Researched Argument for Change (+Post-Script)
For this essay, you will use your annotated bibliography work (and likely some additional research) to write an article for a national publication in which you take an arguable stance on a specific problem or issue. For example, maybe there is a need for consensus that the problem must be addressed or a solution for which you can advocate.
Your genre is a magazine article, and you must select a specific publication to write for that is appropriate for your topic/argument and contains some in-depth researched articles. Your audience is the readers of that magazine—and you’ll need to think about how to appeal to those specific readers and engage them in this issue. Your main purpose as a writer is to make a nuanced, complex argument that adheres to the genre features of this magazine.
Post-Script Questions
This is informal writing, but it must be submitted with your essay. Remember: I will not grade an essay without a meaningful post-script, and your paper will accrue late penalties while I wait for it. Please include your post-script as a new page at the end of your essay (after the References page).
- List the magazine that you are writing for, hyperlink the articles you used as models, and explain what you have observed about the articles in your selected magazine: What common features do you see in this publication’s articles in regards to style or typical language; writing conventions; content and structure, including opening and closing moves; use of rhetorical appeals; design; and use, documentation, and integration of evidence?
- Explain the specific ways that you enacted the genre norms of this publication’s articles in your writing, using the list from question 1 as a guide.
- How does the magazine describe its approach and their specific readership? Explain what additional information you know about your audience.
- Explain at least three specific ways that you shaped your writing to appeal to the specific readers of this magazine.
