Honors 10th Lit
Unit 3: Human Rights around the World
An Introduction to Argument, Research, and Persuasion
Overview
A key skill for 21st century learners is to be able to successfully evaluate, construct, and deliver an argument. In
today’s world, any person can become an author simply by making a post on the internet, and as the current saying
goes, “if it’s on the internet it’s true.” This, however, is quite false, but many people do not have the skills needed to
successfully discern information to determine whether it is credible or valid.
To help build these skills, you will craft your own argument that is supported by reliable information to deliver to
your peers. Building and supporting this argument requires a different set of skills compared to the skills needed
when reading fiction. With nonfiction and informational reading, you must know how to appeal to your audience
while focusing specifically on packaging, organizing, and delivering your ideas with every decision being planned
before execution.
Assignment Overview
Since we are currently reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, we will embark on a mini-research and
argument study based on topics found in his text that center on key, debatable issues with war. You will:
 Engage in research to improve your evaluation of information that you find
 Build a multi-source Works Cited page and successfully document researched information in-text
 Evaluate information found in research and determine its strength and usefulness in argumentation
 Evaluate information to determine its appeals to logic/reason (logos), emotion (pathos), and character (ethos)
 Organize your information to deliver in an oral debate following formal debate protocol
 Use your feedback and assignment activities to engage in a follow-up research and debate assignment
Step-by-step Instructions – Once you have chosen your debate partner and topic, proceed to the following tasks:
 Discuss your debate topic and available positions. Each person should agree on their respective positions.
 Begin conducting your research in an effort to find information to support your position on your topic. You
need at least three reputable sources of information for this assignment. You can exceed this minimum.
o Look at what position you are trying to prove. Look into statistics, history, and as much FACT as
possible. The more you can find, the better, and it is better to have too much varied information than
not enough. You can always scale back and cut out information.
o You can use The Things They Carried as an additional source if desired or applicable.
 Gather your information in a logical, organized manner – document the potential useful information that you
find according to source. This will help you keep track of what you find and it will be easier to create your
Works Cited page if you go ahead and organize from the start.
 Once you believe you have enough research, study over your DEBATE FORMAT. Consider what you will
say in your three minute opening. This is where you introduce your position of the topic. Remember that
your audience is not very familiar with this topic, so provide them with all needed information in a clear,
understandable approach. Play to all appeals – logic, emotion, and character for a nice balance.
 What will your opponent say against your position? This key to success is anticipating what your opposition
(or haters) will say against you. If you know what they may attack in your arguments, if you know how they
may criticize or present an issue, or if you know what their strongest argument is and can figure out how to
discredit it, you are making yourself more successful!
 Anticipate what questions or criticisms your audience will have. This portion is almost impossible to predict,
but you can prepare yourself for their questions and concerns by knowing your information as best as you
can so that you can answer with key information (examples, statistics, percentages, other facts and research).
 Prepare your closing argument. This is the final message your audience will take away concerning your
topic. Will you save a key piece of information for the end? Is a certain part worth repeating? Should you
attack your opposition’s strongest argument? This is for you to decide, but again, remember your appeals!
UNIT 3 DEBATE TOPICS
(No topic can be duplicated. Do not revise wording or views of the topic’s positions)
Topic #1 – Mandatory Military Service
Position A: One year of military service should be mandatory for all Americans – whether it be as an active soldier or
behind-the-scenes – as in a number of other countries.
Position B: Mandatory military service, however brief, should not be implemented in America.
Topic #2 – Women and the Draft
Position A: Just as 18-year old men are required to register for the draft in America, 18-year old women should equally
be required to do so.
Position B: American women should not be required to register for the draft, even though American men must.
Topic #3 – Dispatching American Troops
Position A: The United States should not dispatch troops to engage in combat in other countries unless that country has
directly attacked the United States or American embassies.
Position B: We should not use whether or not the United States or American embassies have been directly attacked as a
guideline for dispatching troops to engage in combat in other countries.
Topic #4 – Pro-War Government Officials
Position A: All government officials who vote in favor of a war should be required to fight or, if they are not
physically able to, send a relative to fight in that war before making use of the draft.
Position B: Government officials who vote in favor of a war should not have to fight or send a relative to fight in that
war before making use of the draft.
