Your final essay will be a 1500 word analysis of one what you consider to be of the most important ethical issues of global, national or personal importance. You can decide the topic, but I suggest you send it to me for approval or risk your paper not being accepted.
You must provide adequate information to support your assertions. This may involve some research to support your assertions/facts and in that event, you must cite them appropriately, which means well enough for me to go back and check your facts if I so choose. (A very basic example of the three parts of an argument can be found below.)
This is worth 100 points and will be graded on the following (20 points each):
- Background of the topic and why you chose it
- Why this is a critical ethical issue that must be addressed immediately
- What actions should be taken and why
- What are the potential consequences of not acting immediately
- Spelling/grammar/clarity
Your final essay must be turned in via Bb Learn by 12:00 NOON, Thursday, December 14, 2017. This is the end of the scheduled final exam period and no extensions will be given.
Three Parts of an Argument
A — Assertion
R — Reasoning
E — Evidence
An assertion is usually a simple statement, such as “Homework is a waste of time,” “Television news is boring,” or “Tomato soup is better than grilled cheese sandwiches.”
An assertion is the thesis statement or the main point of an argument.
Reasoning is the “because” part of an argument, as in the following examples: —
“Homework is a waste of time because it takes time away from other activities that are more important.”
“Television news is boring because it doesn’t talk about issues that are relevant to me.”
“Tomato soup is better than a grilled cheese sandwich because it is more nutritious.”
Reasoning can be simple or complex, but when working with students who are new to this process, the most important things to emphasize are the use of the word “because” as a cue and the need to connect the statement and the reasoning. Some reasoning will always be better than others, but for beginning students it is useful to focus on the basic skill of linking reasoning to an assertion rather than critiquing the validity of the reasoning right away.
Just as reasoning supports an assertion, evidence supports reasoning. There are many different kinds of evidence, ranging from expert testimony or statistics to historical or contemporary examples.
For example.”
— “Homework is a waste of time because it takes time away from other activities that are more important. For example, we end up doing worksheets of math problems instead of getting outside and getting fresh air and exercise.”
— Television news is boring because it doesn’t talk about issues that are relevant to me. For example, I never see stories about the issues that kids deal with every day.”
— Tomato soup is better than a grilled cheese sandwich because it is more nutritious. For example, tomato soup contains important vitamins such as lycopene, while grilled cheese sandwiches really don’t have that much nutritional value at all.”
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