In the final exercise of the previous unit, we chose a subject and tried to find a persuasive angle for that subject through a fact-finding mission. For this exercise, your task is to thoroughly research a challenging subject, to really stretch your new research muscles and change your own beliefs if necessary. Pick one of the following contentious topics: Global warming: is there enough scientific evidence for this phenomenon?
Human cloning and stem cell research: are there dangers involved?
Free speech and hate speech: should all opinions be allowed to be voiced?
Remember: this is not just about going online and collating the opinions of various bloggers. You should find your own primary sources and find the facts to back up your eventual opinion. Remember to take bias and vested interests into account and to fully explore the implications of everything you discover. Finally, write a short essay (at least 500 words) explaining the decision you have made and why, or if you haven’t been able to come to a decision, the reasons for this. If you have come to a conclusion, then try to be as persuasive as you can in this essay. In the next unit, we’ll look in more detail at organizing information so that it is presented well, but for now, simply try to present the facts in an order you feel is logical and persuasive. Feel free to use emotive language if you feel strongly about the subject; this essay shouldn’t be objective (although the facts it presents should be): it is very much about expressing your own opinion.