Commentary Proposal on XX
This week’s goal is to begin collecting information and planning for the rough draft and final Commentary essay by reading, thinking, and engaging with your topic. As you determine your topic, you’ll want to be sure it’s viable by understanding the perspectives within it and determining what unique angle you can offer to the conversation. Please answer the following questions/prompts in complete sentences and paragraph format. Retain the same outline points and words in bold as shown below. Delete all directions here and below. See the week 5 sample for how your paper should look.
I. Topic/Angle/Purpose
A. What is your chosen topic? Write your topic in one sentence. Be sure to give a brief definition or description of the subject.
B. What unique angle can you present on this topic? Consider what is new about the topic or what unique perspective can be shared about this topic.
C. What is your purpose for writing? What do you hope to accomplish? Why are you writing? Reflect on how or why your background, motivations, needs, or interest sparked your interest on this topic and relate to your overall goals for writing.
II. Background
Provide a brief summary of the topic. Explain the current issues surrounding the topic and share at least two opposing positions on the topic. As this is a summary, this section should be written in your own words without any quotations, quotation marks, or copying and pasting; however, you must first conduct research to complete this section. Find at least two sources that offer differing perspectives on this topic and summarize their points of view, making sure to cite each of your two sources in correct in-text citations. These summarized points of view should be specific information found in one site, rather than general, common-knowledge type information that can be found in more than one site (common knowledge ideas). Be sure to have correct in-text citations for borrowed ideas inside the sentence, before the final period. If there are no in-text citations for this section, your paper will not earn a passing grade. You will have a corresponding Reference entry for in-text citation. Analyze the borrowed ideas to make the topic clear—and allow readers to understand the two opposing points of view on the topic. This entire paragraph will become paragraph #2 in your rough draft and in your final essay, so it’s an important paragraph.
III. Audience
Who are your readers, and what are their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to them? In one paragraph, analyze the groups and individuals who are reading and writing on your chosen topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds will dictate your writing approach. Start a new page below for References; you must have a minimum of two sources listed below.
References
Put your first entry here in correct APA format for a Reference entry, starting with author’s last name or the title of the article. Sources should be in alphabetical order. Consult Citation Machine (citationmachine.net), or the textbook Writing Today Using APA Style for more information about the References list. See how the first line is flush left; each subsequent line is hanging indented. To do this, highlight the second, third, etc. lines, and in Paragraph, look for Special; in the drop-down box, click on Hanging, and the indentation should be .5”. Pay attention to capitalization (titles are not in all caps), spacing, italics, and punctuation, as these elements need to be correct. Note: most entries are not this long; they are usually 2 lines long.
Put your second entry here in correct APA format for a Reference entry, starting with author’s last name or the title of the article. Alphabetize by the author’s last name, so an author whose last name ends in A appears before an author whose last name ends with B, and so on. Pay attention to capitalization (titles are not in all caps), spacing, italics, and punctuation, as these elements need to be correct.
Put your third entry here (if you have one; the minimum for this week’s assignment is 2) in correct APA format for a Reference entry, starting with author’s last name or the title of the article. Alphabetize by the author’s last name, so an author whose last name ends in A appears before an author whose last name ends with B, and so on. Pay attention to capitalization (titles are not in all caps), spacing, italics, and punctuation, as these elements need to be correct.
