Great Works - Assignment 8 (debate preparation) and 9 (in-class debate) James Madison University

DEBATE ON VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN AND ENDER WIGGIN

Instructions: INDIVIDUAL PREPARATION (TO BE TURNED IN SEPARATELY BY EACH PERSON) COUNTS AS ONE ASSIGNMENT AND THE DEBATE ITSELF COUNTS AS A SECOND ASSIGNMENT.) These This will be graded just on the "ungraded" scale.
BACKGROUND: While Victor and Ender are very different people, they are both morally complex individuals in complex situations. Both characters desire to do great good and agonize over choices they make, both have exceptional abilities, both are influenced by their educations, both cause suffering, both lose loved ones in one way or another, and both know individuals who love them and strongly believe them to be good people.
ISSUE: Which character is more moral?
A COUPLE POSSIBLE CONSIDERATIONS (not at all exhaustive!): What conception of morality should apply? What is more important in determining whether or not a person is moral – his actions, his intentions, his own assessment of his behavior, his moral development over time, something else? Does the author's or narrator's opinion matter in any way or do we need to separate their opinions from the real answer to this question?
PREPARATION (To be turned in):
TEAMS (Pro-Victor and Pro-Ender) -- Members of both debate teams should all have typed up arguments/preparations and have at least one quote from each of the novels to support those arguments in advance of the debate on 2/19.)
JUDGES-- The judges, as a group, need to decide on the organizational structure of the debate within roughly a 45-50 minute timeframe. This structure should be discussed in-class on Friday and made available to the teams (and to Ms. Wilt) by the end of class. For submission on 2/19, each judge should also independently create a typed set of what he/she feels are objective criteria for evaluating the persuasiveness of the debaters and should also type up one question that may be used during the debate. The question should attempt to bring up an issue that the debate teams were not likely to think of themselves. Judges can compare judging criteria and use additional considerations when they actually vote; the point of the typed list is to make sure each judge has given some thought to how he/she can be objective and careful in voting. Each judge will vote spearately at the end of the debate on which team presented the better case.

Team memberships will be assigned in class Friday, 2/15, which is a scheduled as a debate preparation day. Five minutes will also be given at the beginning of class 2/19 for final team preparations.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If, for a good, pre-approved reason, you can not make class on 2/19, you may do preparation for the other two groups as well as for the one to which you were assigned in order to get credit for the second assignment. Again, this option depends on Ms. Wilt's approval.