The Assignment Breakdown

STEP ONE

Each partner will create his or her own blog through blogger.com

• It can be as fancy or as bare-bones as you desire, but have fun with it.
• This will be set up in class Thursday, November 8.
  

STEP TWO

Each partner will choose one side of an argument--related to POLITICS--to research and argue for. This can be anything from the war in Iraq, terrorism, foreign policy (should be narrowed down), abortion, gun control, health care issues, social security, distribution of natural resources (the water shortage in GA, FL, AL, SC, NC, etc), immigration, capitalism v. democracy, electoral process, trade policy, gay rights, environmental issues, ETC.

• All this needs to be is a brief explanation of your topic, and a short discussion of the side you will be promoting.
• This will require some preliminary research. Don't wait.
  
• Due by Sunday, November 11, 2007.

STEP THREE

Create a blog entry that is a brief for your “side” of the argument

• This needs to be posted before class on Thursday, November 15.

STEP FOUR

Post a COMMENT on your partners "brief" blog entry that lists the facts on which you disagree with his or her side of the argument.

• This will be done in class Tuesday, November 20, allowing you time to physically discuss these issues and where/how to proceed in regards to fulfilling your next entry in Step Five.
  

STEP FIVE

Post another COMMENT on your partners "brief" blog entry explaining why you disagree with the facts you listed from STEP FOUR.

• Where you don’t agree on key facts, do research to decide how valid the facts cited on both sides are? This may involve sharing materials/research to try to persuade or convince your partner of your reasons for the validity of the fact in question.
• Due Tuesday, November 27. There might be some class time to work on this step.
  

STEP SIX

Define the problem in terms of the key interests that must be addressed.

• This is the beginning of the mediation/negotiation part. Both sides will work from their original position and come to some sort of agreement or common ground using the arguments key interests. This will require mediation, advancing the issue beyond a stalemate of ideas--a compromise of sorts.
• From this negotiation and research on the side of the argument you are disagreeing with, you will produce a working brief for Step Eight. This should be a collaborative effort.
  
• This will be due Monday, December 3 by 11:59 a.m. and should be posted as a new blog post.
  

STEP SEVEN

Explain any additional information that could help resolve the conflict—how so?

• This would be a good place to incorporate other modes of argument (visuals, audio, etc) that are relevant and may help advance your topic beyond a stalemate situation.
  

STEP EIGHT

State how the debatable issue was resolved, identifying the principles upon which the resolution was based—if a resolution was possible. If your group decides there is no way to resolve the issue, then there needs to be a detailed (and valid) explanation of why.

• This is basically your final draft. There is no page length requirement, because the intent of this assignment is to produce an active discourse throughout the next four weeks. The only length requirement will be to accurately and convincingly produce a piece of writing that mediates both sides of the chosen argument.
  
• This step will be completed by both partners, individually, and each will propose the facts, compromises, exceptions, etc. that were worked out regrading the issue in his or her own words--formally.
• Due date for this final post is by 11:59 pm Thursday, December 6, 2007. This may be negotiable.