HNRS 201, Cesarini

8/27/08

Issue Response Small Group Presentation

Now that we have multiple tools to examine issues and think critically about arguments, it is time to use these skills to dissect and analyze an issue. This will be accomplished by doing the following: 1. Forming groups of 2-4 people 2. Selecting a mutually agreed upon topic 3. Developing this into a prescriptive issue 4. Researching and examining arguments presented on this issue, 5. Evaluating the evidence presented in these arguments 6. Developing your own argument 7. Creating a dynamic, organized presentation supporting your argument Much like the issue response paper, the goal is not necessarily for your group to arrive at an overtly pro or con stance about a given issue. Rather, it is to arrive at a more nuanced, informed perspective and then to present this perspective. Notes Your group should build enough content and related activity into your presentation for it to encompass 30 - 40 minutes of class time. Each group member must have a proportional amount of face time speaking or otherwise leading an activity in front of the class. Your presentation must not be all lecture. That is, there must be some sort of discussion activity built into it, to facilitate an exchange of ideas. Your research must incorporate at least three of the critical thinking tools we have used so far. Your presentation must clearly reflect which tools you have used. A single page handout (either single or double-sided) is required. Do not, however, make a handout that merely consists of thumbnails of your presentation slides. 1

 Use of video clips is limited to 1 only, no more than 2-4 minutes long. Potential Topics There are four topics unsuitable for this assignment: abortion, gun control, the death penalty, and gay marriage. While these all have significantly relevant, controversial aspects, they have long since hit a media saturation point to where they have simply become the low hanging fruit for group presentations. Given this, avoid them. Feel free to choose any of the topics listed here, or use one of your own: The broadcast flag The USA PATRIOT Act Airline passenger screening Peer-to-peer filesharing Distance education E-commerce sales tax Mandatory laptop purchases in college Violence in video games Privacy vs. security: mutually exclusive? Biometrics Internet censorship and/or filtering Radio Frequency identification (RFID) Electronic voting Evaluation Criteria These presentations will count for 25 points of your final grade, and will be evaluated as follows: Content: (10 points) Your group selected a suitable topic to research and used appropriate sources to research it. Your group developed a prescriptive issue based on this topic. Your group provided an explanation of the key arguments posed by specific groups and individuals central to this 2

issue, the values conflicts and assumptions of these groups or individuals, the evidence presented by these groups or individuals to support their argument, and any fallacies associated with some of the central arguments surrounding this issue. After weighing the positive and negative consequences necessary to develop an informed opinion, your group presented a balanced, yet persuasive stance on this issue. Grading for content will be done in 2 point increments. Organization: (6 points) Your group presented a well-organized argument of suitable length with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your group used headings and transitions in your presentation to divide the information up into sections, making your argument easy to follow. Grading for organization will be done in 2 point increments. Style: (4 points) Your group presented this argument in an engaging, lively manner, posing questions to the class as needed, and avoided resorting to text-heavy lecturing. The handout contained relevant information, appropriately cited as necessary. Grading for style will be done in 2 point increments. Mechanics: (5 points) 5 points - Editing and revision are obvious; the presentation and handout contain proper grammatical constructions, few, if any, language mistakes, and have been spell-checked. 3 points Editing and revision are somewhat evident; the presentation and handout contain some improper grammatical constructions and some language mistakes, yet have still been spell-checked. 1 points Editing and revision of the presentation and / or handout are not evident or involve serious grammatical errors and / or language mistakes, and / or have not been spell-checked. Schedule Please check the online course calendar for presentation dates for each group. 3