Topic and Three recipients

Getting focused

By now you really do need to start narrowing in on a topic. If you haven’t done so already, please complete the “Post Three Education Topics” discussion, and then also read through what your peers have posted there. It’s possible someone else’s post will give you a really great idea for your own letter.

The next step is to start thinking about a possible recipient, and I can’t stress this enough, picking a topic you really care about is just as important as picking the right recipient for that topic. Who can actually do something about the issue? The best place to start is probably the Library Guide for this class which have plenty of helpful resources under the Letter of Civic Engagement tabLinks to an external site..

In past classes, I had a veteran student write to Secretary Gravett of Veterans Affairs in California; within an hour of sending her email to him, he called her directly and they talked on the phone. He was fascinated by her suggestions and wanted to learn more about her experiences in college. Because of that, there is now a brand new class for Veterans in California who are interested in enrolling in community colleges. I recently had a student write to her Congress Member and he responded asking if he could read her letter on the floor of the house of representatives when debating issues of higher education. About a 3rd of my students get these kinds of responses and it happens when they write about something they care about, and then they write it to someone who can actually do something.

 

Task

In this discussion thread, post your topic and three possible recipients who might be able to do something about that topic.

In your post, include the following:

• a brief description of your topic and your reason for picking it
• A list of three possible recipients who can actually do something about your topic. After each of them, provide a brief sentence explaining why you think they’re a good fit for your letter.

In the video below I provide a little more context for this assignment and suggest some ways you can use this activity for the upcoming essay assignment.

 

Why are you doing this?

This activity will give you an opportunity to practice some of the course learning outcomes that we will continue to practice throughout the course.

Writing

• Formulate an arguable thesis and substantiate it through analysis, logical and systematic organization, supporting evidence, and clarity of expression.
• Use diction and tone appropriate to the academic community and the purpose of the specific writing task.
• Use techniques of research, especially textual citations and MLA documentation.

Reading

• Comprehend and evaluate the author’s line of reasoning, the overall main point, and the kind of evidence or development presented.
• Identify the author’s intended audience and rhetorical purpose for addressing that audience.
• Draw comparisons to other works.
• Draw reasoned inferences based on careful reading of a text.
• Recognize differences in value systems based on culture in a given text.