Prompted Essay Assignment
In a democracy the free flow of opinions is critical for a vital government. To be an
active member of society, you need to be able to express your opinion in an informed
way.
The assignment: Choose Eight of the following prompts, and write a one page 5
paragraph persuasive essay for each of the prompts. Choose a position either pro or con
to argue.
Each essay is worth 20 points, and will be graded on the strength of your arguments and
the clarity of your writing. Each prompted essay will be due every two weeks throughout
the semester on Fridays, unless there is no Friday that week, in that case they will be due
on Thursday. These essays will be due on the day assigned and will not be accepted late,
except in the case of a legitimate medical absence. Individuals who are participating in
athletic events are still obligated to turn their essays in on the due date.
1. A just government ought to value the redistribution of wealth over
property rights.
2. In the US, the use of race as a deciding factor in college admissions
is just.
3. As general principle, individuals have an obligation to value the
common good above their own interests
4. Individual claims of privacy ought to be valued above competing
claims of societal welfare.
5. The US has a moral obligation to promote democratic ideals in
other nations.
6. The government’s obligation to protect the environment ought to
take precedence over its obligation to promote economic
development.
7. Even if disclosure is legally permissible, journalists have an ethical
obligation to limit material released to the public.
8. A just society ought to value the legal rights of people with mental
illness above its obligation to protect itself.
9. The US has a moral obligation to mitigate international conflicts
10. A society has a moral obligation to redress its historical injustices,
such as slavery.
11. When in conflict a business' responsibility to itself ought to be
valued above responsibility to society.
12. In the US Judicial system, truth seeking ought to take precedence
over privileged communication
13. In the near future we will be able to build robots that are as
intelligent and powerful as humans, and will therefore have the
ability to take over from humans. We should therefore stop
conducting research into robotic intelligence.
14. Should voting in elections be compulsory?
15. The US Constitution prohibits people originally from other
countries from being President, and should be amended to change
this
16. The constitutional limit preventing US Presidents from serving
more than two terms should be repealed
17. Young people should be subjected to night-time curfews as a way
to reduce crime
18. America should change its Immigration Policy, so children born to
illegal immigrants would not automatically become citizens.
19. The United States federal government should substantially decrease
its authority either to detain without charge or to search without
probable cause in the name of national security.
20. The Federal Government should punish states that knowingly
attempt to violate Federal Drug laws.
21. Congress should establish English as the national language
22. The government should set minimum education standards as part of
voting rights
23. The state of California should be split into two or three parts in
order to govern it more efficiently
24. The Federal government should create national identity cards in
order to eliminate the problem of illegal immigration and terrorism
in the United States.
25. Teenagers who commit a felony should be charged and tried as
adults.
26. California high schools should adopt a statewide uniform dress
code in order to eliminate inappropriate attire.
27. Private businesses should have the right to ban cell phone signals.
28. The age to vote should be raised to the drinking age in order to be
more consistent
29. The U.S. should reinstitute a military draft
30. Restrictions on stem cell research should be eliminated in order
research cures for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s