As you examine the best and worst apologies, remember to demonstrate your thoughtful and sophisticated understanding of the readings, citing Benoit’s chapters and the course textbook anytime you use information from them (MLA or APA is fine). Remember to use quotation marks and page numbers when citing direct quotations and page numbers when paraphrasing information from the book, to avoid charges of plagiarism. I will be paying close attention to the sophistication and accuracy of your writing and your ability to thoughtfully apply image repair theory and other persuasion concepts/theories from the course textbook.

Please include, and label, the following sections in your paper. Divide the paper up into appropriate paragraphs, even as you use subheadings. In other words, your “worst public apology” section (for example) will have a subheading called “Worst Public Apology,” but that section should consist of multiple paragraphs; do not lump all the information required in that section into one long, never-ending paragraph. FYI, in your paper, you don’t need to label your introduction and conclusion—just label the sections: Best Public Apology, Worst Public Apology, and My Apologies.

• Introduction: Provide an introduction to the paper, just as you would any college-level essay. Generally, the introduction should address the meaning and purpose of apologies. Underline your thesis.

• Best Public Apology:
o First, describe the situation leading to the attack against the accused/offender (What happened? How offensive is the act? Is it clear that the person did it?).
o Second, describe the audience for the apology (To whom is the offender speaking? How many audiences are they speaking to? Do the audiences have competing / different interests?).
o Third, describe and evaluate the accused’s response using Benoit’s framework . List the strategies used, define the strategies, and then describe how the person used them by providing brief and relevant quotations as proof. What makes the use of these strategies good? What makes this apology good? Does the public agree with you (you should do some research here)?
o Fourth, even though this was a “good” public apology, describe what the person could have done to improve the apology/statement. Think of yourself as this person’s image repair consultant: What would you have recommended, using your knowledge of Benoit’s strategies and the persuasive strategies you have learned thus far in the course?

• Worst Public Apology:
o First, describe the situation leading to the attack against the accused/offender (What happened? How offensive is the act? Is it clear that the person did it?).
o Second, describe the audience for the apology (To whom is the offender speaking? How many audiences are they speaking to? Do they have competing /different interests?).
o Third, describe and evaluate the accused’s response using Benoit’s framework . What makes the use of these strategies bad? What makes the apology bad? List the strategies, define the strategies, and then describe how the person used them by providing brief and relevant quotations as proof. Does the public agree with you that this is a bad apology (you should do some research here)?
o Since this was a bad public apology, describe what the person could have done to improve the apology/statement. Think of yourself as this person’s image repair consultant: What would you have recommended, using your knowledge of Benoit’s strategies and the persuasive strategies you have learned thus far in the course?

• My Apologies: We all make mistakes sometimes and are called to account for them. Think of a time when you engaged in an offending act and had to respond to it—but your response was received poorly by your audience (in other words, this is a “worst” apology scenario. Remember our moments of failure are often our best opportunities for learning and growth!). Briefly describe the offending act, your apology (or response), and your audience’s response (by audience, I mean the person you offended—maybe a friend, significant other, sibling, parent, boss, coworker, etc.). Did you unknowingly use any of Benoit’s strategies (and, if so, how did it/they work for you?). If you did not, what strategies did you use? Think of yourself as your own image repair consultant: Knowing what you now know about Benoit’s image repair theory, and persuasion more broadly, what could you have done better?

• Conclusion: Provide a conclusion to the paper that thoughtfully sums up what has been accomplished in the paper—and what professionals in the field and people in their personal lives can learn from it.

• Works Cited or References Page: Include a Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page that includes the works you cited in the paper. This page is not included in the paper’s page count.

• Addendum: Provide the full text or links to the full text of the famous person’s or organization’s public apologies/statements. This page is not included in the paper’s page count.

Note regarding the use of APA or MLA style: You may use APA or MLA style to guide the formatting and the citation of sources in your papers in this course—whichever format you personally prefer and can employ best. Remember that formatting includes such things as whether you use a cover page [like you do in APA] or just place your name, professor’s name, course number, and date on the upper left hand corner of the first page of the paper [like you do with MLA]. Formatting also includes things like whether you include your last name with the page number [like you do with MLA] or whether you use a header and the page number [like you do with APA]. Regarding the citation of sources, remember that anytime you use ideas that are not your own, you cite the source of that information. Since I am asking you to apply the ideas from Benoit’s chapters and the course textbook in your paper, that means you should be citing both in your paper and on your references [APA ]or works cited [MLA] page. If you cite a direct quote, you always place quotation marks around that information and provide a page number (how you do so varies according to APA or MLA—but both require quotation marks and page numbers). If you paraphrase information, you should still include the source’s name and page number, but you do not need to use quotation marks.