Midterm paper

From the syllabus, slightly edited:

The first paper will be roughly 2½-3 pages in length (aim for about 700-800 words) and will articulate both sides of a policy question with ethical or citizenship implications, arguing for one of them. The paper is worth 15% of the course grade.

A draft of the paper will be due on 18 October (this is a change from the syllabus) (in class, where we will workshop it) and the final version, worth 15% of the course grade, will be due on the 25th (also a change).

Rubric (added 23 Oct): This is the rubric I plan to use, and may help you polish your paper. This is a 20-point analytic rubric, and most items are either yes or no (what computer scientists call "boolean"); some items leave the possibility of partial credit.

Content:

Stays on the assigned topic from start to finish. 1/0
Is of the appropriate length, without "fluff" or filler. 1/0
Presents factual background and/or support (which is suitably cited). 2/1/0
Sources are well-chosen and appropriate. 1/0

E.g. not an encyclopaedia, not "some random guy said on a blog"

Acknowledges opposing argument(s)... 1/0
...but focuses primarily on arguments persuasively supporting the assigned policy position. 2/1/0
Addresses question of ethics/citizenship. 2/1/0
Form:

Format matches standard academic-paper style. 1/0

Double-spaced, 1" margins, 12pt, serif font (such as Times)
Your name should be on the top of the first page (at least)

Micro level mechanics: grammar, spelling, punctuation. 2/1/0
Macro level mechanics: sentence structure, transitions, flow. 2/1/0
Outside material is well-integrated into the text. 1/0

Avoid "dumped quotes" (aka "dropped quotes")
Make sure to cite! Any standard citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc) is fine.

Introduction introduces topic and its relevance, neither too brief nor ramblingly long. 1/0
Conclusion summarises main arguments briefly without being unreasonably abrupt. 1/0
Thesis is clear. 1/0

Would someone who didn't know your assigned prompt know what you were arguing for?

Sources appropriately listed at end of paper 1/0

Again, any standard format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc) is fine.
But do include the URLs for online-only sources (even though MLA etc do not formally require them anymore)

Strikes (i.e. things not to do!):

In the course of the paper, present notably false or irrelevant information. (each) −1

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.

Thesis	Section	Paper position	Paper position
Robots: We should(/n't) ban by treaty the use of autonomous AI/robots in domestic and international military conflicts.	3	Destiny "should"	Matt "shouldn't"
	4	Estela "should"	David "shouldn't"
Internet access: 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.	3	Zach "should"	Collin "shouldn't"
	4	Tjyshawn "should"	Dylan "shouldn't"
Abandonware: Books, music, and games that are out of print, and whose owners have gone out of business, should(/n't) be considered "abandonware" and released into the public domain.	3	Will W "should"	Garrett "shouldn't"
	4	Alex "should"	Marisa "shouldn't"
School laptops: 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.	3	Brady "have, should"	Kylie "haven't, shouldn't"
	4	Sally "have, should"	Kaitlyn "haven't, shouldn't"
Red-light cameras: 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).	3	Daniel "benefit, encouraged"	Abby "invasive, restricted"
	4	Will T "benefit, encouraged"	Braden "invasive, restricted"
Body cams: On-duty police officers should(/n't) be required to wear body cameras turned on at all times, with the recordings saved for at least a few weeks after each shift.	3	Alicia** "should"	Mike W "shouldn't"
	4	Peyton "should"	Malik "shouldn't"
Voter databases: 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.	3	Katelyn "should"	Christian "shouldn't"
	4	Meghan "should"	Lindsay "shouldn't"
Net neutrality: The US government should(/n't) mandate that Internet service providers handle all transmitted data in the same way without privileging certain platforms over others or charging extra for some content.	3	Gabi "should"	Noah "shouldn't"
	4	Grady "should"	Julianna "shouldn't"
Doxxing: The US government should(/n't) pass a law making doxxing someone a federal crime.	3	Brandon "should"	Mackenzie "shouldn't"
	4	Lesha "should"	Molly "shouldn't"
Online voting: The Commonwealth of Virginia should(/n't) pass legislation and build a web interface enabling people to vote for town, state, and federal offices online.	3	William B "should"	Josh "shouldn't"
	4	Kai "should"	Ian "shouldn't"