ENG 101 LAPC US Should Implement a Universal Basic Income for Its Citizens Essay

ESSAY #4: EXPLAINING THE TOPIC FOR YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

(DUE 11/8 BY 11:59 PM; PLEASE UPLOAD YOUR DRAFT ONTO CANVAS)

What is Essay #4 as Opposed to a Research Paper?

A research paper is an essay that uses outside sources (i.e. books, magazine articles, Internet articles, etc.) as supporting evidence (which will be placed in the body of the paper) for the essay’s thesis. Instead of analyzing a piece of writing such as “Better Schools Won’t Fix America” by Nick Hanauer you will be writing an argument about a specific topic, and your outside sources will be used to support your thesis.

In short, your research paper will be an argumentative paper. You will take a position on some sort of controversial topic, and your position will be the basis for your thesis. Naturally, you will look for and research outside sources to build upon supporting body paragraphs to back up your thesis.

Your draft of Essay #4, which is due Sunday, 11/8, is not a research paper. The actual research paper will be due at the end of the semester. This assignment is only a four-paragraph paper that will explain the topic of your paper, the controversy surrounding this topic, and what your stance on this topic will be. In other words, your stance will become the basis of your thesis statement in your research paper. I will lay out what you will actually write in your proposal towards the end of this prompt.

Choosing a Topic

You will be able to choose your topic from the list that I have provided. Yes, this is the same list from the pdf posted in the Week 9 module. Please feel free to choose two or three topics from the list, and number them with one being your first choice and three being your third choice. If you don’t like the research based on your first choice, you can go on to your second to see if you like the research on your secondary choice. However, you only have to write about your first choice for this assignment. Unfortunately, because of time constraints, you cannot choose your own topic; that is why you should choose from the list below.

LIST OF TOPICS:

MICRODOSING HALLUCINOGENS FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES: should hallucinogens be legal for medical doctors to prescribe to patients? There is a growing movement that promotes hallucinogens such as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide or LSD (“LSD”) as a better alternative to traditional medicine to treat mental illnesses. When done right, micro-doses of hallucinogens help control diseases such as depression better than pharmaceutical medication, according to proponents. On the other hand, hallucinogens are still dangerous, and there is a reason why they are considered illegal substances. In addition, they can produce “bad trips” if the dose is too high, which can be very traumatic for those who ingest such hallucinogens.

WHETHER OR NOT DESIGNER BABIES SHOULD BE BANNED: medical science and research has reached the point where prospective parents are able to customize their unborn children. They can choose gender, eye color, and other options. Should parents be allowed to create their designer babies? On the other hand, are designer babies a bad idea in the sense that it will create a class divide between those who can and those who can’t purchase designer babies? Are there any unintended medical consequences where the child will suffer?

WHETHER OR NOT EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN PUBLIC SPACES: “In general, emotional support animals help people who struggle with anxiety or depression, Gail Saltz, M.D., a psychiatrist and author of The Power of Different, tells SELF. ‘Their presence, their unconditional love, their warmth and softness to pet and hold are all thought to be calming and mood-boosting’” (Miller, “What Do Emotional Support Animals Do, Exactly”). ESAs help people with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. They provide real therapy to those who suffer from mental health problems. On the other hand, many people consider their pets as ESAs, and “people can and do abuse the system simply to bring their pets (Links to an external site.) with them to places they normally would not be allowed” (Miller, “What Do Emotional Support Animals Do, Exactly”). Should people be allowed to bring their ESAs to public places (airports, restaurants, and so forth)? Are ESAs the same as seeing eye dogs? How can authorities and employees tell the difference between a certified ESA and a pet?

