Current Events Analysis Project (Academic Article)

Assignment
For this assignment, we will work in a more traditional academic genre of the analysis and the
report, which have a much more formal feel and style. While the paper will still be argumentative,
there will be a heavier emphasis on the strength of your research and your information gathering
methods.

For this project, you also have the option to work in “writing groups.” This is entirely optional, but
if you choose to, you can work in groups to share research resources and some of the writing tasks.

For this project, you’ll select a current event or ongoing social or professional issue and read the
news and opinion commentaries about that subject, write a report that synthesizes and analyzes what
you have read, and then do some additional research to assist in your analysis and argument. You’ll
have the choice between writing either a POLICY SUGGESTION or a HISTORICAL
COMPARISON. I want to note that this current issue need not be a widely public or political one:
many industries have on-going concerns. For example, you might write about diversity in the gaming
development, cybersecurity for businesses, the ethics of documentary filmmaking, etc. All that is
requires is that the issue be current and pressing for the affected population, but it need not affect us
all.

Purpose
In this paper you will demonstrate your ability to craft well-constructed arguments or analysis while
synthesizing a range of readings. Synthesizing means condensing multiple points of view into a
single discussion. Additionally, you will prove your ability to craft a compelling thesis statement and
support it throughout the course of a longer argument, including counterarguments and the other
principles we’ve learned in the OpEd unit. With this unit, we’ll also learn about the important parts
of academic papers: the methods section and the conclusion.

Audience
Your audience for this paper are other scholars interested in the same topic. While your paper must
have an argument or clear analytical goal, it should be heavily focused on sharing information and
factual accounts. This is a formal academic paper, so while personal experience might be useful,
you’ll want to use it judiciously.

Sources
Your paper must demonstrate careful reading, synthesis, and citations. As such, the paper must
summarize, paraphrase, or quote a MINIMUM of FIVE valid sources that demonstrate a critical
engagement with your chosen theme. For this paper, I will define “valid source,” as 1) a peer-
reviewed academic text, 2) a news article or opinion piece published in an internationally recognized
reliable newspaper, or 3) a professional report published by an internationally recognized
professional, political, or non-government organization 4) interviews with people impacted/who
know. While you might use other sources (social media, blogs, non-professional sources, etc) these
additional sources won’t count towards the five required.

Your paper must be properly formatted in APA style, including all proper in-text citations and a
reference page.
Prompt #1: Policy Proposal
Choose a pressing societal or professional problem or issue that you are interested in. Conduct
research to identify relevant current events, existing policy suggestions or solutions aimed at
addressing this issue. Your task is to synthesize information from various sources, evaluate the
quality and effectiveness of these proposals. Your conclusion will present your own well-reasoned
policy proposal. Consider the following questions when writing this paper:
1) What are the current policy recommendations?
a) Who will benefit the most from each of these recommendations?
b) What does not benefit from each of these recommendations?
c) What aspects of the problem does this address? What parts are not adequately
addressed?
d) What evidence supports each of the recommendations
2) What do the various recommendations have in common? Where are they most different?
3) What does your policy suggestion add to the conversation?

Prompt #2: Historical Connections

Choose a pressing societal issue or current event that you are interested in. Conduct research to
identify historical events or periods that share patterns or lessons with your chosen topic. Synthesize
the information to compare the current and historical examples in a way that creates a compelling
narrative of the present and historical contexts, which an emphasis on better understanding today’s
problems. Your conclusion will make an argument for a key take-away we can learn from the past
for today’s issue. While writing your paper, consider the following questions:
1) What are the historical situations that are similar to our own?
a) For these, remembers that even with similarities, the contexts are quite different.
What are the differences in contexts?
2) What do the various historians, cultural critics, and researchers say about the lessons to be
learned from the past events?
3) What lessons do YOU see from the past that relates to the present? What new ideas can you
contribute to this conversation?

Steps for Successful Completion

To complete the assignment, please do the following:
1. Start by deciding what topic you would like to read more about. Be sure to pick a topic that
is specific enough to have a clear, pointed thesis about, but also general enough that you’ll
find plenty to research.
a. If you are working with a writing group then all members of your group should pick
the same topic.

2. Create a timeline for your work. Look at all your school and personal obligations, plan
accordingly. You’ll have some along-the-way assignments for this in our class, but there will
be a lot of work you’ll need to do on your own. It’s also helpful during this time to make
sure you understand the assignment thoroughly. Come meet with me, go visit the writing
center, etc, before you even really begin to make sure your expectations are correct.

3. Start researching! Here’s some great places to start your research:

 Google Scholar (scholar.google.com : Google Scholar is a specialized search engine for
scholarly articles, books, conference papers, and patents. It's an excellent resource for
academic research.

JSTOR (www.jstor.org): JSTOR provides access to a vast collection of academic journals,

books, and primary source materials in various disciplines. You have free access this site via
the Utah Library website first.

Academic Search Premier: This database provides access to a wide range of academic
journals, magazines, and newspapers covering various subjects. You have free access this
site via the Utah Library website first.

CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook): Useful for research on global and

country-specific topics, the CIA World Factbook provides up-to-date information about
countries and regions.

Government Websites (e.g., www.usa.gov, www.gov.uk): Government websites often

contain official reports, statistics, and policy documents relevant to various subjects.

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org): While not a primary source, Wikipedia can be a good

starting point for research and a way to quickly understand the basic context of an issue.

