Assignment 3: Opinion/Criticism
Not all opinions are created equal; those based on facts, experience and careful reasoning are generally more convincing than those based merely on first impressions or personal tastes. That being said, don't underestimate the potential for style, wit or emotional appeal to bolster an argument.
Choose one of the following two options:
1. Write a persuasive essay explaining and defending your position on any controversial issue in the news this week. You may write the piece in any of several journalistic styles; it may resemble a newspaper editorial, a personal column, a letter to the editor, or any other format commonly seen in the opinion pages of major newspapers (pages sometimes called "Editorial," "Commentary," "Perspectives," "Op/Ed," etc.) If the issue you choose to take on is obscure, you may wish to provide a link to (or clipping of) one or more stories about it for the professor's benefit, but the piece should stand alone so that any reasonably informed reader will be able to follow your argument. Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional opinion writers craft their arguments. For example, read editorials in the Daily Gazette and The Boston Globe, read columns by George Will and Molly Ivins, read letters to the editor in The New York Times, and observe a few debates by pundits on cable TV news stations such as CNN and MSNBC.
2. Write a review (or a comparable piece of personal commentary) on any new or recent product or performance. Your subject could be a book, a film, a television program, a concert, a video game, a CD, an art exhibit, a consumer product, a play, etc. Be certain to choose a subject about which you are knowledgeable, so the opinion you offer is an informed one.
Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional reviewers write about comparable subjects. For example, if you're going to review a new music CD, read some reviews of other CDs from Rolling Stone, Metroland, the Times Union, the New York Times, National Public Radio, slate.com, and other media outlets.
Whether you choose option 1 or 2, your piece should 2 or 3 typed, double-spaced pages. It is due at the start of class on Tuesday, June 26.
Choose one of the following two options:
1. Write a persuasive essay explaining and defending your position on any controversial issue in the news this week. You may write the piece in any of several journalistic styles; it may resemble a newspaper editorial, a personal column, a letter to the editor, or any other format commonly seen in the opinion pages of major newspapers (pages sometimes called "Editorial," "Commentary," "Perspectives," "Op/Ed," etc.) If the issue you choose to take on is obscure, you may wish to provide a link to (or clipping of) one or more stories about it for the professor's benefit, but the piece should stand alone so that any reasonably informed reader will be able to follow your argument. Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional opinion writers craft their arguments. For example, read editorials in the Daily Gazette and The Boston Globe, read columns by George Will and Molly Ivins, read letters to the editor in The New York Times, and observe a few debates by pundits on cable TV news stations such as CNN and MSNBC.
2. Write a review (or a comparable piece of personal commentary) on any new or recent product or performance. Your subject could be a book, a film, a television program, a concert, a video game, a CD, an art exhibit, a consumer product, a play, etc. Be certain to choose a subject about which you are knowledgeable, so the opinion you offer is an informed one.
Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional reviewers write about comparable subjects. For example, if you're going to review a new music CD, read some reviews of other CDs from Rolling Stone, Metroland, the Times Union, the New York Times, National Public Radio, slate.com, and other media outlets.
Whether you choose option 1 or 2, your piece should 2 or 3 typed, double-spaced pages. It is due at the start of class on Tuesday, June 26.
posted by The Bentwood Rockers at 6:58 PM
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