Agenda: Week 8

Week 8: Looking at Op-Ed/Opinion Essays

Class Info

• Dates: Tuesday, 3/21-Monday, 3/27
• Meeting Info: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:15am in room N618

Objectives

• To find, read, and analyze op-ed examples
• To draft proposals for Project 2
• To complete any unfinished work, especially Project 1: Discourse Communities and the reflection post
• To discuss midsemester grades
• To continue reading Nella Larsen’s Passing

For Tuesday, 3/21

Reading

• Reading/Writing resource: “Developing Strong Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
• Reading/Writing resource: “Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
• Reading/Writing resource: “How to Write an OP-ED or Column” (Harvard Kennedy School Communications Program).
• Reading/Writing resource: “Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks” (The Op-ed Project).

Writing

• Using these instructions, draft a proposal for Project 2
• Choose a word and contribute to our Glossary, following the instructions about what to include and how to post.

In Class Tuesday, 3/21

• Reviewing the features of the op-ed
• brainstorming topics
  • school systems, more skill training, vocational schools, not specifically college–city should invest more money into trade schools to create opportunities without financial burden. would the audience be students or city officials? what data or research would bolster this argument: enrollments, graduation, into which kinds of jobs, statistical analysis, but also testimonials, personal experiences, also educators are saying.
  • deforestation: speaking out to politicians, also people who need to know, people who are affected by it, or who need to realize they’re affected by it. what kind of research: evidence of the impact of deforestation, data as well as testimonials or personal experiences. local audience.
  • is your source reliable? one thing to think about is media bias:
    • https://adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/
    • https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart
• Finding op-ed models
• Drafting proposals

For Thursday, 3/23

Reading

• Research for Project 2

Writing

• Share a glimpse into how it’s going at midsemester
• take notes and annotate while researching
• begin drafting Project 2
• Choose a word and contribute to our Glossary, following the instructions about what to include and how to post.

In Class Thursday, 3/23

• Share a glimpse into how it’s going at midsemester
• What is a thesis statement
  • tells the reader what you’re going to talk about in the essay
  • can be more formal, related to the findings that will come later
  • 1-2 sentences
  • not a question–can be the answer to a question if you like that format
  • is specific to what you’re writing about
  • use it in a research paper: like a hypothesis
  • argumentative/persuasive essay
  • even in narratives we have one, though it might not look the same
  • often at the beginning, but sometimes not, especially in the op-ed
• Use our resources to get started
  • Reading/Writing resource: “Developing Strong Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
  • Reading/Writing resource: “Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
  • Reading/Writing resource: “How to Write an OP-ED or Column” (Harvard Kennedy School Communications Program).
  • Reading/Writing resource: “Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks” (The Op-ed Project).
• Researching for Project 2