10 Sep Title: Assumptions vs. Facts. Be sure to put your name, student ID, date, and the word count at the top as well.

Title: Assumptions vs. Facts. Be sure to put your name, student ID, date, and the word count at the top as well. No title page; just put these at the top of your first page, single spaced, Arial 12 pt font.

Topic: In this 7 paragraph paper, you will explore assumptions vs facts regarding two chosen issues (from a list of four below) regarding capital punishment, based on some careful web research, and you will use what you have learned to analyze the results and reflect upon assumptions, bias, and fact-finding. This paper is NOT about whether you are in favor of or opposed to the death penalty. See below for detailed, paragraph by paragraph instructions.

Sources: At least two factual, unbiased, detailed internet sources for each of the two issues (so 2 x 2 = 4 sources total). Don’t use the same 2 sources for both issues. Take great pains to make sure that you are not just looking for things that prove that you are right. If you look hard enough, you can always find someone who agrees with you; however, the point is not that but rather to find out what the preponderance of the best research says on the subject. Your sources should be high quality, reasonably current and reflect the research of leading scholars. Be sure to use quotation marks when taking more than 3 words in a row from the text or any source, even for definitions. Work on putting things in your own words to demonstrate your understanding of the material, using no more than about 10% quotations for the paper. 

What are your assumptions about capital punishment, and how do they compare to the facts? Do some web research regarding capital punishment: You will choose 2 of 4 issues to research & report your findings (mostly in your own words, although you can use quotes or lists of data as needed). Try to find web sources that are as factual, authoritative & unbiased as possible.

A.      the cost of capital punishment compared to life in prison

B.      the history of how many innocent people have been put to death

C.      the deterrent effect of capital punishment

D.      racial bias in the death penalty

Again, you will choose 2 of these 4 issues to research. 

Detailed, paragraph-by-paragraph instructions

Here is the exact structure for your paper:

1st paragraph: Explain the concept of Socratic wisdom in your own words. You may want to include a brief quote or two. Explain to your reader that you’ll be applying the concept of Socratic wisdom to 2 specific issues regarding capital punishment (out of the 4 choices listed above) and tell what those issues are. You could use chapter 1 of your textbook and/or this source, or another: https://www.thoughtco.com/socratic-wisdom-2670665 

2nd paragraph: In about 4-6 sentences, briefly explain your initial assumptions about the first issue you have chosen (of the four listed), and the reasoning behind your assumptions. Simply be honest in your statement of your initial assumptions; you are not being graded on how accurate your assumptions were. However, I will expect to see some thoughtful reasoning to explain your assumptions. Place your assumptions within the context of typical American assumptions about the issue; you can do a little quick research to check that, if needed. If you’ve already done research on one or both of the issues, for example in another course, you could explain what your assumptions were prior to your research.

3rd paragraph: In about 4-6 sentences, briefly explain your initial assumptions about the second issue you have chosen (of the four listed), and the reasoning behind your assumptions. Place your assumptions within the context of typical American assumptions about the issue; you can do a little quick research to check that, if needed.

4th paragraph: In a longer paragraph, explain the facts you have discovered in your research regarding the first issue you have chosen (the same issue you discussed in the first paragraph). Just the facts—at this point, I don’t want to hear any reactions or comparisons to your initial assumptions. Work on putting things in your own words to demonstrate your understanding of the material.  Use no more than about 10% quotes in the entire paper. Be sure to use quotation marks when taking more than 3 words in a row from the text or any source (unless it’s the name of something, such as The United States Supreme Court).

5th paragraph: In another longer paragraph, explain the facts you have discovered in your research regarding the second issue you have chosen (the same issue you discussed in the second paragraph). Again, work on putting things in your own words.

6th paragraph: Give your personal reaction to your research and compare the facts to your initial assumptions. Discuss any surprises and the reason why any facts turned out to be different than what you expected. You may also discuss whether the results reflect typical American assumptions regarding the controversy. Explain the importance of checki