Ludy Goodson

Debate
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Constructive Controversy in Media Legalities

    Constructive Controversy Team Assignment    

Purpose

 

You will be one of three to five (3-5) students in an assigned Constructive Controversy Team. Individually and as a group, you are assigned a topic or issue of controversy. Your purpose is to prepare for online debates with your classmates. All of these controversy topics will be related to issues you have been preparing for the whole term, so you should be able to articulate positions and counter-positions using sound reasoning, logic, and evidence.

 

You are a member of only one team. Each team has a number, e.g., Team 1, Team 2, etc. Make sure that you know your team number, your team’s assigned topic, position, and names of teammates. Make sure that you know your opposing team’s number, topic, position, and team names. If you are unsure of any part of this assignment, send an email to your instructor seeking clarification.

 

Team Process

 

During your research and discussion, you will have your own private discussion area for your teamwork. Over the coming weeks, you must develop a team strategy for your constructive controversy debates. To do this, plan to keep notes on your communications. You may limit your communication to your team’s discussion area. You may use other communication methods, such as email exchanges and phone calls. Remember to keep your notes organized because they can help you in your preparation for your debates.

 

You may work on this assignment throughout the term, but your debate will take place in stages across several weeks. All of the debates will take place in assigned discussion areas for individual topics of controversy. Starter threads will indicate where to post “PRO” and “CON” consensus statements and every other phase of the debate process. You will be given specific instructions about what to do in each phase of the debate process for each of the forthcoming weeks.

 

Individual Responsibilities

 

You, and every other member in your group, must submit research on the assigned topic of controversy and discuss your debate strategy. Minimum requirements are set forth here. However, you are expected to work as a team member as well as an individual, and to exceed the minimum requirements. You are expected to complete your own research for your part of your own team’s topic. You must post this research in your own team’s discussion area. (You will be reminded of when to do this in the forthcoming weeks.)

 

The minimum individual research requirements include the following:

 

  • find and read three articles or valid web resources related to the issues or topic of controversy
  • for each resource you find, give a complete citation and an abstract (a minimum of three)
    —  post the complete citation right above the abstract
    — limit the abstract to 1-2 paragraphs for each of the two resources
  • check the accuracy of your citation with each group member; your group members must agree that each citation is complete and must be able to easily find the resources you have cited
  • post your citations and abstracts by the eighth (8th) week of the course

You are expected to prepare your own separate content and writing as your own individual statement for your assigned topic and position on the topic. You will post this later in the course when the debates begin. Each of you must post 100 words or less of separate content and writing…as your own individual statement.

 

Team Role

 

By the eleventh (11th) week, in your team discussion area, your team must have reached and posted a consensus on your position statement. You will find it useful to cover the elements in the policy analysis checklist given earlier, but make sure that you develop more fully your reasoning, data, and evidence. Your position statement must be clearly stated. (You and your team members will be reminded of when to post this consensus.)

 

In preparing for your debates, you and your team may choose to divide the work into different sections, so that each of you focuses on particular issues so that you become a team of ‘experts.’ Or you may choose a different approach in order to fully cover the issues. You and your team members should agree about who will do what roles in the discussion process. If you have only three members, you must double up on some of the roles.

 

    Procedures     
 

Debate Preparation

 

In the eleventh (11th) week:

Locate your debate area by looking for the Discussion Board with the title "Topic _ Debate, Team _ v. _". For example, "Topic 1 Debate, Team 1 v. Team 2, and make sure you find the correct area for your team.

 

Post your team’s final consensus statement as “Team #, NAME OF TOPIC” at the Constructive Controversy discussion area. Your team’s position statement must be honed down to no more than five (5) double-spaced pages, but it must be well supported with logic and evidence.

 

n        If your team is PRO, post your consensus statement under the "PRO Consensus" thread. If your team is “CON”, post your consensus statement under the “CON Consensus” thread.

n        Review your own team’s consensus statement. Decide if it is complete and accurate. Make sure that you understand it and you have information to support your team’s position.

 

In addition, post your own separate content and writing of your own individual statement for your assigned topic and position on the topic. Post it in your assigned debate area under the thread for your position.

 

n        If you are PRO, post your PRO statement on the topic under the "PRO Initial Statements" starter message.

n        If you are CON, post your CON position statement under the "CON Initial Statements" starter thread.

 

Read all the initial statements for your own team and for your opposing team. This means, read all "PRO Initial Statements" and all "CON Initial Statements" for your topic. Then prepare a reply as follows.

 

n        If you are a PRO team member, post a single reply to address all the "CON Initial Statements".

n        If you are a CON team member, post a single reply to address all the "PRO Initial Statements".

n        Within your reply, make sure that you name the issue and person to whom you are replying, and limit your reply to three (3) sentences. (If you are replying on one issue to 5 individuals, this means that you can have up to 15 total sentences). Make sure that you "interpret" the "argument" of the opposing team (individual) and reply directly to the argument.

 

In the twelfth week (12th):

Read each of the other teams’ consensus statement at the each assigned Discussion Board for the controversy topic. Then submit one question or counter-argument as a "Counter Reply" to each PRO and each CON consensus statement. The purpose is to get to the point and to provoke some thinking about the issues. Just use your head to think through the issues. Do not do any additional research for this counter-reply.

 

In the fourteenth week (14):

Note: You may choose an earlier week to proceed with the debates if all team members of your team and your opposing team on the topic agree and you obtain the approval of your mentor or instructor.  Remember: The transcript of your debates will be available to the whole class. Every class member may make comments, ask questions, and discuss the issues on the Discussion Board for each controversy topic.

 

n        "Open Debates": Proceed to openly debate the topic with your opposing team under the "Open Debate" starter thread for your debate area. Use evidence and logic. You are free to react to any statement made by the other team or by your own team. Just keep in mind, you should be showing support for your team’s position.

n        "Final Statements": Post your own final individual statement. Your individual statements must be no more than five (5) sentences. If you are a PRO team member, post it under the "PRO Final Individual" starter thread. If you are a CON team member, post it under the "CON Final Individual" starter thread.

n        "Stand for Two": Choose two topics on which to take a stand for debates in which you did not participate. "Two topics" means two separate debate topics. (It does not mean two opposing positions on the same topic.) For each of your two topics, describe your own position, cite your reasons and your evidence. Use no more than a page (about 250 words) for each topic.

ü       If you are taking a PRO position on a topic, submit your statement under the "More PRO" starter message of the debate area for the topic.

ü       If you are taking a CON position on a topic, submit your statement under the "More CON" starter message of the debate area for the topic.

 

In the fifteenth week (15th):

"Rebuttals":

ü       If you are on a PRO Team, look over the "More CON" postings for your topic.

ü       If you are on a CON team, look over the "More PRO" postings for your topic.

ü       Consider these postings as challenges to your position and reply accordingly. This is your own individual responsibility, not a team reply. Reply to the postings to give a rebuttal to the challenges and to reaffirm your position in 3-7 sentences.

 

Prepare at least one comment concerning the “Constructive Controversy Team Assignment” and ask a question about anything that you do not yet understand. Post your comment(s) and question(s) as “CCT Comments and Questions” at the Constructive Controversy discussion area.