Long Assignment 2

What you will be doing for this assignment is producing a 5-6 page paper that does three main things:

1: Locate and briefly defines the discursive debate that surrounds or defines a particular social, scientific, cultural, or political "issue." We will broadly define "issues" in class to allow for the inclusion of most topics. This brief exploration of the nature of the debate will analyze not the issue itself, but the language used to debate the issue, and will be supported through research.

2: Analyze and argue where this debate fractures along the Lines of Power; while most debates can easily be categorized along many of the Lines of Power, what you will want to do here is locate the heart of the issue, and decide which one or two of the LoP are most relevant to your argument.

3: Provide a concise argument for how a scientific debate of the issue could potentially help resolve some of the issues at stake. While I don't think science can solve all of the worlds problems, I do think that at the center of most of our debates is a scientific misunderstanding that when cleared away may not assuage the doubts of those passionately involved, but at least provide a clear definition of what the issue is really about.

Notes on research: You must use at least 3 sources for this essay, but may use more. They must be cited in text and in an additional bibliography according to the format used in class. Also, I'm going to ask you to use a variety of sources. One source must come from a scholarly journal of your choice; I will show you how to access and search these. One source must come from a reputable print source - something in either the book or magazine holdings from your own Purdue libraries. The third required source can be taken from anywhere you like, and, if you're smart, should provide you with the kind of colorful language against which to set your more scientific explanation. (In other words, sometimes a "bad" source is a good source...)

Topics

Body Rights (Enforced Vaccination, Prostituion, Euthanasia, Abortion, Legalized Marijuana, Health Care)

Gun Control

FCC

Evolution