Assignment task: State of the Controversy Paper
This assignment asks you to begin the research process of understanding the complexity of a controversy we discuss this semester. You will select a controversy listed in the syllabus (Immigration, Covid-19, Protest, Cancel Culture, Social Media and Democracy, or Negative Partisanship). You will write a research paper where you descriptively work through the major arguments of the controversy while engaging the vocabulary and concepts of the course (rhetorical criticism, public controversy, discourse & power, spheres of argument, rhetoric of distrust, ideographs).
This assignment asks for an 8-10 paper (a full 8 and no more than 10 pages of main text, not including: images, title pages, abstracts, or references) that critically and descriptively works through the history and main arguments, as they currently stand, in the controversy you choose.
You have some flexibility in the organizational structure of the paper-the requirements are that it has an introduction, thesis statement, preview statement, a description of the major arguments of the controversy, a discussion of the relationship in and among the arguments, and a conclusion (see the paper structure outline for guidance). You may organize the argument and discussion sections however seem appropriate to your particular topic.
In your investigation of the topic you have chosen, be sure to tack between both national and local conversations about your topic. Local might be broadly construed here as regional, state, or Fort Wayne specific. In any case, it is important that you start to make local connections regarding the topic (including talking to people involved in the local politics surrounding your controversy). In the second paper/presentation, you will be asked to engage in the local conversation/controversy around your topic.
It is expected that this paper is written in APA format and contains cover sheet, abstract, and references pages. Please review the rubric for discussion of formatting expectations.