Two Evaluation Papers—No more than 400 words each

The goal of your evaluation papers is to concisely inform two specific, different audiences of how beneficial (or not beneficial) a place, program, event, or item will be to them. Each of these papers will need to include the following things:

  • A creative title.
  • An introduction—including a thesis statement that gives the claim you are making about the topic and the criteria you’ll discuss in your paper.
  • A body that explains the different criteria you used to arrive at your position.
  • For each criterion, state a judgment.
  • Give specific, solid evidence for each judgment.
  • Be realistic—discuss both pros and cons.
  • A conclusion—remind the reader of the most important points, and clinch your claim.

Evaluation: Topic Brainstorming (Use if you’re having trouble coming up with a topic—no need to turn in.)

Choosing the Topic: Fill in the following chart with at least three specific things in each category that you care about (whether for good or for ill) and could see yourself writing on. Places could be anything from restaurants to churches to parks. Events could be concerts, sports events, or special speakers. Programs could be a series of classes, a youth group, a sports program, or a club. Items could be anything from musical instruments to a set of drawing pencils to a car.

Places
Events
Programs
Items

From your list of 12 things, pick the 3 that you would most like to influence someone’s opinion on (if you have more than one thing in the same category, that’s fine). Do 5-10 minutes of freewriting, mapping, drawing, or talking through those 3 topics with someone and see which is easiest to “get into.”

Evaluation Planning

Choosing your specific audiences: Your audience definition should take into account at least three factors (see the list below—do not consider it exhaustive!). For example, if you choose a presidential candidate, “Voters” is not specific enough. Consider more: “Female Nebraska voters between the ages of 18 to 34.” This one takes into account four factors: gender, location, age, and something that the group intends (or at least is eligible) to do. Last, make sure that the audience you choose has a reason to be interested in your topic. Don’t choose pet-haters if you’re evaluating a pet store.

Age / Gender
Marital status / Nationality/ethnic group
Location / Income
Interests/hobbies/areas of expertise / Career
Level of health / Level of education
  1. What audiences am I writing for? (Pick 2—each with 3 different factors, with no overlap!)

Audience 1:

Audience 2:

  1. Why would these audiences be interested in my topic?

Audience 1:

Audience 2:

  1. What are my audience’s priorities, expectations, needs, or desires in regard to my topic? (Use these priorities as your criteria.)

Audience 1:

Audience 2:

  1. How well does my topic meet those priorities/expectations/needs/desires? When answering, be specific. Don’t just say, “They do a good job.” Tell us why. (See the next page.)

Evaluation Planning (Continued)—Turn in a sheet of paper with this basic outline for each of your audiences. Remember, your criteria and judgments will differ for each audience!

Thesis: <Topic> is good/bad for <audience> because of its <Criteria 1>,<Criteria 2>, and <Criteria 3>. (More criteria would be fine.)

Example: Joe’s Tater House is a fabulous restaurant for UNO students ages 18-23 because of its atmosphere, its location and hours, and its food options and cost.

Criterion 1, and judgment: The atmosphere is overall good for my college-student audience.

Example—possible topic sentence: The liveliness of Joe’s Tater House makes it a good choice for college students who want a comfortable, entertaining place to meet with friends.

Specific Evidence—positive and negative. Be specific.

Big-screen TV you can reserve for a movie night—Good for socializing.

Wait staff likes practical jokes—lively and fun, relieves stress.

Chairs aren’t the most comfy.

Live music and artwork—contemporary and interesting surroundings.

Usually loud, not so great for studying.

Criterion 2, and judgment: Location and hours—convenient.

Three blocks east of campus—can walk.

Off of Dodge—easy to see and give directions for.

Off of Dodge—traffic can be obnoxious.

Parking’s a little sparse. 

Open from 10 AM to 3 AM—Not great for the early birds, but many college students like a place to go eat and chill out after finishing an assignment or a late movie.

Criterion 3, and judgment: Food options and cost—satisfying and affordable for most

“Taters” means everything from French fries to baked potatoes to hash browns and potato pancakes, with their normal accompaniments (like burgers, full dinners, eggs/bacon) so there’s a wide range of options for different meal types. Price range $5-9 for breakfast/lunch, $8-12 for dinner

Baked potato bar satisfies both vegetarians and meat-eaters (and it’s only $6 for lunch, $9 for dinner, all you can eat!)

Not a health-conscious store overall—not too many low-calorie or low-carb options (but how many traditional college students care?)