Read the following instructions carefully. Write a paper totaling 1500 words, answering questions from Section A (750 words total) and questions from Section B (750 words total). Please include little to no quoted material in your paper. The point is to get you to describe and characterize the material, not to just import the words of others. If you must quote, just include a parenthetical citation at the end of the quote, like this: “(Author Name, Book Title, Page Number).” There is no need to provide a bibliography. Do not go significantly over or under the word limit. The word “significantly” here is a judgment call on my part, but in order to be on the safe side, keep it to no more than 100 words over or under the limit. Refer to Class Schedule for due date. An assignment link will be created on Blackboard and you will be able to upload it closer to the deadline. A late penalty will be applied to any paper turned in after this time. The penalty is: one third of a letter grade deduction for each day the paper is late. So, for example, if a paper is turned in at 8:15 AM the following morning, and if the paper without the late penalty is given the grade of B, it will become a B- due to its being turned in one day late. Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B. Section A — Answer one from the following options: 1. Describe Thomson’s arguments for the permissibility of abortion. Then attack them. Describe Marquis’ argument for the immorality of abortion. And then attack his argument. In this debate, which of the two thinkers gets it right? Finally, why do you think abortion is such a thorny issue? 2. Focus on two types of killing: euthanasia and capital punishment. Describe what each of these are, and give reasons for and against the rightness of both. Ultimately, tell me if society should allow these practices. Section B — Answer one from the following options: 1. Why should society allow individuals to use drugs? Contrastingly, why should society not allow individuals to use drugs? Describe and then attack the argument that drugs are harmful to the user. In the end, is this a good argument? Describe and then attack the argument that drugs are harmful to the user’s friends and family. In the end, is this a good argument? Should the government allow us to make choices that cause ourselves great harm? 2. What are some reasons for and against eating meat? After running through a list of reasons in favor of it and reasons against it, determine the strongest argument on each side. Then tell me whether you are convinced by either argument, and why or

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.