Extra Credit

Extra Credit Assignment

1. Option one: 50 Points. Structured outline only. Prepare a structured outline (as per course specifications) on the assigned topic suitable as the basis for a 3,000-5,000 word paper. Include a substantial analysis for two contrasting ethical theories from class. Submit to D2L before the deadline.

2. Option two: 100 Points. Structured outline and the matching paper. (a) Complete the Structured Outline as above. (b) After finishing the structured outline and taking it through several editing steps, fill in all the paragraphs to complete the paper. Edit the final paper again. Include FIRST the structured outline in your Word or HTML file, FOLLOWED by your full paper that matches the outline. Submit to D2L before the deadline. (Note: it is acceptable if you make some structural changes to the paper that affects the sections and order of paragraphs. You do not have to rewrite the structured outline.

   We will consider this a working paper.. We are interested in the structure and the ideas. If you include any citations, you must have approprite references for them at the end.

1. Prepare an extended structured outline on the topic.

2. Give your structured outline to two other people to edit and give feedback.

3. Move ideas around, and make other changes, as needed.

4. Write down the initials of the people who edited your S/O at the top of your submissino.

1. Inside your document, use copy and paste to create an exact second copy of the structured outline. Separate the two with a page break and a horizontal line.

2. Fill in the paragraphs (of the second copy of the structured outline) following the topic sentences to complete your paper. If you need to split paragraphs or move ideas around this is fine, but you don't have to make any changes to the first copy of your structured outline.

1. Put the word count of the entire file, your name, and the initials of the person(s) who reviewed your structured outline, at the top of your file, above your title.

2. Submit your SINGLE-FILE Word document or HTML file (which contains first your structured outline, and possibly, second the corresponding paper) to D2L well before the deadline. No other file formats will be accepted for credit. No late papers accepted for credit. NO ZIP FILES, no PDF files, no Pages files, etc.

3. Download your submission from D2L and view it to make sure that it has not been corrupted in any way.

The Topic

Content:

1. You are a consultant to a political action committee. You have been hired to make the case to congress on this issue. Prepare your structured outline, and [possibly] the resulting paper, so that congress people can read the outline before prelminary arguments, and then your paper before the full hearing.

2. You will consider a proposed action that is before congress that you see as either ethical, or unethical, and will make the case that based on your analysis congress should either make laws supporting the action, or laws prohibiting it. Note: it is fine to pick an action that you do not actually personally support, and it is fine if you find the action ethical, or not, with either analysis. Any combination is valid. We are looking for your logical arguments under the ethical theories, and your understanding of the issues.

3. Use your paper to convince us of your conclusions: that the action is ethical, or the action is unethical. (Note: it is acceptable if you convince us that further study is needed because the action is ethical under one theory and unethical under another.)

4. Your topic must be related to the idea of net neutrality which is based on the more basic concept of a common carrier , which in turn is based on the even more basic concepts of a Commons and a Digital Commons. Within this context, you have some leeway in chosing your specific topic.

5. Consider this like a final paper. Research is going to be required. These are complex topics, and there is almost always two sides to any proposed compromise.

6. Carefully explain the technical details behind the proposed action. Discuss the negatives and positives.

7. Analyze the proposed action under two different ethical frameworks, and draw some conclusions about whether, under each framework, the solution is ethical. You are not limited to the "four" ethical frameworks.

Here are some related ideas, but you are absolutely free to choose your own emphasis:

• Internet providers / carriers should be allowed to offer (or not offer) tiered services in any way that helps them to maximize their profits. If Amazon Movies wanted to pay a large fee to Comcast, then Comcast should be allowed to lower the internet speed of anyone downloading Netflix packets. This is consistent with people now paying more for faster download speeds.

• If a large corpration wanted to pay a fee to Google, then Google should be allowed to bias their search engine in any way the corporation wanted.

• The national government's job is to set fair rules regarding the restricting of access to internet speed, and the promotion of competitition. This government beauracracy should be (a) an independent agency, or (b) should be structured so that it is affected by lobbying pressures. (Question: who works for government oversight agencies, and how much do they get paid? Do they sometimes later go to work for lobbiests?)

• The national government should have no say in how internet providers operate, and such providers should be free to maxize profits and elminate their competition.

• All governments, local, state and national, should be prohibited from controlling access to, or the content of, the internet.

• The internet, and major search engines, should be declared as a national commons.

• Etc.