Assessment Instructions

Preparation

For this assessment, you will choose one of the four following controversial topics from your Taking Sides text and write a position paper of 3–5 content pages (plus title and references pages) that answers the question posed by the title.

• D’Angelo, R., & Douglas, H. (2017). Taking sides: Clashing views in race and ethnicity (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
  • Do we need a common identity? (pages 19–37).
  • Is racial profiling defensible public policy? (pages 117–126).
  • Is the mass incarceration of Blacks and Latinos the new Jim Crow? (pages 222–235).
  • Is gentrification another form of segregation? (pages 236–246).

To further prepare you can choose to:

• Review Issues Summary [DOCX] to help you select your topic.
• Review Riverbend City: Arguments, Counterarguments, and Rebuttals. Your answers in the media piece will help you with this assessment.
• Review the media piece about how to define what constitutes Reliable Evidence.

Instructions

Using the Capella library and other appropriate sources, explore scholarly research on both sides of your selected issue.

Develop your position on the question using the corresponding Taking Sides essay as a foundation.

Organize your paper as follows:

• Title page.
• Introduction.
• Your position and arguments.
• Evidence to support your arguments (i.e., data and research), including how the evidence supports the arguments.
• Counterarguments to your position.
• Rebuttals to those counterarguments.
• Evidence to support your rebuttals (i.e., data and research), including how the evidence supports the rebuttals.
• Summary and Conclusion.
• References.

This APA Style Paper Template [DOCX] is provided for your convenience.

Additional Requirements

• Remember that the content of your paper must be 3–5 pages in length.
• In addition to the essay, use a minimum of 5 resources, at least 2 of which are peer-reviewed academic articles.
• Follow APA style and formatting guidelines throughout.
• Set your paper in Times New Roman, 12 point.
• Review the scoring guide before submitting your assessment to ensure that you meet all criteria. Refer to the helpful links in Resources as you complete your assessment.

Consider saving this assessment to your ePortfolio.

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Controversial Topic Position Paper Scoring Guide

CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED Describe a controversial topic and key current issues related to the topic.Does not describe a controversial topic and key current issues related to the topic. Describes a controversial topic, but does not capture key current issues related to the topic. Describes a controversial topic and key current issues related to the topic.Analyzes a controversial topic and key current issues related to the topic. Describe own personal or professional position on a topic supported by psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity.Does not describe own personal or professional position on a topic supported by psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity.Describes own personal or professional position on a topic without support of psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity.Describes own personal or professional position on a topic supported by psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity.Describes own personal or professional position on a topic supported by psychological theories as well as research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity. Identify counterarguments to own position, using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the counterarguments.Does not identify counterarguments to own position, using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the counterarguments.Identifies counterarguments to own position, but does not use psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the counterarguments. Identifies counterarguments to own position, using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the counterarguments.Identifies counterarguments to own position, using psychological theories as well as research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the counterarguments. Identify rebuttals to counterarguments using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the rebuttals.Does not identify rebuttals to counterarguments using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the rebuttals.Identifies rebuttals to counterarguments but does not use psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the rebuttals.Identifies rebuttals to counterarguments using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the rebuttals.Identifies rebuttals to counterarguments using both psychological theories and research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support the rebuttals. Assess the strength of the original position using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support own views.Does not assess the strength of the original position using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support own views.Reasserts but does not assess the strength of the original position using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support own views.Assesses the strength of the original position using psychological theories or research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support own views.Assesses the strength of the original position using psychological theories and research in culture, ethnicity, and diversity to support own views Cite scholarly evidence correctly according to APA guidelines.Does not cite scholarly evidence correctly according to APA guidelines.Cites scholarly evidence with some errors in APA style and format.Cites scholarly evidence correctly according to APA guidelines.Cites scholarly evidence in APA style and format, without error. Write in a manner that is scholarly, clear, and free of grammatical, spelling, and APA formatting errors.Does not write in a manner that is scholarly, clear, and free of grammatical, spelling, and APA formatting errors. Writes in a manner that is inconsistently scholarly, clear, and free of grammatical, spelling, and APA formatting errors. Writes in a manner that is scholarly, clear, and free of grammatical, spelling, and APA formatting errors.Writes in an exemplary manner that is exceptionally scholarly, clear, and free of grammatical, spelling, and APA formatting errors.