A short paper written in the style of a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal. Consult current issues of the Wall Street Journal for potential topics and to see how to present a brief and cogent argument (read several letters for reference). The letter should take a position on an economic topic recently discussed in the Wall Street Journal and provide evidence to support that position. The letter can be in response to another letter, an opinion piece or some current event issue. Maximum length is 300 words or one page. The paper will be evaluated using four criteria
1) Organizational structure – 25 points. Is the paper logically organized? Are ideas cogently presented and explained? Is the writing convincing? Does the writing sustain interest?
2) Writing style – 25 points. Is the writing original and provocative? Does the paper have a professional tone? Does the paper satisfy the requirements in the syllabus?
3) Analysis – 25 points. Does the paper take and support a position? Is the analysis reasonable?
4) Grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax – 25 points. Is the writing grammatically correct? Are words spelled correctly? Is word choice correct for the context of the sentence?