Introduction
Assignment 3: Online Debate is worth 15% of your final grade.
Using the knowledge gained from the Position Paper assignment, students will articulate their stance on political issues of relevance.
Rationale
Completing this assessment supports meeting the following course learning outcomes:
- CLO 2: Discuss the current state of federal democracy in Canada.
- CLO 4: Analyze the competing interests of power in Canadian politics.
- CLO 9: Express their own reasoned and consistent positions on a range of contemporary political issues affecting Canadians.
Directions
- Opening Statement (post 1): Write an opening statement (300 – 500 words) which expresses your stance on the issue you chose in Assignment 2: Position Paper. The opening statement lays out your argument for or against a particular issue and includes a short summary of the topic and why you hold the position you do. Post your statement, with an appropriate title, to the Assignment 3: Online Debate discussion forum.
- Rebuttal (post 2): Select one opening statement written by another student to argue against, also known as a rebuttal, and post (200 – 300 words) on the Assignment 3: Online Debate discussion forum as a reply to the student’s initial post.
How to Submit Your Assignment
Post your Opening Statement (post 1) and Rebuttal (post 2) to the Assignment 3: Online Debate discussion forum by the due dates in the Instructional Plan. Discussion forums can be accessed by selecting Course Tools and then Discussions on the course navigation bar.
How Your Assignment Will be Graded
The Online Debate will be graded in a holistic manner out of 15 points: 10 points for opening statement and 5 points for rebuttal:
- 15 – 20 marks: Student provides an accurate summary of the issue they are discussing and clear and concise explanation about their stance on the issue. They also write a response to another student’s post in a manner that shows that they understand the point of view of the writer but also disagree by making factual statements. The posts are written free from grammatical errors and in a respectful manner.
- 8 – 12 marks: Students provide a summary of the issue they are discussing but lack some clarity with respect to explaining their position. They also write a response to another student’s post but do so without touching on all of the main points raised by the writer. The posts have some grammatical errors but is written in a respectful manner.
- 7 and Below: Opening statement and rebuttal both lack clarity and not supported by facts. Post may also have grammatical errors throughout and or is writing in a disrespectful manner.
