The Position Paper
The Basics:
• The paper should be typed and be at least 8 pages of written text (approximately 2400 words)
AND a works cited page. Each page less than the minimum may drop one letter grade.
• Submit your paper to any plagiarism checking website before submitting your final version via
Canvas as a PDF to me by the last day of the class.
• Papers will be evaluated using the grading rubric below (page 3). 100 total points.
1. A summary of your argument that incorporates the following criteria.
• Title (this should be your issue framed as a question.)
• An introductory paragraph with explanation of the controversy, relevant
background information to give context of the problem, and your thesis/conclusion
(answer to the issue with qualifiers).
• Body paragraphs that contain your reasoning and research in support of your
thesis/conclusion.
• One block quote (4-6 lines) AND/OR a visual representation – picture, graph
(limited to a 1/3 of a page with proper citation)
• In text citations of at least five reputable sources using MLA format.
2. In addition, your paper must include the following.
• Acknowledgement and explanation of the opposition’s argument
(counterarguments).
• A rebuttal that addresses the main points of the opposition’s argument (concession
or refutation).
• A concluding paragraph that provides closure to your argument. You should include
possible limitations of your conclusion and/or the conditions under which you
might reconsider your conclusion (thesis), and possible next steps to consider
regarding this issue. You can also provide a general warning of the consequences of
not following the premise that you put forward, how the community will benefit
from following that premise, and other solutions that could rectify the issue.
• One Ideal Society reference (see page 2).
3. A final page should list the resources that are cited in your paper.
• MLA style reference page listing credible sources cited in the paper. Avoid weak
journalism sites such as biased newspapers.
Ideal Society – Required for Position Paper
One of the following five essays should be used (even briefly) as a reference in your paper. These
selections are: Utopia by Thomas More, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, the Declaration of Independence
drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and I
Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. There are many topics discussed in these essays that are still
relevant in today’s world. For example, The Declaration of Independence and its reference to the government
and its people ensuring the ‘safety and happiness’ of all citizens, can easily be applied to protecting children
and their use of smartphones (i.e. protection from Big Tech). You can use a direct quote or a paraphrase your
ideal society reference. Each of these selections can be found online as pdfs in the position paper
module of our course. Topics such as health care, marriage, religion, education, the economy, individual civil
rights, and the legal system lean on many of these ideologies to support their views of a better society. Select
one of the readings on which you would like to focus and the questions that follow the reading (see below)
will give you a general idea of whether or not that essay is relevant to your issue.
Utopia – Thomas More
*More indicates that in the England of his day many people loafed or engaged in unnecessary
work putting an enormous burden on those who engaged in useful work. Is this condition or any part
of it true of our society?
The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli
*In the opening paragraph, Machiavelli claims that a ruler who wishes to keep power must “learn
how not to be good” that is, must know where and when to ignore the demands of conventional
morality. Can you think of any recent political event in which a political leader violated the
requirements of morality, as Machiavelli advises?
*Can you think of recent events supporting or disproving the view that cruelty can be beneficial to
society?
*Machiavelli declares that “one must consider the final result.” Do you think that he means any end,
goal, or purpose of anyone justifies using any means to reach it? Give an example of this from today’s
society / government?
The Declaration of Independence – Thomas Jefferson
*The Declaration cites “certain unalienable rights” and mentions three: “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit
of Happiness.” What is an unalienable right? What duties, if any, go with these rights?
*Consider why a certain group is entitled to independence. You may want to argue that
adolescents should not be compelled to attend school, that animals should not be confined to zoos, or
that persons who use drugs should be able to buy them legally.
Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions – Elizabeth Cady Stanton
*Stanton’s declaration is over a century old. Have all of the issues she raised been satisfactorily
resolved? If not, which ones remain?
*In our society, children have very few rights. For instance, a child cannot decide to drop out of
elementary or high school, and a child cannot decide to leave his or her parents and reside with some
other family that he or she finds more compatible.
I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King, Jr.
*King says that his dream is deeply rooted in the American Dream. What is the American dream?
Was the dream in 1963 the same dream we have today?
*King delivered his speech more than 60 years ago. Is the speech still relevant? Is there equality in
America?
