Issue Map
Assignment goals
To write an objective, balanced and well organized guide that depends on and accurately incorporates secondary sources according to academic standards (e.g. MLA) to develop the positions of the topic.
Topic – Standardized Testing

Objectives:
·Objective perspective,accurately reporting the main positions (opposing) in a controversy.
Report will reflect full and balanced coverageof controversy.
·Maintaining anauthorial voice (through organization and structure of paper) while handlingextensive amounts of secondary sources.
·Effective use ofsecondary sources to develop points.
·Accurate citation anddocumentation according to best practices conforming to MLA standards.
The issue map is a substantial paper of 1,800 – 2,100 words(approximately 6-7 pages) that describes the controversy you’ve chosen tostudy. You’ve collected a large amount of information via numeroussources representing differing viewpoints related to yourissue. It’s now time to integrate the material and describe thecontroversy.
General guidelines:
·Introduce thetopic. State explicitly what the controversy is. Define importantterms for the reader.
·Decide how you will organizethe controversy. Two general possibilities:
describe the supporting side fully followingby the opposing side.
compare and contrast specific points, point bypoint.
·Make your paperdynamic by focus on the arguments – the positions; don’t merely summarizesources one after another (there will probably be too much overlap anyway!).
·Be thorough. Makesure that you capture the strongest possible arguments on each side.
·Cite your individualsources under each point you are making as your support and evidence for eachpoint.
·Be objective andneutral. This paper is not a place for your own position. You are nottaking sides. You are not evaluating the relative merits of eachposition. You are presenting them as a map to the interestedreader. You will not concludethis paper with a statement of which position you favor.
Like the annotated bibliography, this paper requires that youanalyze and categorize carefully. Keep in mind the nuances of whatmakes positions distinct, even within a pro or con side (such as values,purpose).
Please follow the MLA guidelines for paper formatting anddocumentation. We will use in text citations with signalphrases and a works cited page.