This assignment comprises three parts:

1. Writing the White Paper (5 to 6 pages)

2. Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation & Research & Composing Choices in the Final Submission of your Segment 2 White Paper

3. Completing Evaluation Rubric and Self-Assessment

Part 1 I Writing the White Paper (5 to 6 pages)

What is a White Paper?

A “white paper” can mean many things, so beware of googling the term for resources as examples, as a lot of what comes up is not helpful or relevant to this assignment for ENG 102. The genre of the white paper has been taken up by marketing specialists to mean corporate-sponsored research on a problem facing a company and the marketers’ proposed solutions, but that is not what we mean by “white paper” here.

Instead, for the Segment 2 project, we’re using the most basic definition of the genre, adapted from Wikipedia: “A white paper is an authoritative report that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and briefly presents the writer’s perspective on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue.”

*In Segment 2 you will read a white paper/research brief “Research Brief on ETI Housing Crisis Studies” that can serve as a helpful guide. You will also analyze student samples using the rubric for this assignment.

What complex issues are we researching in ENG 102?

You will dig into a specific issue or rhetorical problem (“something that invites response”) about Milwaukee that interests you, while also learning how to think more critically about searching for information. Doing several rounds of research using advanced strategies will enable you to appropriately focus your research issue or rhetorical problem toward a particular audience or stakeholders. You will report your findings in a white paper using the guidelines below.

To begin brainstorming, I encourage you to

· Review what we’ve read about Milwaukee in Segment 1

· Use advanced search strategies to “dig deeper” into the issue or rhetorical problem

· Complete the project activities and AIMS activities in Canvas that are designed to assist you in brainstorming a potential rhetorical problem, gaining a deeper understanding of your chosen rhetorical problem, focusing your chosen rhetorical problem and writing a problem statement for your white paper, and using advanced search strategies.

*Keep in mind that focusing your research question or issue usually takes several rounds of research using advanced research strategies.

What are the Most Important Features of the White Paper Genre for ENG 102?

I have highlighted the most important parts of this definition, which give you crucial rhetorical information about what to do in this assignment.

· Authoritative I This means that you’ve done a lot of research on this issue or rhetorical problem. When discussing this issue, you know what you’re talking about. You’ve done your homework, so you have enough situated ethos, or authority, to present the problem accurately and fairly to your readers.

· Report I This is not an argument or problem/solution paper. This is not a paper arguing for or against something or proposing the best solution. It is a research report, or “white paper” on the current state of the research on your issue or rhetorical problem. It reports on relevant research and the perspectives of relevant stakeholders.

· Informs I The purpose of a white paper is to inform (not to persuade). Your purpose in writing this paper is to help your readers understand the issue or rhetorical problem you’ve selected to focus on so that they themselves can consider solutions or make decisions about it.

· Readers I The audience for your white paper is not everyone; it is the specific group of readers you identify as wanting to reach. It is a specific (narrow or relatively small) group of people who are particular stakeholders of the problem or another identifiable group that you think needs to be informed about this issue. You have to compose and design your white paper with your specific audience in mind: What do they already know, think and believe about this problem? What is their relationship to this issue? What would be helpful for them to know to make a decision on this issue or rhetorical problem?

· Concisely I White papers are short—for a reason. They assume that readers cannot and will not take a lot of time to read lengthy, technical, or overly detailed reports. You only have 5-6 pages to inform your readers of everything you know and discovered about this issue through your research.

· Complex issue I The challenge of a white paper is to convey to your readers, in very few pages, the complexity of the issue or rhetorical problem you’ve focused on. There are no easy answers or obvious solutions to your issue; if there were, it would already be figured out. Most issues are “wicked” problems, which means that they are so difficult and complex that they are nearly impossible to solve, or a “good” solution ends up creating more and different problems. Don’t oversimplify your issue for your readers. They can’t think about viable ways forward if they don’t appreciate its complexity.

· Writer’s perspective I Your own views on the issue are presented briefly in the discussion section of your white paper. As a professional, public- facing report, you will not convey your own ideas on the problem with “I think,” “I believe,” or “I argue” statements. Instead, you’ll state additional facts and findings from your research, along with informed opinions, straightforwardly and authoritatively.

Since a white paper is intended to be a professional and public document, please follow these guidelines as you research, compose, revise, design and edit your report.

White Paper Guidelines

Audience

· You need to identify, define, and know your readers. Be clear about who you want to reach with your white paper. The smaller, more narrow and more specific your audience, the better—the easier it will be to write for them.

Format and design

· Make your report look official and authoritative rather than like a school assignment. It needs an informative title, along with your name, the date it was created (finalized), and your institutional affiliation (the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).

· Don’t over-do design and or over-use word processing features, but you can use bolding, hyperlinks, bullet points, images/graphics, etc. very judiciously.

Sections and headings

1. Introduction I one 250-500 word paragraph describing and setting up the issue or rhetorical problem for your readers.

2. Background I one 250-500 word paragraph giving readers background information about the issue or rhetorical problem.

This section provides the background information required for the audience to grasp the problem and, ultimately, the solution.
However, remember your task for this white paper is to explain the complexity of the Milwaukee-related issue/problem you’ve identified so that your stakeholders understand it.
Your task is not to propose a solution.
The content may be detailed and technical or broad and high-level. The content depends on the reader and the problem.
If original research is completed for the white paper, the methods should be communicated (i.e., interviews or surveys).