News Websites (e.g., BBC News, Reuters, The New York Times): For current events and
news analysis, reputable news websites are valuable sources of information. You’ll have free
access to many of these if signing in via the university library.

Subject-Specific Organizations: Websites of professional organizations related to a your

topic provide research papers, publications, and reports. For example, the American
Psychological Association (APA) or the American Historical Association (AHA).

Digital Libraries and Archives (e.g., the Library of Congress, the British Library): These
institutions offer digitized collections of historical documents, photos, manuscripts, and
more.

4. While researching, take notes on the most important points of each source, but also note the
key words, phrases, and topics that are similar between the sources. Similarly, pay attention
to how the sources may disagree with each other or come to different conclusions.
a. You will likely need to read and re-read all your sources multiple times.

5. After reading, write down notes on your own views on the issue. There may be several
suggested issues or arguments, but you’ll need to pick just one focused argument to make
with your paper. Consider, too, that some of your arguments might not be directly aimed at
your peer group. You’ll need to read like a researcher, not just as an individual.

6. If you’re writing with a Writing Group, discuss your findings with your group and share the
articles you’ve found. Having thorough conversations about what you’re reading and finding
will help you understand the full context of the issue and the arguments inside the
conversation.
 7. Draft your paper.
a. Cite at least five sources without merely summarizing their content. (Keep in mind
all your They Say/I Say techniques: no patchwriting, lots of attribution tags, citations,
context clues, etc.)
b. The organizational and rhetorical focus of your paper should emphasize YOUR
argument, even while it relies heavily on research from sources and evidence
c. This paper does not have a pre-determined structure. You should have an
introduction, a thesis, topic sentences, a body section, and a conclusion, but how you
choose to organize those parts is up to you. Remember that there is no right or
wrong, only effective and ineffective. photographs, or across multiple spread, as a
large text block, etc. The requirements for the conclusion is stated briefly inside each
prompt.
d. Your paper should be at about 1000 words, not counting front and end matter.
e. SYNTHESIZING means combining sources. In brief, this means that you
should use multiple sources in each body section AND that your key sources
should be used in multiple sections of your paper.
f. Be sure that all sources have APA in-text citations and that there is a reference page..

8. After completing a draft, revise your paper to improve clarity, strength of argument and, last
of all, grammar.
a. As always, the Writing Center is an EXCELLENT resource for this. As is your
professor, your writing group, and your other peers.

How to get a COMPLETE grade

You will receive a COMPLETE on this assignment if you meet all of the following criteria:
● Your article is at least 1000 words

● Your article has a perfect, stand-alone thesis statement

● Your article uses at least FIVE sources.

o Your article synthesizes these texts (ie, it is not merely summary, uses appropriate
attribution tags, etc)
o All sources are valid sources. Valid means they are peer-reviewed scholarly sources,
professional documents, professional journalism, etc.
● Your article has relevant CLAIMS, REASONS, and EXAMPLES, including
counterarguments that are new and original (ie, you add to the conversation) and which are
interesting to your audience
● Your article is primarily focused on a central argument or analysis, ie, it is not merely
informational, even while it does a lot to share information.
● Your conclusion adheres to your chosen prompt’s requirements

● Your article has APA in-text citations and an accurate reference page
You will receive an INCOMPLETE for any of the following:
● Your article has any plagiarized/patchwriting sentences

● Your paper is significantly less or more than 1000 words

● Your paper has less than FIVE sources and/or your sources are not acceptable
professional sources
● Your paper fails to synthesize sources
o This may look like “serial summaries” or or it may be simply using too few
sources per paragraph
● Your paper does not have an adequate thesis

● Your paper lacks an original argument or is is merely informational

● Your paper’s conclusion does not adhere to the prompt’s guidelines
● Your paper does not properly cite information (either in-text citations or a reference
page.)
● Your paper does not follow general APA formatting guidelines.
 Rubric
Use the following as a checklist to guide your writing. Although they do no impact your grade, the
points below are the basis of good writing we’ve been learning this semester and will help you craft a
successful article for your zine.

YES Attempted NO
Clear and Compelling Argument
Your article has a clear and compelling thesis statement (main claim) □ □ □
that clearly states the purpose of your article
Every paragraph has a clear topic sentence that effectively □ □ □
coheres the paragraph
Every paragraph has a set of claims, reasons, and examples with □ □ □
thorough analysis
Your article contains compelling and relevant counterarguments □ □ □
Your introduction identifies the context of the discussion, and is □ □ □
a unified part of the entire argument
Your conclusion does more than just summarize the article, but instead □ □ □
is a unified part of the entire article
Your paper is free of wordy sentences □ □ □
Your paragraphs are “cohesive,” following the known-new contract □ □ □

Audience
Your article is written with the interests and needs of your □ □ □
audience in mind
All claims, reasons, suggestions, examples, etc, are relevant to the □ □ □
audience’s concerns and needs

Sources
Your article contains at least five relevant, reliable sources □ □ □
Your discussion of the sources does more than summarize, but also □ □ □
synthesizes them together and into your argument
All sources are introduced in clear, effective ways, showing your □ □ □
mastery of the They Say/I say methods (attribution tags)
Quotes are used minimally and when used are effectively introduced □ □ □
and analyzed

Formatting
Your paper contains accurate APA in-text citations □ □ □
Your paper contains accurate APA references □ □ □
Your paper follows basic APA formatting guidelines □ □ □

Other
Your article is within the suggested word count. (around 1000 words) □ □ □
Your article is relatively free of grammatical error □ □ □