Room for Debate
In Room for Debate, The New York Times invites knowledgeable outside contributors to discuss news events and other timely issues.
Once there, you can read through the latest posts or search by topic for issues that interest you. In each debate, five experts offer their opinion essay on the same question.
Assignment: Read Room for Debate and e-mail me via Google Docs three summaries for March by the end of March and three more for April by the end of April.
Format:
Although this debate does not easily break down into arguments and counter-arguments, Allen St. John has the best answer to the question. He makes a compelling case that some records will not fall simply because the sport in question has changed. Through an analysis of several different examples, he convinces the reader that there's no doubt that today's athletes are better. For example, since Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps are the only athletes to ever win seven gold medals in one Olympic games, it appears that they are comparable; however, Mr. St. John points out that Spitz's world record-breaking time in the 200 meter freestyle in 1972 would not have been fast enough to qualify him at all in 2008! Clearly, at least in the sport of swimming, the athletes of today are superior. (Total Word Count 317)
VERBS of ANALYSIS:
Once there, you can read through the latest posts or search by topic for issues that interest you. In each debate, five experts offer their opinion essay on the same question.
Assignment: Read Room for Debate and e-mail me via Google Docs three summaries for March by the end of March and three more for April by the end of April.
Format:
- Overall Title (in the form of a hyperlink)
- Date
- Debate Question
- In “Essay Title in Quotation Marks,” Author’s Name, why he or she has credibility, verb of analysis + 20 to 40 words of summary. Use at least one different verb of analysis for each essay.
- In 100 to 150 words, offer your own response to the question and explain which essay most closely represents your point of view on this question. You may also discuss which opinion you most disagree with as well.
- Title: “Let the Record Be Unbroken”
- Date: March 9, 2009
- Debate Question: Which records will be hard, and maybe impossible, to break?
- In “Joltin Joe’s 56,” Will Carroll, a writer for Baseball Prospectus, argues that no one will ever be able to break Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.
- In “It’s the Game that Changes,” Allen St. John, a sports writer who has written books on the greatest sports records of all time, explains that some records endure because the game has changed in ways to make them inaccessible while other records get broken all the time because of improvements in the athletes.
- In “The Impossible Takes a Little While,” Ray Stefani, an expert on sports statistics, identifies how four factors—physiology, advancements in technique, coaching and equipment— improve performance.
- In “No Horse Like Big Red,” Ray Paulick, a horseracing writer, offers several examples to illustrate why Secretariat may be the fastest horse ever.
- In “What if the Greeks Had Stopwatches,” Allen Guttmann, a sports historian, provides an historical review of the history of record keeping in sports.
Although this debate does not easily break down into arguments and counter-arguments, Allen St. John has the best answer to the question. He makes a compelling case that some records will not fall simply because the sport in question has changed. Through an analysis of several different examples, he convinces the reader that there's no doubt that today's athletes are better. For example, since Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps are the only athletes to ever win seven gold medals in one Olympic games, it appears that they are comparable; however, Mr. St. John points out that Spitz's world record-breaking time in the 200 meter freestyle in 1972 would not have been fast enough to qualify him at all in 2008! Clearly, at least in the sport of swimming, the athletes of today are superior. (Total Word Count 317)
VERBS of ANALYSIS:
|
|
February Room for Debate Topics
- February 28, 2013
What Is an Act of Cyberwar? Recently, several companies have experienced cybersecurity breaches. What are the rules of engagement in this new frontier? - February 27, 2013
Out of the Office, on the Clock Marissa Mayer of Yahoo wants all her employees to work in the office, not from home. Is she moving in the wrong … - February 26, 2013
The Constitution’s Immoral Compromise Could the framers of the Constitution have avoided the three-fifths compromise that accepted the continuation of slavery? - February 25, 2013
Is Public Preschool a Smart Investment? Would quality child care that included a preschool curriculum be a better national goal? - February 24, 2013
Is the Voting Rights Act Still Needed? Critics say that the law's approach to voter protection, based on race and 1960s dynamics, no longer makes sense. - February 21, 2013
Should Companies Tell Us When They Get Hacked? Although hacking is common, it's rare for companies to talk about it. Would disclosure make consumers safer, or just help hackers? - February 20, 2013
Too Many Restrictions on Sex Offenders, or Too Few? Lawmakers have to ask what restrictions make people safer, and which just create new problems like camps of homeless sex offenders. - February 19, 2013
How to Prevent More Bond Rating Fiascoes What should be done to reform the credit ratings industry? - February 18, 2013
Feminism’s Next Act Fifty years after "The Feminine Mystique" was first published, women still face professional and lifestyle issues. What should the feminist movement focus … - February 17, 2013
Which Holidays Should Government Recognize? Should we take off Election Day? Or stop recognizing Christmas, to keep the separation of church and state? - February 14, 2013
Think Like a Pope: Knowing When to Quit How do you know when it's time to quit your job, or quit dieting, or quit driving? - February 13, 2013
When Divorce Is a Family Affair Should filing for divorce be more difficult? Or is the process arduous enough already? - February 12, 2013
The Ethics of Raising Purebred Dogs Does the breeding of a pedigreed dog create genetic problems that a lovable mutt avoids? - February 12, 2013
The Feminine Mystique, 50 Years Later Watch a video roundtable, via Google+, about why women are still frustrated 50 years after the publication of "The Feminine Mystique." - February 11, 2013
Questions for Jack Lew’s Confirmation Hearings What should senators ask President Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary? - February 10, 2013
Older and Out of Work How can the experience of people in their 50s and 60s who are out of work be put to good use? Should … - February 7, 2013
Are Awards Worth the Hype? Do awards dictate too often what we decide to view, listen to or read? Or do they lose their power and appeal … - February 6, 2013
Are Government Layoffs the Problem? What effect have public-sector job cuts had on the economy? Could governments have responded to the recession in any other way? - February 5, 2013
When Can the U.S. Kill One of Its Own? Are targeted killings depriving U.S. citizens of constitutionally protected due process rights? - February 4, 2013
Do Black Intellectuals Need to Talk About Race? Do black academics have a special obligation to address social and racial issues beyond the campus? - February 3, 2013
A New Space Race, or Chances to Collaborate? How should the U.S., Europe and Russia respond to developments in Iran, the Koreas and China?
Monday, March 11Non-Fiction Reading:
Tuesday, March 12Practice Multiple Choice Exam: "Most people appear fascinated with word origins . . ."
Process:
Wednesday, March 13 |