SOCIAL MEDIA CORPORATIONS REGULATING THE INTERNET: because of the rise of trolls and the threat of nations interfering with our elections using fake social media posts, should there be some sort of regulation of what is posted on social media sites and such? Is it the responsibility of companies such as Facebook to monitor and censor any posts that are threatening or dangerous (such as allowing Holocaust deniers to spread their beliefs)? People should be allowed to enjoy the internet without the fear of harassment, so sometimes kicking out and blocking offensive material on certain sites is a good thing in the long run. However, should social media platforms be havens for a free exchange of ideas and is any form of censorship a bad thing? If Facebook decides to censor alt-right posts, what will stop them from censoring other ones? Please note: this topic is not about government regulation or censorship. This is about what is a social media corporation’s responsibility in regulating the content on its platform.

WHETHER OR NOT CALIFORNIA AND OTHER STATES SHOULD IMPLEMENT CONTROLLED OR PRESCRIBED BURNS TO MANAGE WILDFIRES: according to the California Air Resources Board, “Prescribed burning is the controlled application of fire to the land to reduce wildfire hazards, clear downed trees, control plant diseases, improve rangeland and wildlife habitats, and restore natural ecosystems” (“Prescribed Burning”). The pros of prescribed burning, as mentioned above, is that it is a preventative measure that ensures there is the least amount of fuel should a wildfire erupt. The intent of prescribed burning is to ensure that wildfires do not grow too large and destructive. The cons of prescribed burning is that they can become dangerous wildfires themselves.

WHETHER OR NOT THE U.S. SHOULD CONSIDER AND IMPLEMENT A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME FOR ITS CITIZENS: universal basic income (UBI) “is a proposed system to replace some social welfare and social insurance programs with periodic cash payments to every citizen” (“Universal Basic Income”). On the one hand, “proponents believe UBI could help reduce poverty (Links to an external site.) and income inequality and address the changes in the job market caused by increased automation” (op. cit.). On the other hand, opponents point out that giving out money for free may cause people to stop working or seeking work, and this system may be unfair to those who work for a living.

What You Are Going to Write in Your Draft of Essay #4

The good news is that you do not have to write a traditional essay with an introduction, a body, and so forth. However, the main point of this assignment is show me that you have strong understanding of your chosen topic for your research paper. Essentially, you will only have to write four paragraphs.

For the first paragraph, you must explain what the topic is. For instance, if you are going to write about designer babies, you need to explain what they are. For example, you will have to explain how parents can design their babies using technologies such as CRISPR Cas9 and Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnostic (PGD). Because you will be doing some preliminary research, you should quote from an outside source (an online article from the database CQ Researcher, for example). Yes, you will be required to follow MLA citation rules. I will go over MLA in class before you turn in your proposal. The second paragraph should the “pro” side of the issue. Let’s look at designer babies again. This means that you need to explain how and why certain people believe we can eradicate genetically inherited diseases using CRISPR Cas9. Because the second paragraph is all about the “pro” side, the third paragraph must explain the “con” side of the topic (e.g. the potential negative side effects that can manifest in designer babies). The fourth and final paragraph will have to explain your position on this topic (e.g. do you believe that eradicating genetically inherited diseases outweigh any cons such as a new class division between those who are “natural” and those who are genetically modified or designed?). What position are you going to argue for and why? Yes, you can refer to yourself for this assignment.

I will provide a sample paper that explains the topic of vaccines and whether getting rid of personal and religious exemptions is a good idea. You can use that sample paper as a model.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• Even though this is a proposal, your paper must be typed and double-spaced using a 12-point font. Remember: I prefer “Times New Roman”. Your paper must be at least two pages.
• If you decide to choose another topic after you have turned your proposal, you will notbe required to write another proposal. You just need to run your new topic (taken from the list) by me. Unfortunately, you cannot choose a topic that is not on the list that I have provided on this prompt. If you do write a research paper on a topic that is not on the list and turn it in, this will result in failing grade.
• Please type your name, the date, English 101, and my name in the upper left-hand corner of the essay.
• Please title your proposal, and please be creative. “Essay #4” is not very interesting.
• The final (and only draft) of this assignment is due Sunday, 11/8/2020. You will be required to upload your draft onto Canvas by 11:59 pm. In addition, please refer to the syllabus for information on the late paper policy.