Question:
Select one debated topic from the three below, and construct a 500-word (minimum) academic essay that provides an overview of the debate-making certain to include key individuals, events, acts, the time period, the location, and why the debate was initiated. Identify the victor and why you feel they "won" the debate. Considering current events, what events experienced today are similar to your selected debated topic? Explain whether political, religious, or economic concerns were the most dominant motivation.
1. The appropriate action of the colonists in response to taxation imposed by the British crown
2. The proper response by American colonists concerning the standing presence of British officials and soldiers
3. The ability of the colonists to rule themselves while still respecting the king's authority
In this, and all other lectures in this course, you have been provided with links and cited suggestions, which are intended as supplemental readings that you can trust to help with your quizzes and assignments. In addition to those identified sources, you are welcome to research and find additional sources that may benefit your works. Most of the sources you will look for are able to be accessed via CSU's Online Library.
These sources will generally be articles or essays from reputable academic publications, and are available by using search engines like EBSCOhost. If you are unfamiliar with the library, or if you are having trouble accessing materials, the librarians on staff are available throughout the week for this reason.
In the last unit, the role of bias was discussed, and bias needs to be considered when researching. There are a few general truths when researching online, with the first regarding the suffix:".com" is going to be biased as it is indicative of a business, or occasionally private use, and may not be reputable as it is trying to attract a certain demographic or clientele.
. . ?".gov" is generally informative in nature but will be pro-government, which may constitute a bias depending on topic.
. . ?".edu" is also generally reputable, but be aware of its source as the institution as a whole may have a bias, such as a religious or government university.
. . ?Other such suffixes are generally indicative of a business or personal nature, and will also generally include some independent viewpoint.
To navigate through these sites or any publication, it is necessary to ask the following:
. . ?Who wrote this? - You are looking for the author and their credentials. This is not to be confused with a webmaster or site designer.
. . ?Who published this? - Does the site administrator care about an accurate image, or are they instead trying to attract/sway a certain message or demographic?
. . ?Can the document be altered in any way? - If the information can be added to or amended by anyone other than the administrator, the site is not appropriate for academic use. This is the core issue with many online encyclopedias.
On any trustworthy source, these questions should be able to be answered clearly and without intense searching. If you cannot find this information, do not use the source. In the unit assignment, you will need to use these resources to your advantage, in tandem with the themes from this lesson.