PALM 493: South Carolina Studies
Letter to SC Problem Solver Assignment Sheet
Assignment
You will write a letter to a public official in South Carolina, a letter that needs to meet all
of the content and formatting expectations for a formal letter. You may choose to send
your letter, but that is not required for this assignment. The letter may be used to explain
how a particular issue, under the purview of the official, affects your area of South
Carolina*, to express support for a proposed law, policy, or action, or to oppose a
proposed law, policy, or action. In substance, the letter can achieve one of these aims by
demonstrating to the official that her or his constituents have an investment in the issue,
giving background history that she or he may not be aware of, or attempting to persuade
an official to vote in a certain way, or take another action, on the issue.
*Please note that “your area of South Carolina” can be loosely defined. It can be
Richland County or Columbia, where USC-Columbia is located, or it can be a part of the
State in which you did reside at some point, or it can be a part of the State facing an issue
that is of particular interest to you. The only requirement is that the letter makes clear
why the issue is of concern for you.
Getting Started
Think about issues in your area of South Carolina or problems facing the State in general.
What is most pressing? What do you have a personal investment in? Now, consider—and
do some research into this question—who within the State has the ability to make the
changes that you would like to see? The articles on South Carolina governance from
earlier in the semester may be useful. You need not reread these in their entireties, but
please use these as reference material in your attempts to determine the appropriate
official to contact. Be aware that not every issue will be one for the governor or state
legislature to be contacted and that seemingly local issues aren’t always under the
authority of county or city councils.
Once you have decided on the recipient, begin to further research the issue and the
background, or position on the issue, of the recipient. When you are ready to craft the
letter itself, consider beginning by explaining your purpose for writing this letter. Then
summarize the issue—discuss the impact and why it is something that needs urgent
consideration. Part of the letter may include explaining your position on an issue, but this
should not be a forum for simply voicing your opinion on an issue. Make clear what
action you would like the official to take.
In addition to meeting all of the above content requirements, you must meet formatting
requirements for a formal letter. If you are not familiar with the formatting for a formal
letter, please use the resource provided through OWL, the Online Writing Lab at Purdue
University (see Blackboard) or consult a style guide (such as the MLA handbook). You
are required to cite any outside sources using MLA formatting; this is a deviation from
the conventions of writing a formal letter but necessary given that the assignment is an
academic argument. You will also want to review the letter to be sure that it is clear,
concise, and free of any typos or major grammatical or spelling errors. There is no length
requirement for the letters, but most should not exceed two pages, single-spaced.