Position Paper

For this assignment, I want to know what you think, what your position is on one key topic that we have been studying. However, this is somewhat different from simply stating your opinion. Your position on the topic must be supported by research. For example, it is not enough for you to believe that, say, free speech does not cover hate propaganda websites, and therefore, the government should step in and regulate them. Rather, you would need to have research from law reviews and articles in major newspapers to support that position. (Again, that’s just an example.)

One more note regarding source material. Encyclopedias (like Wikipedia), and sites like About.com are good starting points, but they should not be used as primary sources. (In fact, by definition, they are not primary sources.) For example, if you find information about hate groups in an article on About.com, look up their original source and confirm the information for yourself. The Auraria Library (click here) makes it so easy to find information via their website, there really is no excuse for being sloppy about finding original sources. Go to their site and research articles in academic journals, research books and book chapters in edited volumes are good examples of original sources. I will also accept newspaper and magazine articles (print or electronic) as sources if you confirm that their authors have gathered their own research. The New York Times is a good example. A Capitol Hill lobbying group’s newsletter is not a good example. Lastly, note in the rubric below that in order to receive full credit, you must include at least three external sources of research. Our course books are not an external sources. You do not need to include copies of the original sources. Just be sure to cite the material appropriately so that if your reader (me) wants to look up the information, he can do that. You DO need to include a reference list at the end of your paper. It must be properly formatted in APA style (American Psychological Association), which you can learn more about here (Links to an external site.).

Okay, on to the specifics. Choose one question from those listed below. Use books, scholarly journal articles, newspaper articles, etc. to answer that question in a 1,500-word paper (that’s about 6 – 7 pages). Choose just one (1) of the following questions to answer.

1. Ehrlich lists ten pathways that are the major social conditions that have led to ethnoviolence. Choose the three that you believe are the most significant, explain what they are and why you believe they are the most significant.
2. Which group(s) do you believe currently suffer the greatest degree of victimization and psychological distress due to ethnoviolence (e.g., African-Americans, Jews, LGBTQIA, etc.)?
3. How has the role of the news media’s coverage of women or minority protestors changed in the Trump era? Ehrlich (who wrote prior to this time) makes a case for the media supporting the status quo. Have things changed?
4. Are “left-wing extremists” as equally dangerous as “right-wing extremists”? Whenever there is a major event perpetuated by those on the right (Charlottesville 2017 or even Oklahoma City 1995), there will be pundits on cable news and the Internet that will point to groups like “antifa” or the Black Panthers in the 1960s as moral equivalents. Is this a fair comparison? Why or why not?
5. This question has two parts. The first is straightforward: who tends most often to be the perpetrators of discrimination and ethnoviolence on college campuses? Second, and more complex, why? Historically, psychologically, sociologically, etc., why is that group more likely to be perpetrators of discrimination and ethnoviolence?

These papers are to be 1,500 words in length, typed, double-spaced, with margins no larger than 1¼ inches and a font size no larger than 12-point. Title pages and reference pages DO NOT count as part of the 1,500-word requirement. All position papers are due by 11:59 P.M. MT on the indicated date.