Position Paper Assignment
In the position paper you are trying to convince your reader of your position on one
side of an issue. Each research group has determined a debatable question, and
each individual will be writing a paper answering this question either yes or no. You
are expected to support your position using the literature that you have found so
far and any other sources that you find now that you have narrowed your topic.
We expect to see a variety of sources in your bibliography, and we expect to only
see sources that you have cited in the body of your paper. Below is a list of the
research groups with the question that each group has decided to debate. The
pairings for the pro and con sides of each issue are also listed. If you are listed in
the pro column below, you will write your position paper answering the question
“yes”. In the debate you will take the con side of the question and answer “no”.
The opposite is true if you are in con side below. You should consider the audience
for this paper to be one of your peers. Use MLA style for the citations and the
bibliography. This paper should be four to five pages in length.
Draft 1 is due on Tuesday April 18.
Draft 2 is due on Thursday May 4.
The grading criteria for this paper will be the following:
1) How persuasive are you?
2) How well do you support your position with the literature? How good is your
evidence?
3) How well is the paper written (overall organization, flow within and between
paragraphs, mechanics and MLA style).
Pro
Con
Reed
Anne
Aaron
Charlie
Adam
Ryan
Jason
Nick
Meg
Kelly
Darby
Jacqueline
Bob
Gary
Dan
Sarah
Mike
Nicola
Alyssa
TJ
Christian
Maggie
MT
Thom
Maia
Karen
Cheryl
Rachel
April
Christa
Wamae
David
Question
Should drunk driving laws be made tougher?
Has modern (post WWII) machinery (technology?) had an overall positive
impact on society?
If we have the technology to achieve human engineering, should we?
Should we be spending money researching extra terrestrial life?
Should gay marriage be legalized?
Was it a racist act to move Japanese Americans into interment camps
during WWII?
Should affirmative action be used in admission to colleges and universities?
Is it right for a government to lie to or manipulate its people through
propaganda?