History 621B Town
Hall Meeting
Agenda: Review of
Lands Protection Act Date:
The province has appointed a commissioner to review the
Lands Protection Act, which currently limits land holdings to 1,000 acres (450
hectares) for an individual and 3,000 acres (1,350 hectares) for a corporation.
This has caused a heated debate between two major groups that represent Island
farmers. We will be conducting a "town hall" meeting to discuss this
issue of land ownership on Prince Edward Island and its impact on the economy
and its residents.
You will be given a side to argue in favor of (regardless of
your own personal opinions). You must set aside your personal values, beliefs,
and biases, and try to present your argument effectively and persuasively.
Not only should you develop a strong argument (that is
backed by facts, statistics, and research), but you must anticipate any
possible counter-arguments that might come your way and have a rebuttal
prepared to defend your argument.
That being said, some members of your group should be in
charge of identifying possible counter-arguments and coming up with solid
rebuttals.
Remember, good debaters often use persuasive techniques to
bolster their argument (emotional, logical
and ethical appeals, rhetorical questions, calls to action, etc.)
Roles: Mayor, concerned citizens (elders, youth --
consider their different perspectives on the issue at hand), MLA's from the
area, concerned groups (farmers, Mi'kmaq) etc.
Each group member MUST pass in the research sheet
(arguments/counter-arguments) and each group member must participate (speak)
during the town hall meeting. You will be researching this on your own (I will
be evaluating your research sheets prior to the town hall meeting) and you will
later share your findings with the larger group. I will give you time to
collaborate with your group members before the debate.
You will be evaluated on your research, the strength of your
argument (how well it is supported), your use of persuasive devices, and your
handling of counter-arguments.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/landownership-debated-at-public-meeting-1.1365818
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Opinion/Editorials/2012-08-30/article-3063572/Debating-the-land-question-once-again/1
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Opinion/Editorials/2012-02-14/article-2895035/Once-again-the-land-issue-is-up-for-debate/1
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Opinion/Editorials/2012-02-14/article-2895035/Once-again-the-land-issue-is-up-for-debate/1
Please use
these websites as a starting point, but I encourage further research to enhance
your position in this debate. Please refer to hand-out on persuasive writing to guide you when constructing your arguments and rebuttals.
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