First step: I need to figure out what my teacher's take on this topic is. This'll be pretty easy because he's so vocal about it. Nonetheless, I'd better make sure that I've got it right. Time to have a wee chat with Teach and maybe cross-check with friends to make sure that they're interpretting his comments the same way that I am.
Next, I need to go and find some articles written by critics of my teacher's stance. Nothing's is cut and dry, so I should be able to find something to understand other perspectives so that I can build my own argument. It'll take more time than I had hoped, but it might be worth it in the end.
After doing some digging, I've found some great resources. This seems to be a contentious topic and there is plenty of material arguing the from every angle. I'm going to write a great paper!
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Umm... This appears to be a no brainer. There's a reason the teacher is so one-sided about this. Any reasonable person would see things the same way. OK, he won't get an argument from me, I feel like I understand the topic better than I did going in. Time to write.
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OK, there is an argument here, but it is so offensive to my own belief system that I don't think that I can write this paper. I know that I don't have to believe what I write, but still...
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This is actually a pretty productive take on the assignment. While it is motivated by marks and essentially sucking up to the teacher (in a reverse psychology kind of way), the end result is that the student needs to understand the topic in enough depth to understand multiple views of it. This can be some pretty powerful inquiry and if writing is the student's preferred form of sharing their knowledge, this is a win-win.