Commentary piece and letter to the editor – 20% of subject grade
Description and assessment guidelines
Students will develop 2 written responses to a recent news article on drug use (might be from a magazine, journal, online news or newspaper). In the first (750 words) they present their opinion, substantiate this by using the evidence presented in the course material and from their own supplementary research. Evidence is important - even if you don't agree with it.
The Conversation is a really good place to go to read the type of response we are looking for in this assessment task - they are generally 750 words and have evidence to support the view
You can write this in first person and it is different from most of the academic articles you will be writing for Uni assessments.
Secondly, students will then summarise their commentary as a XXXXXXXXXXword letter for publication in a mainstream newspaper.
You will be required to submit both pieces and only the full 750-word version will require proper academic referencing. They can be submitted as one file. please include the original news item you are commenting on.
Please refer to the examples of newspapers and topics below which will help you complete this assessment. You are not limited to these examples, but it is a good place to start. Other examples have been posted in the discussion forum at the end of weeks 1, 2 and 3.
Articles to choose from (more articles in pdf’s attached)
Some example topics: https:
www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enAU840AU840&biw=1280&bih=561&tbm=nws&ei=PK0TX8
KYGvyAPfkJjQDg&q=drug+news&oq=drug+news&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX1293.0j3j2j XXXXXXXXXX1c.1.64.psy-ab XXXXXXXXXXsEr9IyKXsz0
The Age Letters: https:
www.theage.com.au/national/victoria
ules-and-tips-for-submitting-letters XXXXXXXXXXgi249r.html
How to submit a letter to The Guardian: https:
www.theguardian.com/info/2015/jan/28/contact-the-guardian-letters-desk
The Guardian Letters: https:
www.theguardian.com/politics/politics+tone/letters
The Australian Letters: https:
www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/letters
Tips for writing letters to the editor: https:
ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/letters-to-edito
main
How to write a good commentary opinion piece:
· https:
www.climatescience.org.au/content/1053-ten-tips-write-opinion-piece-people-read
· https:
www.editage.com/insights/a-young-researchers-guide-to-perspective-commentary-and-opinion-articles
guide for journalists that will help students to consider the quality of the news story they are writing about: http:
www.aodmediawatch.com.au/guidelines-for-journalists/
Overdose reporting style guide that has been developed for North American journos: https:
www.changingthena
ative.news/style-guide
A new drug policy newsletter (The latest in drug policy from across Australia and around the world): https:
drugswrap.substack.com/p/a-new-drug-policy-newsletter?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy
The Business of Drugs: inside the economics of America's longest war (A former CIA analyst investigates the economics of six illicit substances in the US): https:
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/14/the-business-of-drugs-netflix-amaryllis-fox
Cocaine use at new highs, increased vaping use in young people, report finds, but cigarette, alcohol consumption down:
https:
www.abc.net.au/news/ XXXXXXXXXX/cocaine-vaping-up-smoking-alcohol-down-in-australian-drug-survey/ XXXXXXXXXX
(Note - interesting how despite the headline that cocaine use is at a 'record high' nowhere in the story does it tell you how many people reported using it)
Questions about this assignment:
1.In the first assignment part XXXXXXXXXXwords), the assignment video gives the impression that we are supposed to write it outlining the opinion of the story, not our own opinion. Is this co
ect, or are both pieces supposed to be in our own opinion (with evidence to back it up)?
it is your opinion on the story and having this supported by evidence from peer-reviewed journals
2. Did you want us to confirm our article choice with you?
Not required BUT please have a URL link so we know which media story you are commenting and writing about
3. It says to make a response to the article. Are we critiquing what they have written with evidence and how this has highlighted aspects of our opinions? (Are we making comments linked directly to the article or addressing the same topic in the article by using the article among other references?
Yes, it is a commentary /critique of that specific story you have chosen and you should be able to argue (or support the position) with evidence i.e. peer reviewed journal articles - please don't use other news stories as evidence
4. I looked at examples from The Conversation. Are we encouraged to use the same sort of format (such as the use of subheadings), or just the style of writing?
Great you have looked at these - you will see that not all use sub-headings but if you think they help to tell the story you want then please feel free to use them - I don't want to be too prescriptive the main thing is to allow you a different way of thinking about presenting arguments
5. I know we are required to do academic referencing (APA6?). Did you want us to use in-text referencing, paraphrase or use something like footnotes?
