Week 6 Topic: What Concerns You?
Now that we have wrapped up the course, you should have had the opportunity to consider many aspects of what problems America face, and what direction it seems to be headed in today. Given all that we have discussed, and the many challenges that America likely will have to deal with over the coming decades, what do you personally find most concerning?
Considering all of the above, your discussion topic for the week:
What potential problems in American politics are you most concerned about going forward? In your post, you should consider much of the following:
You are welcome to talk about multiple issues, but I’d recommend limiting yourself to three issues – two issues if you plan to only write at the six sentence minimum. This is just to make sure you have enough space to write thoughtfully about each topic.
The issue(s) you address could be policy related, or related to the procedures, rules and institutions of the country.
The issue(s) you address could be a problem that is a major issue right now, or something that you anticipate will become a major issue in the near future. In theory, you are even welcome to speculate about issues that could arise in the very long-run (over the next several decades), but you should probably restrict your time horizon to the next fifty years.
What do you think are the prospects for your issue being addressed in the way you want? Are you hopeful? Cynical? Why or why not?
Do you think that your position is commonly held by other Americans? Do you think this will change over the coming years/decades?
Writing a good Discussion Post
Your post should be 6 sentences minimum. You are welcome (and encouraged) to write as much as you would like.
Your post should practice persuasive writing. Imagine you are trying to convince others to adopt your position. Try to write in a way that will win over people on the fence, or maybe even on the other side, rather than speaking in a way that pleases those who already agree with you. At minimum, you should write in a way that does not distract from the content of what you are trying to say.
You are not required to list sources, but you are strongly encouraged to spend some time reading about this topic, and seeing what others have to say. Even biased sources can be valuable, but avoid using or linking to highly inaccurate/unreliable sources. For examples in media and a greater discussion of this, see the AdFontes Media Bias Chart (Links to an external site.). Using that chart, you’ll want to try to stick to the “green zone”, and stay out of the “orange/red” zones altogether.
Try to avoid grammar/mechanical mistakes, and do your best do write in a way that flows nicely. In politics and elsewhere, people will ignore even a smart message if it is delivered in a sloppy manner.