Essay Assignment
Political Science 503; Fall, 2004
Professor Thomas E. Nelson

Your assignment is to analyze a persuasive political advertisement from the recent Presidential election. Links to various sources for these advertisements will be posted on the class website. Discuss the "tactics" in the message, using some of the theories of persuasion and influence discussed in class or in Cialdini's book. Your essay should cover the following points:

· A brief description of the advertisement, including a link to the website where you found it.

· An analysis of the persuasion tactic or tactics applied in the advertisement

· An evaluation of the advertisement. Was it successful, in your opinion? How could it be improved?

Please follow these guidelines:

· The paper must be 3 pages in length, double-spaced, with reasonable font and margins.

· The paper does not require outside reading. If you wish to do extra reading on the topic, I can give you some suggestions for where to look. A bibliography section is not needed unless you include outside sources.

· Please turn in your assignment by midnight, November 23^rd. Send it as an email attachment to nelson.179@osu.edu. Label the attachment with your last name, and be sure to keep a backup copy for yourself.