APA 6 is fine but I know that the Conversation often uses hyperlinks to the evidence - my preference is that you use 'standard' referencing as you would with other pieces of writing for Uni. Obviously, the shorter piece XXXXXXXXXXwords does not require it and can even be more informally written like many of the ones you see published are
Marking Ru
ic for Letter Writing Assessment Task: Teachers’ Ru
ic
Ru
ic Commentary writing task (Assessment 1) Due Monday Week 5
Criteria
Knowledge/
Understanding
-accurately identifies
issue and provides
accurate information
about the issue (e.g.,
the problem, the
cause, who is
involved, what
decision/action needs
to be made)
-limited accurate
information
about the issue
-some accurate
information
about the issue
-considerable
accurate
information
about the
issue
-thorough
accurate
information
about the issue
Thinking/Inquiry
- summarize alternate
courses of action or
opposing views
-limited
information
about possible
courses of action
or opposing views
-some
information
about possible
courses of
action or
opposing views
-considerable
information
about possible
courses of
action or
opposing
views
-thorough [but
succinct)
information
about possible
courses of
action or
opposing views
Application
-uses evidence to
offer a reasoned
conclusion or plan of
action
-provide reasons
designed to appeal to
eader
-conclusion or
suggestions for
action shows
limited logic
-provides limited
support for
conclusion
-conclusion or
suggestions for
action shows
some logic
-provides
moderately
convincing
support for
conclusion
-conclusion or
suggestions for
action shows
considerable
logic
-provides
convincing
support for
conclusion
-conclusion or
suggestions for
action shows a
high degree of
logic
-provides highly
convincing
support for
conclusion
Communication
-clarity of
communication
-effectiveness in
terms of audience and
purpose (follows
editorial style and
conventions)
-written with
limited clarity
-limited evidence
that writer is
considering
impact on
audience
-written with
some clarity
-some evidence
that writer is
considering
impact on
audience
-written with
considerable
clarity
-considerable
evidence that
writer is
considering
impact on
audience
-written with a
high degree of
clarity
-extensive
evidence that
writer is
considering
impact on
audience
Comments:____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
20
Ru
ic Commentary writing task (Assessment 1) Due Monday Week 5
Ru
ic Commentary writing task (Assessment 1) Due Monday Week 5
Comments:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________...
Comments:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________...
Thinking/Inquiry
Application
DUB items of interest Week 1 (might help with Assessment 1)
Thanks everyone for all your contributions in class this week –
See below for some interesting follow-ups on some of the issues that have already came up in the
classes I was teaching – some material here that might also be good for the assessment 1 as well
From The Age (Melbourne newspaper)
City of Melbourne council rejects injecting room location
From news GP (a resource for general practitioners)
Is there hidden trauma behind strict drug laws?
From a Journal for Australian pharmacists (published paper from the story is here)
These are the reasons people (mis)use opioids
To watch on ABC TV (Iview catch up - started Tues 8:30pm) – News story here
Drunk History: Shaun Micaleff’s ‘On the Sauce’
Guardian News from just over a month ago – data shows huge disproportionate treatment
NSW police pursue 80% of Indigenous people caught with cannabis through courts
Vice UK
The Ups and Downs of Dealing Drugs During Lockdown
From the International Journal of Drug Policy Commentary by Judy Chang - International Network of
People who use Drugs, London, UK
COVID-19 - Enacting a ‘new normal’ for people who use drugs
FacebookLive watch - History of the #DrugWar and how racism is embedded in drug use treatment
in the USA – interesting in the discussion of Black Lives Matter (start at 7:30 min) runs for 90 mins
Creating a Framework for Anti-Racist Substance Use Treatment
From the New England Journal of Medicine (very prestigious medical journal)
Coffee, caffeine and health
Associated news story here from USNews.com
ABC News
Hep C out
eak in Far North Qld Prison
New report from Turning Point and La Trobe Uni (CAPR)
People affected by public drunkenness laws in Victoria
EVENTS: Book in for Wed 5/8/20 – story above and link to Iview
Meet La Trobe Uni alcohol researchers featured in ‘On the Sauce’ (Wed 2-3pm)
https:
www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-council-rejects-injecting-room-site XXXXXXXXXXp55e2z.html
https:
www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/gp-opinion/is-there-hidden-trauma-behind-strict-drug-laws
https:
onlineli
ary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13118
https:
www.australianpharmacist.com.au
easons-people-misuse-prescription-opioids/?doing_wp_cron= XXXXXXXXXX68 XXXXXXXXXX
https:
www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/drunk-history-shaun-micallef-takes-a-deep-dive-into-our-booze-culture XXXXXXXXXXp55bkx.html
https:
iview.abc.net.au/show/shaun-micallef-s-on-the-sauce
https:
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/10/nsw-police-pursue-80-of-indigenous-people-caught-with-cannabis-through-courts
https:
www.vice.com/en_uk/article/jgxvq
the-ups-and-downs-of-dealing-drugs-during-lockdown
https:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S XXXXXXXXXX
https:
twitter.com/TruthPharm/status/ XXXXXXXXXX
https:
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1816604
https:
www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/ XXXXXXXXXX/coffee-good-for-you-or-not
https:
www.abc.net.au/news/ XXXXXXXXXX/hepatitis-out
eak-reignites-prison-needle-exchange-debate/ XXXXXXXXXX
https:
www.turningpoint.org.au/sites/default/files/2020-06/Public%20drunkenness%20summary%20report%20May%202020.pdf
https:
iview.abc.net.au/show/shaun-micallef-s-on-the-sauce
https:
events.humanitix.com/meet-alcohol-researchers-featured-in-on-the-sauce
DUB items of interest Week 2 (might help with Assessment 1)
We hope you are all getting a bit of a feel for the subject now – please let us know
Reminder next Thursday 1-2pm extra cu
icula opportunity – Pregnant Women & Alcohol
Registration: There is no cost to attend the Connect & Learn webinar series but registrations are
essential.
Items of interest from this weeks news media
From The Guardian
Quitting alcohol
ABC News online
The Darwin Social Sober Club
China Global TV Network
From the Mandurah Mail
Synthetic Cannabis
American Medical Association
Opioid prescriptions down, illicit drug
use up
Cannabis crackdown in France
From NewsGP
Pharmacists to add warning labels on opioids
UNSW report on behavioural trends in viral hepatitis
Viral