Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Columnist
The Assignment: As a means of keeping abreast of public discourse issues, you are required to follow a national columnist in a printed publication or an online publication.
Ultimately, you will collect four current, consecutive columns by your author. Therefore, pick a columnist who writes every week. You may want to pick someone who has
his/her column published on Sundays. Check printed and online publications for your columnist. Find a columnist who has a definite argument/opinion and uses rhetorical
strategies to express this argument/opinion/view. The column doesn’t need to be 5 pages, but it shouldn’t be just a paragraph either. Pick wisely. Columnists who do not
write every week, have an opinion or write much would not be a wise choice.
In addition, mark places in the text that evoke a reaction from you, be it laughter, anger or confusion. Some questions to ask yourself as you read:
How does s/he open the column?
How does s/he close the column?
How soon does s/he announce the thesis?
How does s/he organize? What are the parts or sections of the column?
How much is based on observation? Personal experience? Interviews? Fact?
What sort of diction characterizes the columnist?
What sort of syntax characterizes the columnist?
What audience does s/he assume? How do you know?
What unstated assumptions (warrants – enthymemes) does the columnist make?
What are the potential ramifications of the issues addressed in the column?
II. After annotating, write a one-page précis/response. The first paragraph, the précis, is prescribed – follow the exact order of sentences with the exact word
requirements. The second paragraph should be a thorough response which is much longer than the précis.
You will turn in 4 assignments – 1 for 4 consecutive weeks. We will do this assignment twice this year. You will pick a different columnist next semester. Presentation of
your work will be done in groups of my choosing or in front of the entire class. If you are absent on a Friday, you will present your work the first day you return to
school. I will collect the work and give 1 summative grade. No late work for this assignment – sorry. For each week you miss, you will be deducted 25 points.