Op-ed Assignment
What is an Op-ed?
Op-ed stands for “opposite the editorials.” Op-eds are opinion pieces, generally about 800-1,000 words, on important topics of local, national, or international concern. Although we describe op-eds as opinion pieces, they should be rigorously researched, your argument supported with convincing evidence (think of them as mini-research papers). Op-eds tend to be less scholarly than academic works, though, and aimed at a general audience.
Op-eds are generally run daily in most newspapers (and via internet media, too), though some days’ op-eds are more equal than others. In The Washington Post, for example, the premium op-eds are generally published in Sunday’s “Outlook” section. It would probably improve your final product if you examined a number of op-eds to determine for yourself what makes a successful piece (I happen to be a sucker for catchy openings with a tight peg to a current news event). Good places to find op-eds on issues of international affairs are: The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.
Op-ed pieces tend to be tied to current issues or on-going problems and often there is an “agenda” attached to them: approve this policy, disallow that one, recognize this emerging and problematic trend . . ..
Experts usually write op-eds on topics about which they are extremely knowledgeable. Since you all are future experts well-on-your-way, you might as well start your op-ed writing career sooner rather than later! Be sure to include concrete data/evidence to support your points. Generalizations will not suffice to persuade the audience that your point of view is the correct one.
What is this assignment—exactly?
Your assignment is to write an op-ed on a contemporary international issue (international organizations for IO class, ethics for ethics class, Asia for Asian Politics). With your op-ed, you should also submit the name of the publication for which the piece is written (even if you don’t choose to submit it). One topic students might wish to explore is to advise the incoming president how to handle or think about an evolving foreign policy problem. This can be done as an "open letter" op-ed.
You are free to gear your op-ed toward any publication and write on any issue you choose. Keep in mind that timeliness as an important quality of op-eds. Also, keep in mind the type of publication that might be interested in an op-ed of the type that you write (sometimes smaller or specialist publications might be more willing to accept your piece than one of the biggies!). Also, be sensitive to the audience for which you are writing. You probably need to write for a general readership, explaining people, events, theories in a way that a general reader can understand (I often pretend that I am writing for my Mom).
Op-eds do not use footnotes, so indicate your sources by making statements such as "According to the United Nations Development Program," or "As Henry Kissinger pointed out in Diplomacy."
You are free to run ideas past me and talk over prospective arguments.
Links to Op-ed Pages of Some Major Newspapers
To understand how to write a good op-ed, it is helpful to read a number of op-eds. We will hopefully find time to go over an op-ed in class. However, students are encouraged to read a number and a variety of op-eds to get a feel for the assignment. You can find op-eds at some of the following locations:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html (viewing may require registration, but this is free)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/?nav=left (viewing requires giving some brief info about yourself)
http://www.iht.com (choose editorials and commentary from sections menu)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/editorial.asp (Indonesia's Jakarta Post)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articlelist/12051364.cms (India's Times of India)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,6,00.html (UK's Times)
Good luck and try to have fun with the assignment! Your research, creativity, and good writing will be reflected in your grade.