TASK 11 - Winter Essay 2016-2017December 201
Below are the instructions for your winter essay followed by the essay titles/questions you suggested. Please choose carefully – select a topic that you are already familiar with so that you do not have to do a lot of background reading. Please remember that this is an essay for English – while the content is important in so far as we want to see that you can handle a subject logically and write clearly, succinctly and effectively. We will not be assessing you on the depth and breadth of your knowledge, but on your ability to put forward your opinion, support it and, where appropriate, provide concrete examples. You can find tips to follow while drafting your essay in the tips document on the webpage. You can also see the assessment criteria.
Please note that I want to see you to go over all your previous work for both me and Richard, which you will have corrected, before the start of the next semester.
Given the fact you have an intense exam period after the holidays, I warmly suggest you do the first draft of the essay during the holiday. You will then have time to revise it after your exams. The sooner you get the essay to me (electronically) the sooner we can meet to go over all your work. The deadline for submission to me is the same as that for Richard (27th January). You should place a hard copy of your essay in Richard’s pigeon hole at the CLA.
In the meantime, I hope you all have a restful holiday after a very demanding first semester.
Please note that if your work arrives after the deadline, Richard might not be able to correct it until well into the second semester.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE USUAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Write 5 - 6 sides maximum (double-line spacing).
Staple the pages together.
Leave a printed copy of the essay in Richard’s pigeonhole at CLA.
The deadline for submission is 27th January at 12.00.
I have adapted the essay questions/titles from those discussed during your last lesson with Richard so that they all have a similar format and so they are opinion essays.. As some of your suggestions were rather specific (the Turkish suppression of the uprising) or hypothetical (e.g. Trump’s foreign policy) I have not reproduced them here. If you have a question title you would really like to answer rather than one of the ones below, please write to me with your question and I will tell you whether it is suitable. The important thing is that you don’t have to worry too much about the content of the essay, but on the flow of information and organization.
WINTER ESSAY TOPICS
1) Euthanasia should be legalised. To what extent do you agree with this statement.
3) Discuss whether the broadly acknowledged need to eliminate the use of fossil fuels is likely to be achieved in the near future and how this goal could be made a priority across the world?
4) The rise of populist parties in the US and the EU has been good for democracy. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
5) The financial crisis has narrowed the gap between the haves and the have nots across the globe. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
6) What were the main factors on the EU side that contributed to the failure of the TTIP negotiations? Support your reasoning with examples.
7) Is there ever a justification for limiting voting rights? Discuss why/why not.
8) The only way to address poverty in developed countries is to introduce a citizen’s wage (i.e. universal basic income). To what extent do you agree with this statement?
9) Addressing the so-called democratic deficit should be a priority for the EU in the immediate future. To what extent do you agree with this statement.
9) Governments should have unlimited access to personal data in cases of national security and/or serious crimes. To what extent do you agree with this statement.
10) Democracy has failed. Non-democratic countries are more efficient than democratic ones. Discuss to what extent you agree with these statements.
11) To what extent is Assad’s continued leadership contributing to resolving the civil war in Syria?
OR
The direct intervention of western countries in Syria would have avoided the long drawn out civil war which still has no end.
12) Discuss the issues, if any, which need addressing before the large-scale use of self-driving cars is permitted.
13) To what extent does the diplomatic role of the Catholic Church facilitate international relations. Use Cuba and Venezuela as case studies.