Finding a Source Text to Analyze

Generative AI Prompt

Explain to the AI tool what you are doing, and what you would like it to do. For example:

I am working on a rhetorical analysis in my writing class, and am looking for a text to analyze. (Please) Provide 12-15 recommendations of different types of texts (articles, TED talks, podcasts, etc) on the topic of ____.

• Include your topic, adjusting keywords as you see fit. For example, I had good results with a topic broken down like: homelessness, houselessness, and root causes in the USA. If your AI tool doesn’t automatically generate a summary and direct link to the text you may prompt it to do so.

TED Talks (for Video and Audio Sources)

• Website: TED Talks
• What to look for: TED Talks are a great source for persuasive and engaging arguments.

Opinion and Editorial Sections (for Articles)

• Sources:
  • The New York Times Opinion Section
  • The Guardian Opinion
  • The Washington Post Opinions
• What to look for: Opinion pieces in major newspapers provide clear arguments on current issues, perfect for rhetorical analysis. These pieces often aim to persuade readers on social, environmental, and political matters.

Podcasts and Interviews (for Audio Texts)

• Sources:
  • NPR’s TED Radio Hour
  • The Argument – New York Times
  • How I Built This (NPR)
• What to look for: Podcasts often feature in-depth discussions on pressing issues with guest experts. They can serve as texts where students analyze the speaker’s rhetorical strategies and how effectively they engage listeners.

Environmental & Scientific Journals (for Articles and Reports)

• Sources:
  • National Geographic
  • Scientific American
  • Yale Environment 360
• What to look for: Articles from environmental and scientific journals offer persuasive arguments backed by data and research, which are great for analyzing the logical appeal (logos) and use of evidence.

Documentaries and Video Essays (for Video Texts)

• Sources:
  • YouTube Video Essays
  • Netflix Documentaries
  • PBS Documentaries
• What to look for: You might analyze how documentaries or video essays construct their argument using visuals, interviews, and data to make their case. They can focus on the documentary’s ability to persuade and convey urgency on important issues.

Academic and Advocacy Websites (for Articles, Reports, and Papers)

• Sources:
  • Pew Research Center
  • The Humane Society
  • The World Health Organization (WHO)
• What to look for: These websites offer research papers and reports that often take a clear stance on global issues, backed by research. These can be used to analyze how evidence and data (logos) are used to argue for change

Online (& Print) Magazines, including some available through PCC Library!

The Atlantic

• Focus: Politics, culture, social issues, technology, and more.
• Why it’s good: The Atlantic publishes well-researched opinion pieces and in-depth essays by respected writers. The articles often address current events and offer clear rhetorical strategies, making them great for analysis.

The New Yorker

• Focus: Commentary on politics, social issues, arts, culture, and literature.
• Why it’s good: The New Yorker is known for its narrative style and long-form journalism. There’s a variety of texts to analyze, including persuasive essays, cultural critiques, or investigative reporting for tone, style, and rhetorical appeals.

Slate

• Focus: Politics, culture, technology, news commentary.
• Why it’s good: Slate’s articles are often conversational but make strong, persuasive arguments.

Vox

• Focus: Explanatory journalism covering politics, public policy, science, and culture.
• Why it’s good: Vox’s style is informative and analytical, often using data and research to explain complex issues. The authors often simplify complex information in and use visual rhetoric like charts or images.

Harper’s Magazine

• Focus: Politics, culture, literature, arts, and society.
• Why it’s good: Harper’s features in-depth essays and long-form journalism that often take a critical stance on social and cultural issues, making it rich for rhetorical analysis, especially with complex arguments and high-level rhetoric.

The Economist

• Focus: Economics, business, politics, international affairs.
• Why it’s good: For students interested in analyzing more technical, data-driven texts, The Economist offers concise articles that rely on logical appeals and economic reasoning. It’s a great source for dissecting arguments based on facts and figures.

Wired

• Focus: Technology, innovation, culture, and science.
• Why it’s good: Wired’s articles often explore the intersection of technology and society, making it great for analyzing how technical information is made persuasive or relatable to a broader audience

National Geographic

• Focus: Science, environment, geography, history, and cultures.
• Why it’s good: Articles in National Geographic tend to focus on the environment, science, and culture, often using appeals to ethos and logos through expert testimony and data. You might analyze how scientific information is made persuasive to a general audience.

Scientific American

• Focus: Science, technology, health, and environmental issues.
• Why it’s good: If you’re interested in science or technology, you can analyze how scientific facts and research are communicated and made persuasive to a broad audience, with a focus on ethos (credibility) and logos (logic).

Foreign Affairs

• Focus: International relations, global politics, and economics.
• Why it’s good: This publication focuses on foreign policy and global issues, providing well-structured arguments that are often analytical and fact-driven. Great for analyzing logical reasoning and appeals to authority.

Time Magazine

• Focus: News, politics, culture, and global events.
• Why it’s good: Time’s articles are generally concise and accessible, with clear arguments and rhetorical strategies that are easy for students to identify. It covers a wide range of current events.

The Guardian (US Edition)

• Focus: Politics, social justice, global issues, and culture.
• Why it’s good: The Guardian’s US edition covers many hot-button issues like race, inequality, and the environment. Their opinion and feature pieces are rich with persuasive strategies and provide a range of perspectives.

The Nation

• Focus: Progressive politics, social justice, environmental issues.
• Why it’s good: Known for its progressive stance, The Nation provides opinion pieces and investigative journalism on social and political issues. You might analyze its rhetorical strategies, particularly the appeals to emotion (pathos) and moral values (ethos)