An article at the Times summarizes arguments for and against the assignment of formal, sustained arguments with sources, namely the term paper. Since no one writes term papers anymore (most college students report that they never write a paper over fifteen pages) I guess the argument is, in terms of practice, settled. But the emergence of the "synthesis" essay on the AP exam is just one of the signs that some people are at least troubled by, if not in actual mourning for, the old fashioned assignment.
I'm not as bothered by the inability of students to use sources as I am their disinclination to reason carefully in writing. In that sense, I think the term paper asks for two linked but distinct skills.
Please read the Times article (you may need to log in) and then write a short comment in which you take a side. Give at least one good reason for your stance.
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