Assess students' ability to analyze rhetorical strategies (ethos, pathos, logos, diction, appeals), identify common logical fallacies (ad hominem, straw man, false dichotomy, slippery slope, hasty generalization), and evaluate audience positioning (tone, framing, assumed values, target demographics) in contemporary political op-eds; tasks include close reading of short excerpts, labeling techniques and fallacies, explaining their persuasive effects on intended audiences, and judging overall effectiveness and bias.