Take A Stand (TAS) Project

This project will give you a chance to explore a controversy in working with parents, make an argument, and have fun presenting it.
1. Choose one topic and position. You do not need to really believe that position. Some of the best papers are from those trying to understand the other side of what they believe (plus, the other argument may have more evidence).
2. Collect information about the arguments that have been or could be made to support your position or “stand.” Be extreme. Base your arguments on the literature, but take a strong position. Find at least three sources of information on the topic, and turn in complete citations for those sources.
3. Write your paper. Think of the paper as an infomercial or a lawyer’s presentation at a hearing.
Your pages need to be around 5 pages long. Make sure that you are strongly defining your stance, collecting, referencing, and stating the research that you found. And DON’T forget to LIST your REFERENCES in your paper and give the full citation at the end!
Topic Position:
Spanking
Spanking is good vs. Spanking is bad
Parenting special needs children
Parents know their special-needs children better than anyone else does vs. Parents need help from outside experts when their children have special needs
Sibling arguments and parents
Parents should always get involved in sibling arguments vs. Parents should never get involved in sibling arguments
Quality parenting and culture
Quality parenting is the same in every culture vs. Quality parenting depends on the culture
Parenting and disasters
Parents should prepare children for disasters vs. Parents should protect children from disasters
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents should have contact with their children vs. Incarcerated parents should not have contact with their children
Licensing parents
Parenting education and licenses should be required vs. Parenting education should be optional, no license required
Grading Criteria:
Literature Base:
Relevant, research-based, 3 sources