Op-Ed Paper Assignment

PSY Weekly Content Week 2 (May 31 - June 6) Upload Assignment: Paper Assignment H

Due Date

Monday, June 27, 2016 11:59 PM

Points Possible

110

"Submit an Op-Ed" Paper

Description of Assignment

A strong op-ed starts with a bang —it engages the reader right from the beginning with a timely and provocative problem, clearly articulates a position, and is respectful of differing points of view. Even though the reader may disagree with the author, the reader comes away from the piece willing to seriously consider the author's perspective. Indeed, an op-ed is a wonderful tool for learning how to develop clear and cogent arguments and convey them concisely (and with some flare). From a research standpoint, an op-ed can capture the public's attention and disseminate science in a way that few journal articles can.

For this assignment, you need to write a evidence-based op-ed of 750 words or less that brings relevant psychological research to bear on an important social psychological problem. Although op-eds come in many forms, the best papers share several key features: They identify a specific puzzle (e.g., Why are U.S. obesity rates increasing?), examine the problem in light of current scientific thinking (theory) and evidence (e.g., research findings), and communicate some novel insight about the nature of the problem or propose a solution based on available evidence.

You will be required to use three or more external sources beyond course readings to support your arguments, and two of them MUST be journal articles from scholarly, peer- reviewed journals accessed via the Wiggins Memorial Library. Free "open-access" journals and/or students journals that are found via a Google search will NOT count as scholarly sources. These sources MUST come from the library.

Your piece will be graded on whether a central thesis has been developed, whether the thesis has been defended scientifically, and whether the piece is written in a clear, coherent,

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and engaging style for your target audience.

I have also provided additional resources to teach you about op-ed science writing as a genre and help you develop an evidence-based argument.

Tips on Implementation

There are several terrific online resources for teaching op-ed writing. Two excellent resources are Columbia University Earth Institute's "Writing and Submitting an Opinion Piece: A Guide," and Duke University's Office of News and Communication's "How to Write an Op-Ed Article".

To highlight the potential impact of popular science writing on public policy, you should read two readings: Gawande's (2009) New Yorker article, which documents the psychological effects of solitary confinement, and an NPR news piece (2013) that describes the impact of Gawande's article on Congressional hearings and policy-making (see "References" section below for links to these readings). Because many students are not familiar with science- based opinion pieces, I have also provided some published examples from psychologists and students. Two great examples are Gilbert's (2006) op-ed on common denial of personal biases and Puhl and Brownell's (2006) op-ed on the dangers of weight stigma. Student periodicals can be helpful (see student samples below).

References

Gawande, A. (2009, March 30). Hellhole. New Yorker.

Gilbert, D. (2006, April 16). I'm O.K., you're biased. New York Times.

Puhl, R. M., & Brownell, K. (2006, November 2). Wrong way to fight fat. Washington Post.

NPR Staff (2013, March 10). Solitary confinement: Punishment or cruelty? National Public Radio.

Student Samples

Finkelstein, J. (2013, December 23). Whose responsibility is it anyway? A new approach to fighting cyberbullying. Huffington Post.

Mueller, C. (2012, December 10). Local view: Anti-binge ads have opposite effect. Lincoln Journal Star.

Qu, X. (2012, February 16). Ethnic food can advance diversity education, if done right. The Student Life.

Op-Ed papers must be submitted by the due date! Late papers will not be accepted. Plan ahead--expect computer problems, internet issues, etc, and finish your paper early to avoid last minute problems. If Blackboard is acting up right before the paper is due, you may email it to me. Otherwise, it must be submitted in Blackboard.

Your write-up should no more than 750 words in length, using one-inch margins and a standard (12-point) font. It should be typed, double-spaced, and free of grammatical and/or

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spellings errors. Note that in the Op-Ed paper, traditional APA-formatted in-text citations are not present. Instead, researchers are named and studies are described within the text of the paper. Be sure, however, that you list all sources on your APA-formatted references page.

Project Grading Requirements:

Effectively developed a central thesis that relates to social psychology (20 possible points)

Presented accurate and detailed information/research findings from three external sources including two scholarly, peer-reviewed psychology journals utilizing Wiggins Library (45 possible points)

Clearly defended your thesis and explained your rationale for your position (20 possible points)

Tied in information/theories from the text and/or other course materials (10 possible points)

Was written in a clear, coherent, organized, and engaging style for your target audience (15 possible points)

Included a references page (in APA format) with a list all of your sources (Mandatory)

Additional Grading Criteria:

There is a 750 maximum word-length requirement for this project (NOTE: the references page is NOT part of the word count--the op-ed itself must be 750 words or fewer). There will be a 5% penalty for papers that go over the maximum length requirement.

Did you include a “References” page in APA style (REQUIRED)?

No “References” page=an automatic zero. Projects without a references page will not be graded. Seriously!!!

**NOTE: This is a college course, and I expect college-level writing*

There will be a 1-point deduction for every spelling/grammar error up to 10 points.

***Any writing assignment that has ten or more serious spelling, grammar, punctuation, or sentence structure errors may be returned for re-writing. If the second submission is acceptable, I will grade it with an automatic 20% penalty. If it is not acceptable, you will receive a “0” for that assignment**

Finally, there may be up to a 5-point deduction for an improperly formatted references page.

Any instances of plagiarism (where text is directly taken from another source OR where ideas are taken from a source without referencing it) may result in an automatic zero for the project. Additionally, if no attempt is made to give credit to the authors of directly quoted text, a grade of a zero will be assigned, and the responsible student will be written up for plagiarism.

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PLAGIARISM IS SERIOUS! Note: Copying sentences and changing every 3rd or 4th word IS STILL PLAGIARISM.

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