Genetic Engineering Debate

Genetically Engineer Children Debate

You will debate the topic: should we encourage parents to genetically engineer children

We will have two groups:

Group A: We should encourage parents to pursue genetic engineering

Group B: We should not encourage parents to pursue genetic engineering

Research

First, you will research your topic:

Find an essay online that addresses one of the positions in “Genetically Engineer Children”, p. 41-45 (be sure you know what the thesis is in the two essays!). The essay should be no more than 5 years old (published between 2010 and 2014) and no less than one full page and no more than 3 pages long.  Start in the DVC library website (go to dvc.edu, click on library, click on “articles and more”, click on “Pro Quest Research Library” and insert your search terms)  and use only essays that come from newstrust (newstrust.net/sources) at a 3.5 or higher.  You will be doing a debate on this topic.

Once you’ve put in your search terms (see below), be sure to click on the limiter on the side for “magazines and newspapers” or you will be dealing with very academic materials.

Search terms you might try: genetic engineering, medical innovations on humans, human evolution and genetics, designer genes

Create skeleton of your position that uses one essay from the English 116 book and the essay you found online. See Below for skeleton structure you will fill out and turn in on the last day.

Debate

Each person in the group will have a speaking role.

There will be two rounds: first read your position then you will rebut the other’s position.

Write down your idea, your opponent’s idea and your rebuttal to that idea.

Once in your group, assign/select which role each person shall have.  If you do not have five in the group, only one person will do the CA. In each group, there will be one student responsible for each role below:

1. Thesis (this person is also in charge of organizing and structuring the group)
2. Reason in support of Thesis (from English 116 article). You must be prepared to state your reason and provide support for the reason
3. Reason in support of thesis  (from online article)
4. Reason in support of thesis (from either)
5. You will have as many reasons as you have people in your group, once all the other roles are taken
6. CA and rebuttal
7. CA and rebuttal

Structure of Debate

Each person will state their idea during their turn. Each person must start with an IDEA. Support can contain facts, evidence, expert opinion etc but it must be presented as full sentences.

Each person will be responsible for responding to the person with their same role in the other group.  So if you are doing the thesis for your group, you will be responsible for explaining why the other group’s thesis is wrong.

Round 1

Group A will go first, presenting their entire argument with each person providing their points. As we go through the ideas, you should write down the idea you will be responsible for rebutting. Then Group B will go presenting their entire argument.

We will have a break after the first reading to think and write the response.

Round 2

Rebuttal of points. We will start with Group B explaining why each point they presented is weak, wrong or not convincing. As a person in group B rebuts a Group A argument, the person being rebutted gets a minute or two to reply until we’ve gone through everyone in Group A. Then we will switch and do group B getting rebutted by Group A.

Grades:

Article (5 points)

Round 1 (15 points)

Round 2 (20 points)

Skeleton (30 points)

Skeleton of argument (combine at least two articles and indicate sources. Your skeleton should be typed and in complete sentences)

1. Your group’s Thesis

1. Reason in support of Thesis (from English 116 article)

1. support
2. support
3. support
1. Reason in support of thesis  (from extra article)

1. support
2. support
3. support
1. CA that the other side might offer and rebuttal of their counter argument

4. CA that the other side might offer and rebuttal of their counter argument