Description
TOPIC- GUN CONTROL (PRO GUN CONTROL LAWS)
The purpose of this assignment is to map and analyze an argument from an opinion piece of the position or perspective that supports your own with your public argument topic.
Task
Find an opinion piece (Op-Ed, letter to the editor, editorial, etc.) that supports the position that you would have initially argued on your public argument topic. In order for the opinion piece to qualify for this assignment, it should have at least three paragraphs, a thesis statement, and at least two supporting arguments (sub-arguments). It should be an extended argument – use your best judgment and email me if you have any questions about your opinion piece.
Part 1
Apply what you have learned in Unit 1 & Unit 2 to identify and analyze the opinion piece. Using annotate, comments, or track changes, highlight and write/type directly on the opinion piece. Your analysis should include 12 annotations, comments, or track changes. Each annotation, comment, or track change should be approximately 2 sentences in which you identify and explain your analysis. Here is a list of pieces of the argument that you may identify.
Identify the thesis statement and supporting claims made in the opinion piece.
Analyze the claims – are they clear & understandable? Were there any claims missing or any adjustments that would improve the claim?
Identify the evidence that was used in the argument.
Does the evidence support the claim? Is the evidence strong or weak? Is there enough evidence? Could they have used a different type of evidence? is the evidence credible or verifiable?
Identify the reasoning.
Were there any errors in reasoning or fallacies? Did the sub-arguments provide support for the thesis statement?
Identify sourcing or citations.
Did they properly attribute their information? Are you able to follow the trail of information? Did they have any citations or attributions missing? Are the sources credible?
Identify the author &/or publisher.
Are they credible & authoritative? Can they be trusted? Can you easily find information about their reputation?
Was there anything missing?
Go beyond analyzing what is present in the argument to include what was missing. For example, maybe the title of the article was missing making it difficult to understand what the argument was about.
Part 2
Apply what you have learned in Unit 1 & Unit 2 to evaluate the opinion piece. Write a 1/2-page to 1-page argument that evaluates the opinion piece you analyzed.
The evaluation should have at least two paragraphs and a thesis statement that indicates your thought on the opinion piece.
For example: “This is a strong argument because…”, “This is a persuasive argument but has inconsistencies in reasoning…”
Use the comments that you highlighted in part 1 to support your thesis statement.
Written at a collegiate writing level. Your essay should be free of grammar, syntax, and spelling errors and I recommend that you revise and/or complete a peer review.
No research is needed for this assignment other than the opinion piece.
Criteria
See the rubric below for criteria details.
This assignment may be submitted late with a 5% reduction per day late up to a week past the due date.
Resources
COM 104 Library GuideLinks to an external site. from UNLV Lied Library
Writing Letters to the Editor from Community Tool Box
Writing & Submitting an Opinion Piece by Kevin Krajick from Columbia Climate School
Op-Ed: Writing Tips & Tricks from The Op-Ed Project
How to Write an Op-Ed or Column from Harvard’s Kennedy School
APA Guide by Purdue Online Writing Lab
Researching, Library, & Citing Resources
SejdaLinks to an external site. is a website that allows you to upload documents for editing
TutorialLinks to an external site. for using track changes & comments in Word
TutorialLinks to an external site. for using Preview on Mac to annotate pdfs
