For Week 12, we’re going to do something a little different.
First of all, there’s no textbook work involved in this week’s class! You saw that right, no textbook work. (Enjoy the break while it lasts.)
We’re going to be debating two sides of a topic. (The topic is TBA, since every class splits differently on different topics.) The class will be split into two groups, and each group will work to come up with strong arguments for their side. In the end, each group will present three arguments for or against a certain policy, and will get a chance to reply to the other side’s three arguments.
This will help us prepare for the final type of paragraph we’ll be learning in this class, the Opinion Paragraph. It’s a little fun and a little different, but you need to be ready to think hard, so make sure you come to class bright-eyed and clear-minded.
Paragraph Practice
Instead of writing a paragraph, this week you’re going to explore the “pros and cons” for one the policy proposals from this list:
- The Relative Evaluation System should be abolished.
- University students should be required to wear school uniforms.
- Electric kickboards should be banned on campus.
- Smoking should be banned on campus.
- Campus dormitories should be co-ed.
- There should be no curfew for students living in the campus dormitories.
Choose a policy proposal that we didn’t discuss in class.
Then, write down as many arguments as you can think of both for and against the policy. Use two lists, one titled “for” and one titled “against”. Try to construct a single sentence for each argument, which conveys the main idea of the argument.
For example:
POLICY PROPOSAL: Vampires should be banned from our university.
For:
- Students will be much safer without vampires around.
- It will prevent cheating that would be easy for vampires using their mind-control powers.
- It will help avoid unfair grading because professors will be afraid to give vampires poor grades.
- The university cannot afford to offer more night classes than it does, which vampires would surely need.
- If vampires want a university, they can create their own university in South Korea.
- Vampires have an unfair academic advantage over humans since they don’t need to sleep or rest.
Against:
- In the 21st century, diversity and non-discrimination are important, even with vampires.
- Vampire students and faculty could contribute usefully to certain departments, such as history and microbiology.
- Some students are eager to meet vampires and learn from them.
- This policy would be unfair to students who become vampires partway through their degree program, especially since most people who become vampires did not choose to do so, but are victims of vampire attacks.
- Vampire students at other universities have a strong track record, and perform academically very well because of their physical advantages.
- Vampire students are very attractive, and would help make our campus more famously beautiful.
This is a silly example, but you should get the idea from this about what you need to do this week. Don’t just think of 3 or 4 reasons for each list! Keep going until you really can’t think of any more ideas.
You don’t need to write a Paragraph: lists of arguments for and against your chosen policy proposal are enough.