POSITION PAPERS

Newell / STS 2400

Your first position paper will be on a topic related to your major (there will be a specific assignment--you'll find it on the For Credit page in WebCT).

Your second position paper will be on your debate topic. (You may (and should) discuss the content of your debate position paper with other members of your team, but the document you turn in must be your own work, written in your own words. Submission of another’s work, represented as your own, constitutes Academic Dishonesty (see your syllabus). )

A position paper is just what its name suggests--a paper that provides a compact summary of your position on a particular issue. Your position paper may use any writing style (within reason) that you’re comfortable with, but it must include the following elements, each identified by a header in your paper:

• Your name
  
• A clear statement of the issue and the position you are taking.
  
• Three or four of the main arguments for your side. These should be clearly distinguished from one another. Make each one a separate paragraph or section, rather than blending them. Describe each one in enough detail to make your point clear, and provide supporting evidence or examples.
  
• Two or three arguments for the other side. Make each one a separate paragraph or section, rather than blending them. Describe each one in enough detail to make your point clear, and provide supporting evidence or examples.
  
• The biggest weakness in your side’s case. It might be an argument for your side that you have little or no factual support for, an argument against your side that you don’t have an effective response to, or a counter-example that you can’t explain away. Identify it, and briefly explain why it’s such a weakness.
  
• An annotated bibliography of at least 10 sources; no more than half may be web pages. Pay attention to the directions for an annotated bibliography. More people lose more points here than anywhere else.
  

Your position papers must be typed or computer-printed. They should be 3-5 pages each, NOT including the bibliography.

GRADING FOR POSITION PAPERS
In grading your papers, I will look for the following things:

ASSIGNMENT & MECHANICS: Did you fulfill the assignment you were given (all parts)? Was your work relatively free of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. Did you follow the directions? You MUST include complete citations. Web sources MUST include the http address and date of visit. Bibliographic entries MUST be annotated.

EVIDENCE: Did you support your statements with evidence from the readings / class / article? Did you get the details right? BE SURE all quotations and other borrowings are properly credited and use your own words whenever possible.

ANALYSIS: Depth of argument / critical thinking / original ideas / logic / synthesis

ASSIGNMENTS FOR POSITION PAPERS:

See the ForCredit section of WebCT for the specific assignment for each of your position papers.

ADDITIONAL HELP:

Use the Position Paper Worksheet (available in PDF on the course WebCT site under Tools) to be sure you have all the required elements in your paper before you turn it in--or to analyze how you can do better on your second paper!