Short Report
This project is called a short report, even though you are not writing a report per se. Instead, you are conducting the research necessary for a report, but rather than draft such a document, you will use the data to support an argument, which you will write in the form of a letter, to effect change.
The assignment will consist of several components, all of which will lead to the final product: a clearly written, well documented, and persuasive letter to someone who has the power to influence or effect the change(s) you wish to see occur. In addition, to demonstrate the differences in tone caused by a shift in audience, you will draft and attach a second letter about the same topic to someone you know.
Components
I list the key components in the order you will compose them.
- A short proposal listing the topic, the audience, and the rationale for writing. Send this via email; provide a hard copy for me as well.
- An annotated bibliography of at least 3 sources (only 2 of which may be taken directly off of the Internet) along with a detailed summary of one key article or source.
- A fact sheet or summary of your research outlining the problem or issue in sufficient detail. This will become an attachment to the letter.
- A persuasive letter, 1-2 pages, correctly formatted, to a person with the power to effect the change(s) you desire, which uses evidence from all three sources.
- A separate letter to someone you know well. In this letter, you will talk about the issue and explain why the action you argue for in the formal letter should occur.
- A cover memo in which you explain the differences between the letters and any difficulties you had in drafting them.
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Topics. Choose a topic that is relevant and has a clear constituency (people who are affected by the issue). Below I list a variety of possibilities, some of which contain information about the issue in question. Feel free to choose one of these or to propose a different topic.
- Should consumers have to pay for Microsoft's products if they do not wish them to be a part of the package when they purchase a computer?
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Should Intel be permitted to add a code into its Pentium-3 chip that enables outside organizations to track individuals' every move?
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Should the government delay the marketing of the latest anti-flu drug (an inhaler)?
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Should Virginia continue to be the garbage dump for other cities and states?
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Should there be standards of decency on the Internet? Recently a judge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania blocked a federal law aimed at protecting children from Internet pornography. The Child Online Protection Act was scheduled to go into effect, but U.S. District Judge Lowell Reed granted a preliminary injunction against enforcing the law saying it threatened constitutional free-speech rights. The ruling is a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the law could be used to prosecute publishers of controversial literature and health information. http://www.npr.org/news/tech/indexarchives/1999/Feb/990202.01.html
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Should there be filters installed in libraries to prohibit access to pornography? A Livermore, California, woman is suing the city and the local public library for failing to install computer software that blocks access to pornographic Web sites on the Internet. The woman's 12-year-old son used the library's computer to download sexually explicit material. A federal court in Virginia recently ruled that a county library system violated the First Amendment by installing filtering software on its computers. But the California suit is believed to be the first in the nation that challenges a library for not installing blocking software.
http://www.npr.org/news/tech/indexarchives/1999/Jan/990114.01.html
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Should there be rules about cybersquatting? Shortly after oil industry giants Exxon and Mobil announced their merger this week, work began to set up a Web site for the new company. When the Exxon-Mobil Web team attempted to register a new domain name, however, they found out that a Korean entrepreneur named S.H. Moon had beaten them to the punch. Moon had paid $70 each to claim the names ExxonMobil.com and Exxon-Mobil.com. The practice is known as cyber squatting, and it occasionally pays big dividends. http://www.npr.org/news/tech/indexarchives/1998/Dec/981203.02.html
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Should schools promote children to the next grade even if they haven't successfully completed the requirements? Last month, President Clinton announced an ambitious, and controversial, slate of education initiatives. One of his proposals is the ending of social promotion - the passing of students to the next grade even if they haven't met the requirements. Supporters of social promotion say keeping kids back can lead to greater academic failure later on but opponents say it hurts kids in the long run.
http://yourturn.npr.org/cgi-bin/WebX?13@^10199@.ee7568a -
Should the U. S. support a new treaty to regulate trade in biotechnology? The treaty is meant to control the spread of genetically engineered organisms, but many countries want it worded so broadly that processed foods, drugs, and manufactured goods could be covered as well. The U.S. is scrambling to prevent this--arguing that it would severely disrupt world trade.
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Should a company or the government have the right to bar someone from sending e-mail? A California Superior Court ruling bars a former Intel employee from sending e-mail to current workers. After Intel dismissed Ken Hamidi in 1995, he launched a Web site criticizing the company and began sending e-mail to thousands of Intel employees. The company argued that Hamidi would not be allowed onto company property to spread his message, so he has no right trespass on Intel's computer system. Hamidi maintains the First Amendment guarantee of free speech allows him to send e-mail over the Internet. Hamidi is appealing the ruling. http://www.npr.org/news/tech/indexarchives/1998/Dec/981208.01.html