Etc.), composing an effective report still requires rhetorical skill.

A report informs an audience about a specific topic. It is not driven by the writer’s specific
argument or worldview—it is solely informative. For this assignment, you will compose a
report about a topic that interests you. Although a report is a straightforward genre that you are
familiar with (think about certain news reports, sports articles, textbook chapters, lab reports,
etc.), composing an effective report still requires rhetorical skill. The report essay should
demonstrate rhetorical awareness by establishing credibility (ethos), connecting with the
audience (pathos), and presenting a logical progression of ideas (logos).
Good reports are meant to demonstrate unbiased, objective reasoning (ethos); however, good
reports are also structured in such a way that they encourage reader interest in a topic (pathos).
Furthermore, good reports showcase the writer’s research skills and the writer’s ability to present
important and credible information in a clear, organized, and compelling way (logos).
The first step to writing a good report is choosing a topic that is both interesting and lends
itself the report genre. For this assignment, choose a topic that is relevant in some way to your
own life. Choosing a topic that interests you is key: this topic will constitute the basis for both
your report and future assignments in this course