Opinion Paper

by

Humanities

Opinion Paper

Take an issue from your reading, news items, a class discussion, etc., as long as it is about American politics. This paper will be a written form of one of a one-sided debate. Instead of having a few minutes to compete with another presenter (proponent v. opponent) you have the whole forum for yourself. Since this is a written response, this means you can and need to tell more than you would in a spoken debate.

  • Take your issue, state the basic points, and give a brief history of the issue.
  • Then examine what other opinions you may find – compare and contrast these. What about the issue’s history influenced these other opinions?
  • What is the impact of the issue on American politics? Why?
  • What is your opinion on the issue? Please back it up.
  • Use multiple sources that reflect your opinion and illustrate the point of your paper. If you take everything from the Internet, your paper will wind up being one dimensional and lacking in life.
  • Length: 3 – 4 pages, so you need to carefully choose your words and be concise.