Prof. Schwartz - ENG 101 - Mid-Term Elections (11 am): Home

The 2018 Mid-term elections

The mid-term elections being held on November 6 will probably be the most important election you will face in your lifetime.  Voters will be going to the polls to decide the future of several issues that will affect everyone in this room (except me; I’m too old; nothing will have an effect on the rest of my life).  I am hoping that this assignment, in addition to satisfying the research requirement of the course, will help you to understand the issues that will be affecting you.  To that end:

I have come up with 10 major issues, listed below, that will be debated, discussed, and decided in November:  In no particular order...

1. Extending DACA
2. Gun control, specifically banning assault rifles
3. Arming teachers and school personnel
4. Limiting or expanding emission controls on cars
5. Adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census
6. Carbon tax on “greenhouse” emissions
7. The Mueller probe – finish or end
8. The future of Roe v. Wade
9. “The Wall”
10. Expanding commercial development and drilling on federally protected land

As you look at these issues, you will see that they all take the form of an argument: that is, each issue has a “should” or “should not” element to it.  Here is your assignment:

1. Select any 3 issues
2. Decide if the issues you chose “should” or “should not” be implemented
3. Find 3 “hard” sources (books, newspapers, magazines –in other words, anything that is printed on paper) and 3 on-line sources (websites devoted specifically to the issue, NOT Facebook, Wikipedia, Youtube, etc)

NB: Almost every print periodical has an on-line version.  If, for example, you consult the New York Times, you can buy it on the newsstand or access its online edition.  This will satisfy the “hard” source requirement.

4. By referring specifically to these sources – quotes from the sources, statistics, quotes from people mentioned in the articles, establish your argumentative position, and then support it to its logical conclusion.  (We will spend time in class going over how to do this)
5. Your argumentative research paper is due in class on Monday, October 8, and I will return it to you on Friday, October 12.

Oh, by the way...

The paper you hand in on October 8 is only half the assignment...

You must then consult 6 additional sources (3 and 3, as above) and argue the OPPOSITE position.  So, if for example, you wrote that Roe v. Wade should be maintained, you now must write a paper that argues it should be overturned!  That paper will be due on Monday, November 5...exactly one day before the mid-term elections!

Here is the format for the paper...

1. It must be AT LEAST 5 pages in length
2. It must be properly footnoted wherever a specific source is cited (we will go over this in class)
3. It must have a Works Cited Page (we will also go over this), and
4. There will be NO late papers accepted.  You will have 4 weeks to prepare each paper; if you devote 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY to finding information, you will have no trouble completing the assignment successfully.