As we have seen in the past couple of months, robots are already being used to perform many tasks from milking cows to defusing bombs. Although many people expect that this “robotic takeover” will continue to accelerate as technology advances, others see this as a dehumanizing trend that will damage both society and the individual. For this essay you will take a stand for or against the use of robots in a particular job or task. This task may something presently be done by robots, or it may be something that robots are not yet equipped to do, or an area in which robots have not yet been used. In order to strengthen your argument, you will need to use some research to establish why robots or humans would be superior in this job.

BRAINSTORM: Think about different job functions that could potentially be done by a robot; for example, I suggested in my email umpiring a baseball game or modeling designer clothes. You may want to do a google search to see what other people have proposed, or check out the list I’ve compiled of recent articles on robots at https://www.diigo.com/user/hapappas/robots Consider why robots would or would not be a good replacement for humans at this job, considering their different abilities and the social, psychological, and economic implications of turning this into a “robot job.” I encourage you to pick an area that you’re interested in, and hopefully one that does not overlap too much with the other topics you’ve chosen for your other essays.

FIND SOME SOURCES: Look for information you could use to support your proposal (or to get ideas for what proposal you wish to offer). Your sources may do the following:

• give some background information about the task/job to be done (how many people are involved, what its costs are, etc.)
• establish that the shortcomings of humans in performing this task or how the task may be damaging in some way to people
• provide info about the capabilities of a robot to perform this task
• give evidence of why robots would be better or worse at performing this task; this evidence may include the opinions of experts in the field

Remember to rely not just on search engines but also the library’s databases and book collection. You will need at least three credible sources; at least two of these must either be in print or have originally appeared in print. Note that articles from research databases almost always qualify as “originally in print,” as do articles you find online from sites like the New York Times, Wired, or any other magazine, journal or newspaper’s online site. (You cannot use three websites, no matter how credible they appear. Note that Wikipedia is not an acceptable source for college-level research.)

COMPILE A TENTATIVE WORKS CITED PAGE: List your sources in MLA format. Be sure to consider the credibility of the sources you choose to use. How can you tell it’s reliable info? Look at where and when the source was published, the credentials of the author, the objectivity of the organization involved. Look for sources that are “meaty,” with lots of useful information.

ORGANIZE YOUR PROPOSAL: The core of this project will be your proposal essay. Once you’ve digested the information in your sources, decide whether you think robots would or would not be useful in performing this task. You may pick a task that robots are not (as far as you know) currently able to do, but which they may be able to do in the future as their capabilities are developed and refined. (You may want to explain this in your essay if you can find any relevant information, but it is not required.) Free-write or bullet point the reasons you hold this position. What details could you use to support or develop or explain those reasons? Write a tentative thesis statement that gives your claim along with the strongest several reasons you have come up with. Make sure that your claim is specific and realistic (though more scientific advancement may be necessary). What background information would it be necessary or useful to provide to your reader? What would be the counterargument of people who disagree with you, and how would you address their concerns?

A standard organization of this essay would be to give some introductory info in the first paragraph, and close that paragraph with your thesis statement. This will be one sentence taking the position that robots should or should not be used in this application, along with a brief explanation of your reasoning. Additional background info may appear next, if necessary. Then develop several paragraphs that give the reasons for the superiority of robots over humans or vice versa. The next section typically will address the counterargument along with your concession or rebuttal. (See the resources listed under the “Argue” tab at the top of blog for further explanation of these terms.)

DRAFT: The target length of your essay should be about three pages (or 1000 words). Focus on a clear structure, and make sure your reasons are supported by evidence from your sources, cited according to MLA guidelines.

CRITERIA FOR GRADING:

• a strong thesis statement makes an arguable claim
• focused, unified, and coherent paragraphs that give a logical framework for your argument
• use of specific details to provide evidence for your reasons
• proper MLA documentation