Op-ed

Deadline

UPDATED:

Full Draf Due April 19th at 10:30 am. Bring a hard copy to class and submit on Canvas.

Final Draft Due April 26th at 11:59 pm on Canvas.

Purpose

The goal of this assignment is to help you apply concepts and findings from the course material to a current event of your interest in American politics and to communicate your analysis and conclusions to a general audience.

Task

Write an op-ed for The Profile on a topic related to the course (no actual submission to the paper necessary). Your op-ed may address a current policy debate, news story, or political science finding you think would help you and your peers understand contemporary American politics. The op-ed should be between 600-1,200 words (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins). Use Times New Roman or Arial font.

An op-ed is a short opinion piece intended for the general readership of a publication. Many academics write op-eds as a way to communicate their research to people outside their field that they believe could help illuminate an important political event.

In your op-ed, make sure to include at least two pieces of information (e.g., concepts, ideas, frameworks, contextual information) that you learned in class and found particularly helpful for your understanding of this topic to make your argument.

Click here for more details about how to write an op-ed.

Please include a word count under the title.

Criteria for success

A successful essay will:

Have an effective lede (i.e., hook) and a clear thesis statement.
Identify at least two concepts/ideas/information from class.
Provide persuasive evidence for the argument.
Use clear and concise language (avoid jargon).