by nature and emphasizes the two main subjects, the car and the cartoon, Kermit the Frog. In addition, in the small lettering on the vehicle, the number 36 is larger than the rest to emphasize the mpg the car gets, which is rhetoric that could help persuade a buyer interested in getting good gas mileage. The “green” campaign has been in effect for years, and has had a major influence upon the environment. It was also a significant factor in the recent election. The campaign has grown in support over the years and is considered highly successful.

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/Kermit-with-Ford-Escape-450.jpg

My Bio

My name is Dana Hamilton. I come from Colorado Springs, CO. My parents’ names are Blake and Jean. I have two siblings, both younger than I am. My brother’s name is Drew, and my sister’s name is Leigh. Also, a member of the family is our dog, Beau. My whole family is very close, and we all are very strong Christians and very conservative politically. Coming to Clemson is a big adventure and I am a long way from home, but I am here majoring in Political Science. I hope to someday be in the FBI or another governmental agency. Some interesting facts about me are that I have moved around the country a lot due to my dad’s job and I had played highly competitive club soccer and basketball basically my whole life until I tore my ACL/ meniscus in my knee my senior year of high school. I love doing anything adventurous, and everything is always more fun when I am with my family. I feel very driven to succeed most of the time, and I believe I am somewhat of a perfectionist. However, I do have my blonde moments!

Rhetoric Generation

As I walked to class, I noticed marketing everywhere with rhetoric trying to persuade audiences one way or another. However, some rhetoric (advertising) was more evident in its persuasive content above others. One such argument in particular stood out among the rest: a debate between two students as they discussed the upcoming presidential inauguration. One student described the excitement of a new change in government and the other described the fear of where America’s future was heading. This conversation made me look back prior to the presidential election and remember all of the media coverage and commercials and how each commercial used visual persuasion, hybrid texts, ads as arguments, strategies in all different forms, and all the logos, pathos, and ethos appeals for support. These commercials were blatantly biased in their appeals to the American audience. It disturbed and saddened me that my generation, the college age group, blindly followed the shallow media strategies of persuasion advertised on shirts of famous Holly wood stars, on MTV, and articulated in the words of the “candidate” the media supported. Many of the voters in this past election voted on the race issue alone, or the economy issue alone, but not on issues of traditional values or morality. The voting patterns of the youth of America in this past election will be analyzed someday by future generations, just like we have judged those that came before us. In order to win this past election, the president-elect utilized in part the ad hominem debate, or “an argument that attempts to persuade by attacking an opponent’s ethos or character” (pg. 47 Envision in Depth). He also used other tools of persuasion such as effective facial expressions and actions, both of which may be difficult to read, although actions do speak louder than words. The president-elect won the election; the question is at what cost to America? Just as commercials sell products, I just hope we haven’t been persuaded to give up what really matters: morality and faith.