Essay 2, the Opinion/Editorial Article Analysis Essay:
Please note that you may post your questions and receive answers from your classmates or me about Essay #2 in this space (or under “Chat”).
Also, if there are additional tips, updates, etc., I’ll be sure to post them at on the “Resources, Tips, and FAQs for Essay 2” page, also found under the Module, “Major Assignments.”
This essay is worth 150 points (out of 1000 for the course) or 15% of your overall grade and is due by 12 pm on Friday, June 26th in the Module, “Major Assignments” (be sure to submit it correctly).
For this second major essay assignment, you will be writing an analytical essay on an opinion/editorial article of your own choosing; however, this opinion/editorial article must have been published in the last month in a major newspaper or journal (past May 20th, 2020).
Below is more information on this assignment. Please read all of the information on this page and feel free to post your questions about the assignment by clicking “reply” down below. Note: your questions here can be viewed by the class, much like when you raise your hand in a face-to-face class. But don’t hesitate to ask because your question might be of use to others who had the same question in mind.
Background:
The purpose of this paper is to write your analysis on a recent opinion/editorial article of your own choosing. By analyzing the article, you’re showing not only your understanding of the argument and supports in that article but also your reaction to and engagement with that argument and the argument made in that article. This is in essence what we do whenever we engage in critical thinking. We pay attention to what someone has shared (in this case, through an opinion/editorial piece) and hear that person out (by understanding what that person is trying to share) and analyze the parts of that argument (by breaking down how that argument works) and evaluate it for ourselves (by relating to this information and reflecting on it). Moreover, we process that information and, in turn, share our views about that article and about our stance on that article/claim/style/topic with our own essay.
Objective:
Write a thesis-centered and evidence-rich essay in which you identify and analyze the claim or purpose in the opinion/editorial article and weigh in with your perspective on that claim or purpose. (Again, your evidence comes from the article and possibly, but not primarily, from your observations or personal experiences. Again, there should be no research here.)
Requirements:
In writing an analysis, you want to show that you have understood the purpose of or claim in the article and how that purpose or claim is made.
You also want to indicate if you agree, disagree, or agree and disagree with that purpose or claim. (Again, your choices are not limited to the ones mentioned here. You might do any of the following: admire, be critical of, find offensive, be intrigued, etc.
Your paper should be thesis-centered and use evidence to support your points.
Your evidence on your analysis of the article should be based on information in the article.
Your evidence to support or clarify your point may come from your observations and personal experiences.
For this assignment, you should not conduct research as I’d like to see your original analysis and hear your unique perspective. If there is research here, I will deduct points..
As with any essay you turn in for my class, you will need to write your essay on MS Word, but I will accept (tolerate…) PDF files. (Please contact me if you need another option of submitting work, and I’ll do my best to show flexibility.). Your essay should be formatted according to MLA and you will need to cite the video in your bibliography. If you’d like more information about MLA formatting, click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Y31UrG2q4 (Links to an external site.)
If you’d like more information about bibliographies, click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaFcJ3f4fJk (Links to an external site.)
Please note that plagiarism is cheating. Regardless of your intentions, if you take someone else’s words and/or their ideas and you plant them in your paper with proper credit, you’re taking credit for these words and/or ideas. Any plagiarism rate beyond 5% will be investigated. Any plagiarized papers will earn a “0” with no chance of rewriting that paper. (And a second violation of plagiarism will earn a “0” in the class, so don’t buy papers, don’t copy other people’s texts, don’t turn in your old papers, don’t let friends write your papers for you, etc. Write your own original paper!)
Suggestions:
Look over and possibly complete all of the minor assignments in this week’s module before you begin writing your essay.
Use the Writing Process: prewriting, outlining, drafting, and revising. Use the process as it relates to Critical Thinking, in particular.
Consider scheduling an appointment with an ELAC Reading and Writing Center tutor for some basic feedback. Do this early into the week.
DO NOT email me your drafts. I grade final drafts only. But do communicate with me if you have specific questions about the assignment or need some personal or professional help that a tutor cannot help with (e.g. you don’t understand the assignment, or you’ve been sick and want to share this, etc.)
Look over the “Resources, Tips, and FAQs on Essay 2, ” available under the Module, “Major Assignments,” and keep checking back for more of those tips and templates.
Prompt:
Find an opinion/editorial article published in the last month. For this article, you will need to complete an annotation as well as parts of the Writing Process to show me that you’ve read, analyzed, and prepared material to engage with the substance of the article.
In your essay, indicate what you think the purpose or claim of the article is and how the writer(s) make(s) that claim (e.g. how he or she or they support that claim). Then I’m asking you to add if you agree/disagree/agree and disagree with that claim and why.
For both the author’s claim and your own claim, you will need to provide supports from the text itself (a.k.a. textual evidence).
Some recommended sources for you to search for your opinion-editorial article:
Guardian (Links to an external site.) (I like this source the best because the articles are concise and the newspaper updates on a daily basis and has NO pay wall. In other words, you can read everything without running into an article limit.)
L.A. Times (Links to an external site.)
New York Times (Links to an external site.)
Atlantic Monthly (Links to an external site.)
The Economist (Links to an external site.)
CNN (Links to an external site.)
Time Magazine (Links to an external site.)
Good luck! I look forward to reading your papers.
