Word count: 500 - 750
Invention: Based on your research and discussions with your familia
Peer review: Ongoing discussions with your familia over the role of your essay on the group’s website
An op-ed is an opinion piece that, in news outlets, was originally published opposite the editorial page (hence the name op-ed). It is a piece of argumentative writing in which the author takes a position or advocates for a particular issue of importance to the local, national, or international communities of which the author is usually a member. Op-eds are designed to spark discussion around an issue and often seek to call readers to action.
Op-eds are a great way to engage in civic discourse and effect change in our communities and lives. Below is an op-ed structure that is certainly not the only way to write an op-ed, but provides a template for you to work from:
Lede - This is the opening paragraph in a news story. The lede acts as a hook for readers by centering the story around kairos through a recent event, a seasonal occurrence, or an ongoing and unresolved issue in the news.
Thesis - Statement of your argument, either specific or implied
Argument - Based on evidence (such as stats, news, reports from credible organizations, expert quotes, scholarship, history, or firsthand experience)
1st point
Evidence
Evidence
Conclusion
2nd point
Evidence
Evidence
Conclusion
3rd point
Evidence
Evidence
Conclusion
“To be sure” Paragraph - Counterargument paragraph in which you anticipate your opponents or potential critics by acknowledging (conceding) any flaws or weaknesses in your own argument and address (refute) any obvious counterarguments.
Conclusion - Provide a call to action (what action do you want taken and by whom?) and, if possible, circle back to your lede.
Source: The OpEd Project www.theopedproject.org
Goals and Overview:
Successful collaboration on projects is a necessary skill for higher education as well as in the 21st century economy. Collaborating on projects with classmates helps to build the human skills employers today most value, including: written and oral communication, problem solving, ethical decision making, and intercultural fluency. Yet, as many of us already know, group projects in classroom settings very often fail to build these skills effectively, as one person inevitably takes ownership of the whole project, while others don’t contribute their fair share.
To ensure that your collaboration with your familia on this project is successful and allows you to build skills that you’ll use throughout your educational and career path, you will work with your familia to develop norms and criteria that will all keep you accountable to each other and to the successful completion of the project. In the space below, you’ll use criteria and percentages (weights) that your familia all agree on to show how you plan to assess the work of each individual member of your familia. As a “summative” evaluation, this assessment of your familia members will take place at the end of the semester when you submit your research project and will be shared only with the instructor. The summative evaluation will account for a percentage of your team project grade.
Examples:
When thinking of what qualities make successful collaborations, think about groups you’ve worked in before: what attitudes, mindsets, or behaviors helped that group function well? What held individual group members back? How might you translate those into useful criteria for peer evaluation? Below are some examples of the kind of criteria you may want to use:
Collegiality (getting along well) Reflection Communication Leadership
Attendance/promptness Respect Preparedness Active Listening
Your Criteria:
Use this space to brainstorm some ideas. When you arrive at consensus, fill in the blanks with your criteria and how much you want each aspect to be weighted toward the final evaluation.
Criteria Percentages/Weights
________________ ___________________
________________ ___________________
________________ ___________________
________________ ___________________
________________ ___________________
Sample Summative Evaluation Submission:
When you submit your final research project, you will use the criteria and weights above to evaluate each familia member’s contributions to the project. You may use the examples below as a template for your summative evaluation of each familia member, including yourself. Remember to use the 4.0 grading scale provided in the syllabus.
Juan (Familia Member 1 Name)
Communication = A = 4.0 x 25% = 1.0
Respect = A = 4.0 x 25% = 1.0
Sharing Ideas = A = 4.0 x 25% = 1.0
Timely Completion = B = 3.0 x 25% = .75
Total = 3.75
Word count: 500 - 750
Invention: Based on your research and discussions with your familia
Peer review: Ongoing discussions with your familia over the role of your essay on the group’s website
Athough a white paper is, like an op-ed, a persuasive genre, it often appears as an informational text. This is because white papers provide information about an organization’s position, tools/resources, products, and/or services in order to argue a position or propose a solution to a problem, often a problem that is widely faced by the audience. According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, “Corporations [including non-profit organizations] use white papers to sell information or new products as solutions that would serve their customers’ needs” (“White Paper: Purpose and Audience”).
Writing a white paper can be a great way to promote your organization’s services and advocacy while also providing information and demonstrating to your audience that your organization is best fit to meet their needs. To do this, you need to demonstrate a strong grasp of your audience’s needs and interests to show how your services and advocacy are to their advantage. Below is a basic white paper structure:
Introduction/Summary - In just a couple of sentences summarize your service, advocacy, or solution.
