Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing process
Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution;
Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose;
Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts
Use Edited American English in academic essays.
In this assignment, you will be proposing an article you wish to respond to for the Module Two Essay. Below is a small section of the essay prompt that explains what you may select as a topic.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that you have picked an appropriate article that fits within the scope of this assignment. Often, students pick a topic/article that is too broad and would require a longer, more advanced essay than what is required in this module. Remember the importance of selecting an article that is large enough you can adequately meet the essay length and development requirements, but also an article that is small enough you can adequately and thoroughly discuss it within the essay length requirements. In other words, do not pick the longest article you find (say over 10 pages) but also not the shortest (1 page).
In your second essay, you will be critically responding to an article.
What critically responding means: examine, explain, and defend your personal reaction to the text. You will be asked to explore:
Why you like or dislike the text;
Whether you agree or disagree with the author;
The text’s purpose; and
Critique (not criticize) the text.
TOPIC CHOICE: You can choose the article you want to write about within reason. Avoid all blogs and Wikis as often the information is unreliable, and we need to practice making smart source choices now.
If you choose to write about an article that addresses or connects to the following topics, you must email your instructor and explain why your approach is unique and offers something new that has not already been hashed out multiple times. The topic must then be approved by the instructor.
Abortion
Immigration/”the Wall”
Legalizing Marijuana
Second Amendment rights/gun control
Politics
Religion
The Death Penalty/doctor-assisted suicides
Good Places to Find Articles:
The New York Times has over 1,000 articles arranged by topic in a repository for students. Follow the link here: The New York Times Writing Prompts for Students.
The Atlantic also has many articles on popular topics. If you go to the website and click on the menu, a list of topics appears. Follow the link here: The Atlantic
The Odessa College Library has access to the CQ Researcher Database that offers a vast array of topics on almost any subject. Select the menu, and then “Browse Topics” for a categorized list. Follow the link here: CQ Researcher
Or, you may find your own article on any number of Internet sites.
HOW TO WRITE THE ASSIGNMENT:
Minimum word length requirement: 250 words.
Once you have selected a possible topic and found an article, please answer the following questions in complete sentences:
What article have you selected, and what topic does it discuss?
Where did you find the article? Please provide the web link.
Why do you think your article and the topic within is important to respond to and critique?
What do you know already about the topic you selected, and do you have strong feelings one way or another about the topic already?
What are some questions you have about the article/topic? Are there questions you hope the article will answer or address?
After briefly reviewing/reading the article, please write down your initial response (feelings) and critique (examination of the quality of writing and topic content). – It is all right if your response or critique changes after you have had time to reflect more. I just want your first response here for the topic proposal.