FYS Unit -B- Essay Prompts

Essay One: Rhetorical Analysis (2-3 pages)
Find a recent op-ed or editorial in a newspaper or magazine that addresses something related to globalization. Analyze its rhetorical effectiveness.

To do this, you should be aware of its target audience -- where it is published and when. What is the context for this op-ed and how does the author establish exigency for the topic? You may have to do a little research to learn more about the context and the target audience. Pay attention to how the author establishes his or her credibility. Is the author well-known already or not? Does the author appeal to the reader's emotions or values? If so, then how so? What evidence does the author use? Is it convincing? Is he or she leaving something out? What assumptions does the author have about what is valuable in the world? What assumptions does the author have about causality? Does the author commit any logical fallacies?

How you arrange this paper is up to you. In the previous paragraph I've raised several questions, but your paper should not simply answer each question one at a time. You need to come up with your own thesis, and then decide how best to explain your point of view.

NOTE -- you must find a RECENT op-ed or editorial. For this assignment, "recent" means "after July 2007." The more recent the better.

Essay Two: Op-Ed (2-3 pages)
Now that you've analyzed an op-ed, you will write one. First, choose a topic. Second, choose a periodical that would be interested in your topic. Third, what is your opinion?

As you are writing, consider all the questions that you considered when you were analyzing someone else's argument. Most importantly, don't forget about the timing (or exigency) of your op-ed.

In the real world, many op-ed's and editorials do not have works-cited pages. However, this is not the real world, so I expect you to have one.

In addition to your op-ed, I want you to write a one paragraph analysis of the venue in which you imagine publishing your op-ed. By "venue", I mean where -- the NY Times? a local newspaper? a college newspaper? a magazine such as Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, or Vogue? Explain how the venue affected your approach to establishing exigency and credibility. And explain what decisions you made as you tried to appeal to your imagined reader's emotions, interests, and values (including their sense of right and wrong, as well as their sense of priorities)? Please put this paragraph at the top of your op-ed, under your name, but over your title.

Technicalities:
     1. Page Length -- "2-3" pages means at least two, and less than three. It does not mean almost two and more than four.
     2. Papers should have one inch margins and be in 12 point, Times New Roman font.
     3. Double spaced.
     4. In the upper right corner, put in this order single spaced: your name, the name of this assignment (e.g., "Movies and Globalization"), FYS 100-43A, Dr. Steven Thomas, and the date.
     5. Centered, above the first paragraph, in bold face, have your own title. No separate title pages please!!!
     6. Your works cited page should be formatted properly according to the MLA format.