Topics

– Select One from the Following

Topics

1. Is it ever right for governments to restrict freedom of speech?

2. Does free speech apply to social networking sites like Facebook?

3. Read the article Fitbits for Bosses, by Lynn Parramore in chapter one (pgs 30-33). Take a position on the following statement: Do you think biometric measurement by employers is ever justified or do the privacy and security of one’s own body outweigh concerns of employers? why or why not?

4. Should the government be able to wiretap the Internet or is this a dangerous expansion of  the government’s surveillance powers? (Read the New York Times article below for more information).

5. Genetic Engineering –

Designer Babies

6. Evolution vs. Creationism in Public High School Biology Classes

7.Can Westboro Baptist Church Protest at the Funerals of Dead Soldiers?

(More Information) Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps

8. Cyberbullying as a Criminal Offense

9. Emerging Adulthood

– A Cultural Breakdown

10. Football – Too Dangerous for Children and Adults

11. Women on the Front Lines in Combat

12. Videotaping Police Activity – a Criminal Offense

13. Vertical Farming

(Traditional Farming is Destroying the Planet)

14. Banning Soda Purchases with Food Stamps

Requirements for your essay 

Write a documented argument of 750-1,250 words (three to five pages of double-spaced typing). 

For the best results for your module one essay, follow this procedure:

1. Narrow your topic (see below) and think about your approach.
2. Do some research – take notes and save necessary source information for your works cited list.
3. Get organized before you write (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details).
4. Look at sample student paper in Chapter 7 – An Argument for Corporate Responsibility (pgs 308-315).
5. Draft your essay and a working bibliography.
6. Use the checklist provided below and see the excellent checklist for papers using sources by Barnet and Bedau on pgs. 262-263.
7. Check for unintentional plagiarism.
8. Revise, edit, and proofread again
9. Check your essay in TurnItIn to be sure there is not plagiarism and to catch any remaining writing errors.
10. Revise as necessary.
11. Submit in the Essay Dropbox (E1).

Remember to use the Resources (under Tools and Resources on the course menu) and the Module 1 Resources as necessary.

Use MLA rules for documenting your source. 

You must use in-text citations each time you use the words or ideas of your source in the essay. Example – (Jacoby 45).

You must include your works cited list at the end of your essay (use a good citation generator as previously discussed in the citation exercise) .

Use your sources to support your own ideas. 

Do not create a Frankenstein Essay by copying and pasting. Write!

Check your originality report in Turnitin and make necessary corrections.  You do not need a password. Just click on the Check Module One Essay for Unintentional Plagiarism drop box in the Module One essay folder and follow the directions.

A Word About Wikipedia… Wikipedia often rises to the top of Web search results. This vast and decentralized site provides over a million articles on a wide variety of topics. However, anyone can contribute to the online encyclopedia, so the accuracy of articles varies, and, in some cases, the coverage of a controversial issue is one-sided or disputed. Even when the articles are accurate, they provide only basic information. Wikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, cautions students against using it as a source, except for obtaining general background knowledge: “You’re in college; don’t cite the encyclopedia.”

Additional Resources for Research and Understanding

• American Civil Liberties Union: Free Speech
• National Coalition Against Censorship 
• Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
• Internet Censorship ( ACLU)
• First Amendment Center 
• Debatepedia  – Freedom of Speech  Debate: Restrictions on Freedom
• The U.S. Tries to Make It Easier to Wiretap  the Internet 
• Would Wiretapping Laws Spell the End of Quantum Encryption?