Topic #5 – War and the Popular Vote
Position A: As it involves the risk of American lives, whether or not America declares war on another country should
be put to a popular vote, not decided solely by the government.
Position B: Whether or not America declares war on another country should be decided solely by the government.
Topic #6 – Atomic Warfare
Position A: A country (including the United States) should be allowed the right to develop and use nuclear and atomic
warfare if that country has the advanced technology and capability to do so.
Position B: Even if a country has the capabilities to do so, it should not be allowed to develop or engage in the use of
nuclear or atomic warfare for any reason or just cause.
Topic #7 – War and Ethics
Position A: The United States should be allowed to engage in any form of persuasion (including water-boarding and
other physical tortures) in order to obtain information from potential enemies and foes.
Position B: The United States should not allow its leaders or soldiers to engage in any type of physical or unethical
persuasion tactics.
Topic # 8 – Mandating a Draft
Position A: The United States should mandate a draft for men ages 18-25 even in a time of peace. Those drafted
individuals should report to boot camp and basic training and be placed into the reserves so that our country can be
protected at all times.
Position B: The United States should not mandate a draft but should allow willing individuals to elect to enter the
armed forces at his or her own volition, especially in a time of peace but also during a time of war.
Topic #9 – Requirements for Military Service
Position A: The United States military should revise its current entrance requirements to allow a more diverse group of
individuals to be deemed qualified to join our country’s armed services.
Position B: The current regulations in place for the United States armed forces is a sufficient set standard and should
not be remedied in any way to allow or restrict individuals from joining.
Topic #10 – War and The Economy
Position A: The United States government should cut its funding to its armed forces in an effort to reduce the national
debt and to fund more important agencies such as education, businesses, and other sectors.
Position B: The current amount of funding to the United States’ military should not be reduced in any way.
Topic #11 – War Compensations
Position A: Compensations for active service and for veterans of wars and extended years of military service should be
improved to reward the Americans who have dedicated years of their lives to protect our country.
Position B: The amount of compensations and rewards currently in place for Americans who have served in our
military are sufficient and should not be increased.
Topic #12 – War and Public Schools
Position A: ROTC and JROTC programs should be required vocational courses in all American public schools.
Position B: The government should not require public schools to have ROTC/JROTC programs.
Topic #13 – Military Preparation
Position A: The current approach to the United States’ military is not an efficient approach to adequately prepare our
soldiers for an eventual war and should be respectfully modified.
Position B: The United States has many successful approaches in place to prepare our military and should not be
required to abandon or revise any method.
Topic #14 – War in the Present Day (3-person debate)
The United States is currently at war with three issues – immigration, drugs, and terror.
Position A: Of the three current wars the United States is engaged in, only one is worthy enough of our current
attention: the war on illegal immigration.
Position B: Of the three current wars the United States is engaged in, only one is worthy enough of our current
attention: the war on terror.
Position C: Of the three current wars the United States is engaged in, only one is worthy enough of our current
attention: the war on drugs.
DEBATE FORMAT: Each debate will last 20-25 minutes; Two debates per class period.
Each debate will follow a prescribed formula. The key is to plan accordingly for each portion of the debate – the
information that you use will serve you better in one part of the debate in comparison to another. Some parts of
the debate you get to speak freely without interruption or without a rebuttal from your opposition; at other times,
questions are being directed to you and your opposition will directly attack your arguments.
 Position A gives opening argument (3 minutes)
 Position B gives opening argument (3 minutes)
 Position A makes rebuttal (2 minutes)
 Position B makes rebuttal (2 minutes)
 Audience asks questions for Position A (3 minutes)
 Audience asks questions for Position B (3 minutes)
 Position A makes closing argument (1 minute)
 Position B makes closing argument (1 minute)
 Class vote on “winner” and teacher feedback (approximately 5 minutes)
Summary of Tasks
 Document potential useful information from reputable sources to support your position.
 Create a Works Cited page to document your sources once you’ve finished conducting research.
 Write/type an outline for your opening argument, rebuttal, and closing argument.
 Draft a “transcript” for your debate speech.
 Insert appropriate citations for your researched information.
 Insert and identity your use of rhetorical appeals.
 To do prior to your actual debate:
o PRACTICE delivering your speech.
o Make note cards to use during your speech.
o Prepare for potential criticisms, opposing arguments, audience questions.