3. Two to four thematic/topical sections with titles as headings

· Organize your report of research thematically or by sub-topics (sections).

*See the ETI housing crisis research brief as an example, where the writers discuss relevant research in three areas: Milwaukee County Analysis, Drilldown on Milwaukee…, and Vital Signs….

· Each of these sections

Þ can be one to three paragraphs long

Þ should clearly reference and accurately summarize the relevant research

Þ should have a title/heading

4. Discussion I one 250-500 word paragraph explaining to readers the key take-aways from the research. This is where your own informed views on the issue are conveyed to readers.

Explain to your readers the key take-aways from the research.

What seems to be the crux of the debate?

Where is the discussion currently at given certain environmental, political, social, philosophical, cultural, or psychological issues?
You don’t have to solve the problem but merely help us understand why this issue is a complicated one and suggest where the discussion should go from here.
Avoid statements like “I believe,” “I think,” or “I feel.”

NOTE: Sections 1-4 should all use in-text citations to refer clearly to the research you’re describing and relying upon to make your points.

· Bibliography I Use a citation tool like Citation Machine or Easybib.com to help you compose a Bibliography. In a Bibliography, you should:

· Provide a bibliographic citation for each reference in the paper

Indent after the first line of each citation
Arrange the citations in an alphabetical order
Provide as much information as possible: complete and accurate bibliography (in accurate MLA or APA format) so that your readers can find and consult the same research you did.
Add a second bibliography, called something like “Further Reading,” “Additional Information,” “Related News Coverage,” etc. if you want to direct your readers to other useful, but more ancillary, sources not covered in your report

Notes

References and Documentation

All sources used to develop the white paper must be collected and cited in this section.
It adds validity to the document.
It also gives the reader content for further research.
Depending on your industry, follow MLA or APA citation formats.

Choose an Accurate and Enticing Title

A good title is essential. It should clearly indicate what the reader will learn from the white paper. It should also entice stakeholders to read it.

Example:

Bland: White Paper on Awareness of Lead in Milwaukee Water.

Enticing: Supermarkets as Social Activists: One Diet to Absorb the Impact of the Harmful Effects of Lead in Milwaukee Water

The phrase ‘white paper’ does not necessarily need to be in the title at all. Some audiences are seeking that authoritative indicator. Other readers may be scared off from valuable content because of the term. As always, think of what your audience would prefer.

Part 2 I Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation & the Research and Composing Choices in the Final Submission of your Segment 2 White Paper

Overview

Your purpose in writing this analysis is twofold:

• Review and synthesize what you’ve learned in this segment. (This enhances your learning of the course’s main concepts and strategies.)

• Persuade me of what you’ve learned in this segment through your analysis.

I’m the audience for Part 2 of this assignment and am interested in understanding all your thinking about the process of writing the Segment 2 White Paper and especially your analysis of why you made the choices you did in researching, composing, and revising your White Paper.

Directions

I encourage you to include specific details about your research process and in your analysis of the choices you made in your White Paper by referring to specific activities and assignments and specific quotations and examples from the final submission of your White Paper. Please respond to the following prompts in the rhetorical analysis of your own White Paper:

1. What rhetorical problem did you choose to investigate for your white paper, and why? Which rhetorical problem related to Milwaukee seemed most pressing or significant for the citizens of Milwaukee?

· Record the problem statement of your white paper here.

· What is the purpose of your white paper? Explain.

2. Who is your audience or set of stakeholders for the final submission of your white paper? Explain in detail why you have chosen them. I encourage you to review Project Activity Analyzing your Target Audience. You may want to include the following in your response:

Why did you choose this specific set of stakeholders who have a stake or investment in what you’re researching for this project?
- What information do these stakeholders already know about the issue? What information do they need to know, and why? What are some possible reasons why they are missing this information, perspective, or critique?
- What constraints may affect your communication with this audience? How exactly does your White Paper account for this factor? Explain.
- What affordances may impact your communication with your audience? How exactly does your White Paper account for this factor? Explain.
- Where do you already have some situated ethos, or how did you create or invent some ethos? In other words, how did you construct authority in this context? Explain.
- How do you appeal to your audience’s pathos? Explain.
- How exactly do you appeal to your audience’s logos? In other words, why did you choose the information that you did to inform this audience of your chosen complex Milwaukee-related rhetorical problem?

Why did you choose these particular source types (for your research) and place on the Information Cycle? I encourage you to include details about how the rhetorical situation of your sources impacted your decision to incorporate them in your White Paper.

How does the information in these varied sources work together to inform your audience about the complexity of the rhetorical problem? Explain.

What grade do you think your White Paper has earned, and why? Explain.

Part 3 I Segment 2 White Paper Evaluation Rubric and

Self-Assessment

When you submit the final draft of your Segment Two white paper, you will evaluate yourself in the following areas. I will use these, too, and consider your self-assessments when I give you feedback and grade your paper. See below.

Does your Segment 2 White Paper…

· Discuss a specific issue or rhetorical problem that is relevant to Milwaukee? Y N

· Reflect solid and careful research? Y N

· Have all the required sections? (Introduction, Background, Subtopics, Discussion, Bibliography?) Y N

If your paper meets these basic and most important requirements, you are almost (but not quite) at a “C,” or passing. Now we can discuss the additional components of your white paper.

1. Your research is clearly presented and informative yet does not minimize the complexity of your issue.