The Op-Ed Project 1 1 Over the course of the semester, we have been learning about critical thinking, evaluating and writing our own arguments, and reading op-ed pieces. In order to pull together all the skills we have been working on and demonstrate your ability to exercise your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, I’d like you to identify an appropriate issue you are interested in and work on developing and writing an op-ed addressing that issue. In order to fully engage in the critical inquiry process, your Op-Ed Project will consist of the following: 1. A brief paragraph in which you clearly and carefully articulate the issue you will be addressing and what makes it relevant both to you and to this exercise in critical thinking. 2. An annotated bibliography in which you identify three op-eds or opinion pieces which address your issue. Your annotated bibliography should include links to your three selections. Your annotated bibliography should briefly articulate the author’s position on the issue addressed and assess their core argument, using the skills you have acquired as a student of critical thinking. Each annotation should be approximately 150 – 200 words. You can use either MLA or APA format. For more information on preparing an annotated bibliography, see: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/1/ 3. A Peer Review of a draft of your op-ed. 4. An op-ed of approximately 750 – 800 words in which you address your chosen issue. Your op-ed should exemplify your abilities to articulate a clear issue and present arguments in support of that issue. The four pieces of this assignment (1. introductory paragraph identifying your issue, 2. annotated bibliography, 3. peer review, 4. op-ed) should be typed, double-spaced, with standard fonts and margins, and employ college-level writing skills. Staple them all together in that order. You don’t need a folder or cover page. DUE DATES - Parts 1 and 2: November 3 - Part 3: November 24 - Completed Project (parts 1, 2, and 3 stapled to the back of the final draft of your op-ed): December 5 Your goal in researching and writing your op-ed is to demonstrate your grasp of the process of critical inquiry. As you may recall from the supplementary material provided for chapter 1, critical inquiry usually begins with an issue, which is why we will often have recourse to carefully, painstakingly, and precisely identifying the issue that is at the heart of a debate, challenge, or controversy. If there is no dispute or controversy, that is, no issue, then there may be no need to engage in critical inquiry. And so your first step in researching and writing your op-ed is to identify an appropriate and relevant issue you wish to address. In order to do so, you’ll want to start reading op-eds right away and begin thinking about what issue you might wish to tackle in your op-ed. You’ll find links to sources below. One excellent resource for beginning this process is the “Opposing Viewpoints in Contexts” website, available via Schmidt Library: http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.ycp.edu:8000/ic/ovic/?userGroupName=ycp_main As their website explains: Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helpsThe Op-Ed Project 2 2 students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Once you’ve identified an issue you care about and wish to address in your op-ed, you’ll need to decide your stance on the issue. Where do you stand on the matter in dispute? The purpose in examining issues, especially issues we care about, is to arrive at a reasoned judgment. As Bailin and Battersby point out: The judgment aimed at in inquiry is not arbitrary; it is not just a matter of unreflective opinion, nor is it based uncritically on what others say. Rather, coming to a reasoned judgment involves critical evaluation. The practice of critical evaluation is also central to inquiry. Reaching a reasoned judgment will involve comparing individual arguments and pieces of information. But it’s more than that. As a part of this process we need to be able to make a comparative assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the competing views in a debate. “This involves knowing the various positions, the evidence and arguments mustered in their favour, the criticism and objections which have been leveled against them, the responses to the criticisms and objections, and alternative arguments and views.” This is why I am asking you to prepare an annotated bibliography—it will help prepare you to make that reasoned judgment about your issue. As you begin to draft your op-ed, I encourage you to review Bailin and Battersby’s discussion of the process of critical inquiry, on pages 1 and 2 of the supplementary material for Chapter 1. Resources on Writing Op-Ed Pieces There are many resources available on the Internet with information on writing op-ed pieces. Below are some relevant links together with useful recommendations copied from one particular web site. Writing an Op-ed Piece (http://www.peterwirth.net/media_guide/resources/op-ed_pieces.html) An op-ed, or opinion piece, is a written expression of an individual's or group's opinion on a matter of public interest. Op-eds bring local, national and world events into perspective for readers and commonly offer a recommendation or solution to a controversy or problem. Op-eds appear opposite the editorial page in most newspapers and can be serious, satirical or light-hearted. Generally about 600-900 words, op-eds present a single, clear point of view, not objective discussion of both sides of an issue. Op-eds are written to grab the attention of various groups-such as legislators, opinion leaders, business owners, or the community-at-large-and urge them to consider or take action on an issue. Newspaper editors select opinion pieces for publication based on interest to readers, quality of writing, originality of thought, timeliness, and freshness of viewpoint. Additionally, consideration is given to the number of articles already published on the topic, the strength of the argument and the writer's expertise on the issue. Magazines and radio stations/networks also offer