1.Use of Electronics in the Classroom
In this topic, I will discuss the argument about whether electronic devices such as laptops and phones should be used in class. Many believe these devices can distract the user from the lessons and even make them shift their attention to something unrelated.
Article: https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/technology-and-student-distraction
This article highlights the pros and cons of electronic use in a classroom. Using surveys given to college students, the writer talks about how distraction played a big part and how we can create a classroom where we can use these devices to engage rather than distract. Rather than banning devices entirely, the article gives recommendations on how to prevent these distractions from occurring with focus being put on the instructors themselves.
Quote: “However, the evidence is not uniformly against laptops. Elliot-Dorans compared different sections of the same course that either banned or allowed laptops, and found that banning laptops led to lower quality of written work, lower attendance, and lower exam scores (Elliot-Dorans, 2018). The author surmised that students’ note taking was worse without a laptop, which impeded their learning.”
2.Death Penalty
In this topic, I will discuss the argument about whether the death penalty should be allowed or not. The use of the death penalty is highly debated with 27 of the states still using it. The death penalty is a form of capital punishment where a state executes a person due to the crime they committed.
Article: https://eji.org/issues/death-penalty/
This article highlights all the problems with the death penalty and the consequences associated with it. Using numbers, it tells us about the number of innocent people sent to death and also percentages to back up their argument. It also uses cases that can be used as evidence for their argument that the death penalty should be abolished entirely.
Quote: “A person doesn’t have to be innocent to be wrongly sentenced to death. The intense pressure to obtain a death sentence and the political stakes for police, prosecutors, and even judges can cause serious legal errors that contribute to wrongful convictions and death sentences. In Alabama alone, over 160 death sentences have been invalidated by state and federal courts, resulting in conviction of a lesser offense or a lesser sentence on retrial.”
3.Treatment of Animal Produce
In this topic, we will be talking about the environment and treatment of the animals that we raise and farm for meat production. The concerns for these animals stem from the farming facilities where animals live in inhuman and confined conditions. One side advocates for more humane practices while the other advocates that the practices are humane and are efficient and affordable.