Beyond the university, we all write for real world situations, either in professional environments
\nor in our communities, and often the boundaries of these contexts blend. The audiences we write
\nfor are diverse and intersectional. To achieve our goals as writers and community members, we
\nare sometimes tasked with applying the knowledge and literacies we gain in educational contexts
\nand the knowledge, literacies, and critical perspectives that we acquire from lived experiences
\noutside of school in our communities. We rely on a combination of academic and community-
\nbased literacies to identify and articulate the topics and issues that seek to address or advocate for
\nto achieve larger social goals.
\nPurpose
\nThe purpose of this writing project is for you to identify a specific issue in your community that
\nyou can inform your audience about, take a position on that topic, and advocate for a productive
\nintervention that will affect your life and the lives of people in your community. This activity
\npromotes student equity and the development of your critical thinking and writing literacies
\nbecause it asks you to integrate your own embodied experiences and community-based
\nknowledge to discourse with and interrogate ongoing discussions around the topic. As the author
\nof this argumentative piece, you should consider your own specific purpose for writing too,
\nwhich could include your personal goal(s), such as improving as a writer and communicator
\ngenerally, or smaller goals specific to this assignment, such as informing your audience about an
\nissue or specific topic.
\nIn addition, for this writing project, you will work in small groups (3-4 students) to identify and
\nexplore an issue of special importance to our community. Based on your group research, each
\nstudent member will compose a 750-1,000 word op-ed addressing a specific target audience
\nand use persuasive rhetorical techniques and appeals to encourage your target audience to take a
\nspecific and achievable action on the issue. Then, your group will present a final version of a
\ncollaborative group op-ed to address the big group topic.
\nAudience
\nYour audience is your writing instructor and your classmates, as well as other readers on campus
\nsuch as tutors at the Writing Center. However, also remember that op-ed pieces are intended for
\npublication, so, as you plan and draft your text, consider how to appeal to a spectrum of
\naudiences in larger communities beyond our classroom and campus.
\nGenre and Style
\nYou are writing in the op-ed genre. Writing in this genre will necessitate using different writing
\nstyles to achieve your purpose of arguing for your specific issue and intervention; this includes using an argumentative style to persuade your readers to identify with your claim, narrative style
\nto share your experience(s) with the topic, expository style to explain and analyze relevant
\nsources and ideas related to the topic or issue, and descriptive style as well to describe things
\nphysically or to share a process.
\nSources
\nYour personal experience(s), as well as your opinions, critiques, and evaluations, are primary and
\nvalued sources for this project; however, they should be informed by other credible sources and
\nauthorities, which you will gather by engaging in a research process.
\nTask
\nRespond to the prompt below in 750 -1000 words, plus a Works cited page.
\nWrite a Critical Op-Ed about a specific issue in your community that is important to you.
\nTake a position on that topic and advocate for a productive intervention that will affect
\nyour life and the lives of people in your community. Be sure to explain how your
\ncommunity will benefit if the audience applies your suggestions.
\nRequirements\/Criteria for Success
\nAn effective op-ed paper will:
\n\u25cf Include a developed introduction that presents a topic and context;
\n\u25cf Articulate a clear and focused thesis that states a clear position and includes a rationale;
\n\u25cf Develop and support the thesis with arguments that are informed by evidence from 3-5
\ncredible sources. This should be developed with the writer\u2019s reasoning and sufficient
\ninformation including the writer\u2019s personal experience(s) and opinions;
\n\u25cf Incorporate coherent paragraphs in which the stated reasons\/supporting points are
\ndeveloped with specific evidence, detailed explanation, and thoughtful reflection. Use
\nparagraphing strategies, such as Point, Evidence, Analysis, Relationship, and varying
\nparagraph genres to develop a sustained and focused argument;
\n\u25cf Effectively use the writer\u2019s voice, which can include use of the pronoun \u201cI.\u201d
\n\u25cf Demonstrate audience awareness when it comes to tone and register, keeping in mind the
\nop-ed genre when making these choices, as well as vernaculars for various rhetorical
\npurposes and effect;
\n\u25cf End with a logical conclusion that utilizes concluding techniques, such as leaving the
\naudience with a clear takeaway, new insights, or a call to action;
\n\u25cf Use MLA format (see guideline on Canvas);
\n\u25cf Engage overall in a recursive writing process through a series of prewriting, drafting,
\nrevision, and peer review practices.<\/p>\n
Beyond the university, we all write for real world situations, either in professional environments or in our communities, and often the boundaries of these contexts blend. The audiences we write for are diverse and intersectional. To achieve our goals as writers and community members, we are sometimes tasked with applying the knowledge and literacies we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"disciplines":[14],"paper_types":[],"tagged":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/25395"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/questions"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/25395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"disciplines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disciplines?post=25395"},{"taxonomy":"paper_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper_types?post=25395"},{"taxonomy":"tagged","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tagged?post=25395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}