Background/Statement of the Problem - Provides readers with the essential background information to the problem and/or identifies problems readers may be facing.
Solution - Offers your solution to the problem stated above or explains how your organization meets the need identified in the background/problem statement.
Advertisement - Mention any services or products that your organization may provide to meet the audience’s needs and address the problem.
Conclusion - Offer a call to action or steps for your readers to take.
Source: Purdue OWL https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/white_papers/organization_and_other_tips.html
Objectives:
For successful completion of this project, you will . . .
Decide on a topic based on your interests and expertise
Conduct background research to narrow your topic to a focused research question
Evaluate sources to identify responses to your research question
Synthesize research into an argument essay
Design a website or social media campaign advocating for your topic and position
Overview:
The focus of this course has been to examine the ways in which outsiders and subcultures are defined, both internally and externally, through symbolic and rhetorical practices. We have explored, for example, how learning the languages and symbolic practices of a subculture, such as pachucos or Chicanos, defines belonging and exclusion. We have seen how certain groups have been excluded from educational access and opportunity. And we have seen how national belonging has excluded certain races and ethnicities and how understandings of citizenship have impacted how we define such terms as legal/illegal, justice, immigrant/asylum, detention/imprisonment, and, ultimately, the American Dream.
For this final project, you will take what you have learned about rhetorical strategies and how to develop an argument, in order to create a website or social media campaign in which you advocate for a particular group, policy, movement, or cultural expression of your choosing. Once you have decided on a topic, you will need to define your advocacy goals. For example, do you want to bring awareness to a certain issue or cultural movement? Do you want to advocate for changes to laws or policies? Do you want to call people to action? Or do you want to change the minds of a particular audience to be more inclusive or reframe the narrative around an issue?
Once you have defined the goals of your project, you will conduct research to determine (1) who your audience is, (2) what arguments are made around this issue already, and (3) what the most effective arguments for you will be. Based on this research, you will write a brief argument or position essay in the form of either an op-ed (opinion-editorial piece) or a research-based white paper. This piece will form the heart of your website or social media campaign, but you will also include other components to flesh out your site or campaign and define your ethos.
The website or social media campaign itself should include the following elements at a minimum:
An “About” page or description of you or the organization you’ve created
A mission or goals statement
Photo and bio
Images that represent the group or topic you’re advocating for
Two out of your three first essays, revised and polished for the course as prior publications
Your op-ed/white paper
You may also want to incorporate additional media content, such as a social media feed, relevant videos, links to upcoming events or ways that visitors can get involved, and/or a contact page where visitors can connect.
Invention:
Use these questions and some form of invention practice--such as listing, freewriting, mind-mapping, etc.--to begin generating ideas for your essay.
Complete the “Excavating Our Expertise” form to identify areas of your expertise and interest
Mind-map your interests with your familia to decide on a topic. Remember that your familia is there to support you and help you develop your ideas.
Conduct background research into your topic and begin to narrow to a focused research question. Complete the “Research Log I” that shows how you’ve moved through your background research process and how you’ve narrowed to a more focused research question.
Share your research question with your familia to begin determining the goal(s) of your organization and website.
Mindmap the various arguments made by different stakeholders in your topic in a collaborative mindmap to visualize the various positions people take in regard to this topic..
Determine what argument you want to make and whether you would like to write an op-ed or a white paper for your familia. Share your decision with your familia.
Identify the “why?” of your argument--why is it important or relevant (think of kairos and pathos--what is the relevance for your audience?)
Determine your position or claim and your reasons for taking that position or making that claim.
Determine your call to action: what do you want readers to do after hearing your arguments? What are your specific goals for your argument?
Develop your mission/goals statement
Work with your familia to brainstorm ideas for the design of your website or social media project.
Assignment Details:
Each project will contain the following required elements:
Researched argument essay (op-ed or white paper - see criteria for each below and on separate document)
An “About” page
A mission/goals statement
Your photo and bio
Images that represent the group or topic you’re advocating for
A link to prior publications that includes each of your essays for the course, revised and polished based on feedback
Your overall website should demonstrate attention to ethos (credibility) and should show how your goals are advantageous to your audience (pathos).
Each individual student will submit the following additional required elements:
Op-ed or white paper: each of these should be 500-750 words (op-ed) or 750-1000 words (white paper) and incorporate the conventions of each of those genres by synthesizing credible research in the development of an argument (position/claim + reasons).
