Purpose of Assignment: The primary purpose of this assignment is to enhance the students critical thinking ability. By examining all aspects of a controversial issue that has a direct impact on the construction management profession, and presenting a balanced presentation of opposing views, students should improve their skills in evaluating the merits of both sides of an argument. In some cases, a students pre-conceived notions might be challenged and adjusted through the process of researching and writing this paper.
Relevance to the Profession: Throughout a construction managers professionals career, a wide range of controversial issues will be debated, with the eventual outcome reflected in laws and regulations that will have significant impact on how projects are managed and built. The CM professional should be capable of making an informed decision on choosing a position on such matters, and be prepared to provide a convincing argument to others that will contribute to the debate in a meaningful way.
Audience: Your audience for this paper is the general public. Write this paper as if it will be submitted to a local newspapers editorial panel for publication in its opinion section, as a Letter to the Editor. As an alternative, write this paper as if you were going to submit it to a blog that has a readership comprised of people with an interest in (but not necessarily professional knowledge of) this subject matter.
Topic Choice: Right-to-Work in Michigan
Each students choice must be supported by a rationale incorporated in the draft and final papers. The rationale must describe why the topic is important to the construction management profession, and elaborate on the important elements of the debate, including both sides of the argument.
Abstract: The Abstract summarizes the key issues you intend to addresses in the proposed paper. Items to address are a) the specific topic, b) explain why the topic and these issues are important to your audience; i.e., the construction industry and society, and c) a brief summary of the major arguments of each side that you intend to address in your essay. The Abstract target word count is 120 words, which is 10% of the minimum 1,200 word count for the essay.
