Oppositon Paper

For this assignment: 1. Identify a controversial issue about which you have a strong opinion on one side or the other. The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, available through Boyd Library’s list of online databases, will be very helpful here. If you are having trouble selecting a topic, you can scroll through the list of issues to see if there is one that you feel passionately about and that you feel will work for your project. [This database requires your SCC username and password.] Research arguments for the position that is OPPOSITE to the one you hold. For example, if you feel passionately that abortion should not be legal, you must research all the information you can that supports a pro-choice platform on abortion. Read through the articles and opinions offered by people who do NOT share your viewpoint on the issue, using news accounts, statistical analysis, opinion papers, scholarly research, and primary sources found on the Opposing Viewpoints site or elsewhere to develop your argument. Take good notes, and make sure you carefully cite the sources you use. 2. You will then share this research with the class in a presentation of your choice that explores the process of critical listening. Use as many of the themes we have covered in the semester so far as apply to your argument. Be as creative as you want, and have fun with it. Your presentation can take any form you find effective for getting your point across: a PowerPoint slideshow, an original video, a mock radio or television news program script, a talk show, a short (two-page) paper, or any other method that gives you the chance to convince the class that you have thoroughly researched the other side of the issue, and that will persuade your audience that this viewpoint has validity. Before beginning your presentation, you must first state the issue that you feel passionately about and a few points that support your own opinion. Then use the rest of your presentation to argue AGAINST your own opinion, convincing us that you actually side with members of the opposing camp. Demonstrate what you have learned about the opposite viewpoint—using primary resources, opinion pieces, and statistics that the opposition uses to make its case. You must use at least THREE outside sources in your research. At the end of your presentation, be sure to cite these sources using whatever citation method is the most comfortable for you (APA, MLA, etc). Remember that citation tools are available for the sources you access through the library or the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, so there is no excuse for using incorrect format on citations and bibliographies. Other resources, like the Purdue University Online Writing Lab, (OWL) which is linked on the Course Page under "Online Resources," are available to you for reference. If you need help with this please don’t hesitate to ask me or a librarian. Post your presentation to the Opposition Project Presentation Forum so that you can share it with your classmates. Whatever format you use to present your research, use the following basic guidelines: Your presentation must include a your name, date, and course identification Your presentation must have a title Your presentation must use a readable font (Times New Roman or Ariel 12-point font for papers) Papers must be at least two pages long, double spaced with 1” margins. PowerPoint presentations must use at least five substantial slides, not including the Title Page, Works Cited Page, and statement of your own opinion. You must use proper citation methods. You may use either the APA style or the MLA style, but be consistent.