Overview:
You’re being asked to write a persuasive professional letter to a specific audience.
Start by identifying a problem about which you feel passionate. The problem you identify could be local (the
waste generated by to-go food containers at OSU) or global (the dirty side of “green energy”).
Next, pick your audience. You’ll either be writing your letter to the readers of a certain news source (online
or print) or to an elected official at the (Oregon State University) campus/local (Corvallis)/state
(Oregon)/national level.
Then, generate a solution to the problem, a solution that your reader can help implement.
This assignment will test your ability to articulate a problem and a solution concisely, as well as your ability
to use evidence to persuade a skeptical audience.
Assignment’s Rhetorical Context:
Audience: Readers of a news source of your choosing OR your representative in campus: Oregon State
University/local: Corvallis /state: Oregon/ national governance
Content: A problem that concerns you.
Goals: 1) To write a letter that captures your audience’s attention with the first sentence and holds that
attention to the document’s last sentence. 2) To persuade your audience of your argument. 3) To write a
letter that is free of punctuation, grammar, typo, and paragraphing errors. 4) Produce a document that
adheres to the grading rubric.
Assignment’s Formatting Requirements:
Format: A professional letter–NAME YOUR INTENDED AUDIENCE AT THE START OF THE LETTER
Point of View: No requirement
Maximum Word Count: 750
Minimum Word Count: None (Include a total word count at the top of the document)
Sources: Evidence/support should be included at any moment in the letter when a skeptical reader might
doubt the claim you are making. Citations can be included in the prose itself [“According to a study
conducted by researchers at the EPA…”] or at the end of the sentence [“93% of college students admit to
struggling with at least one academic subject (Gessen, 2018).”] There are no minimum or maximum
number of required sources for this assignment. Be sure to include a works cited page; the works cited
page can be an addendum and will not be included in the total word count.
Visuals: None required. If you use a visual, include a caption that helps your audience understand what it
sees.
Important Note About Audience:
Persuasion–in writing or in life–requires more careful awareness of your audience than does simply
teaching. For that reason, you’ll want to be sure that you keep your audience in the forefront of your mind at
every step of the writing process. The most successful proposals will be aimed at a skeptical reader.
Don’t target a general reader. Readers are attracted to certain news outlets because each outlet offers it
own biases. If you’re writing to a news outlet, be sure you are targeting their typical audience. Politicians
are elected by their constituents because of their specific biases. If you’re writing to an elected official, be
sure you are targeting that person–and are aware of their past actions to address problems like the one
outlined in your letter.
Note: 1. Please remember that your position is a student who studies at Oregon State University, Corvallis,
OR.
Your audience should be someone who works in the Oregon State University or lives in this state.
2. Maximum Word Count for this paper is 750 words. Please don’t write superfluous words.