Paper theses
The following theses are assigned for the papers. You'll be taking the opposite position in the debates (so, you also now know who your opponent will be). This page does not necessarily give the order that the debates will occur.
From the syllabus:
The first paper will be roughly 3 pages in length and will articulate both sides of a policy question with ethical implications, arguing for one of them. The paper is worth 15% of the course grade.
More specifics: The paper should be about three pages long (~800 words), plus references (and figures or diagrams, if they're relevant). Use standard formatting conventions: 12pt, serif font, 1" margins, double-spaced. Content-wise, this is an argument paper with an assigned thesis; you should identify and explain some of the opposing side's arguments, but the bulk of your paper should support your conclusion, which should be the assigned thesis. Your argument's structure should make clear reference to actual ethical frameworks we've been discussing in class.
| Thesis | Paper position | Paper position |
|---|---|---|
| School districts that distribute laptops to their students have(/n't) got a legitimate interest in tracking their location and verifying that they're used in permitted ways, so the districts should(/n't) be able to remotely access and view images from the laptops' webcams. | Cedar "should" | Derrail "shouldn't" |
| We should(/n't) ban the use of autonomous AI/robots in domestic and international military conflicts. | Nathan "should" | Carolyn "shouldn't" |
| We should(/n't) consider access to the Internet a positive right, and the US government should(/n't) provide it free or cheap to every household. | Andrew "should" | Joey "shouldn't" |
| Automated photo-based law enforcement tools, such as red-light cameras, are (a net benefit/too invasive) and should thus be (legal and encouraged/restricted or banned). | Dave "benefit"/"legal" | Katie "invasive"/"banned" |
| Voter registration databases should(/n't) be linked among jurisdictions and to state ID databases, with matches (showing multiple registrations) and mismatches (showing nonexistent people) automatically removed from the voter rolls. | Terrence "should" | Patrick "shouldn't" |