Description
The second half of your quarter-long research project, the AP asks that you 1)introduce andevaluate one or more significant efforts to address the problem you described in your CP;2) develop an argument about which of the efforts to address the problem work best,explain why, and offer possible next steps; OR make the case that none of the efforts toaddress the problem works, explain why, and offer possible next steps.Unlike the CP, anexpository essay that asks you to use your research to describe the problem, the AP requires youto stake out a clear position in a thesis statement that you must defend through deeply engagedresearch.An advocate takes a position in a debate or conflict and works to solve problems. Social justiceadvocates, for example, aim to give voice to the marginalized and defend the vulnerable fromharm by forging resolutions among stakeholders where intractable problems persist. To advancetheir aims, advocates must be strategic: they must considerwhether or not various modes of redress will effectivelymitigate or resolve the problem at hand. And to be strategic,they must also be informed. You, too, must be deeplyinformed about the advocacy landscape and ongoingconversations concerning your topic and the problemsassociated with it.Your initial research for the AP should explore the variousefforts to shape public opinion through the media; to changepolicies; to institute new laws or amend existing ones; or topursue litigation. As you examine these efforts, you shouldassess their short- and long-term outcomes; their costs (in avariety of senses: cultural, economic, personal, moral,institutional, to name a few) and benefits; their relative fitnessin comparison to one another; their ability to produceequitable outcomes; and the obstacles that stand in their way.Thinking about obstacles necessitates thinking aboutrhetorical context. The role of public opinion, for example,has always been instrumental (for better and worse) inshaping advocacy efforts. Advocates must consider the valuesexpressed through social affiliations–political, institutional,religious, cultural, and regional. Sometimes theseconsiderations involve compromise (advocates have terms forthese compromises: “respectability politics” is one; “matters of expediency,” another). Wherethere is compromise that bends to corporate interests or public opinion, there may exist otherkinds of compromise, such as short term solutions that satisfy demands in the present but fail toaddress damaging consequences in the long term. You should account for similar dynamics inthe representation of advocacy efforts you examine.1 Indeed, you will learn that few advocacy efforts enjoy universal support, and accounting for therange of attitudes toward and characterizations of your chosen efforts—some you may agreewith, others you may strongly contest—will strengthen your advocacy analysis.By the time you complete the AP, you should be able to:●Write a developed thesis statement that clearly and concisely articulates the central claims ofyour argument.●Develop your argument by analyzing the positions of academics and other experts, includingthose who offer perspectives that are not in agreement with your own.You should continue to practice the major skills from the CP in terms of:●Practicing information literacy by assessing how and why you are giving authority to certainsources and crafting effective annotations that will help you to compose a developed essay●Integrating sources of generic variety and purpose with attention to their argumentativepurpose and rhetorical effect●Developing your command of integrating a variety of quotation, summary, and paraphrase●Employing organization and style appropriate for addressing a general academic audience●Collaborating to give and receive constructive feedback●Incorporating multimodal evidence for specific rhetorical purposes.●Using a standard citation system, and avoiding plagiarism
