Controversy
Analysis Worksheet
(with Example Essays Below)
from G. K. Clabaugh &
E. G. Rozycki
Analyzing
Controversy, 2nd Edition
2002 NewFoundations Press
RETURN
11/19/18
Analysis Questions
| Pre-analysis:
(form, partisanship) 1. Can you state the apparent controversy as a yes-no question? 2. Are there representatives for both sides of the issue? Content Analysis: Problems of Understanding (slogans, reifications, definitions, pseudo-solutions, name-calling, presuppositions.) 3. What are the critical terms upon which this controversy hinges? a. Give the definitions on which there seems to be consensus. b. Are there other problems of understanding? |
Problems of Fact: (Feelings, etc. ;
Authority, Operationalizing, Inquiry Blockers) 4. What are the issues of fact underlying this controversy? a. What sources of fact (authorities) are recognized by both parties? b. Are there other issues relating to fact that need clarification? Problems of Value: (Fact & value, benefits & costs, responsibility) 5. What issues of value are there which relate to this controversy? Meta-analysis: (logical errors, problems with consensus, commitments to a special theory of society, agendas maintaining conflict) 6. Are there metaproblems? |
Examples of Controversy Analyses
Alternate Route Certification by Donna Wake
Using the analysis protocol provided above, this paper examines the
controversy surrounding alternate route certification programs employed by
states and school districts across the nation to move uncertified
personnel into teaching positions.
No Child Left Behind: an analysis of the controversy by Thomas Imms.
The Math Wars by
Kathleen Kelly. What is the nature of the dispute between
"traditionalists" and "reformists" as concerns what is taught and how it
is taught in our Nation's mathematics classrooms?
School Vouchers: an analysis of the controversy
by Ellen Stanley.
Using the analysis protocol provided above, this paper examines the
controversy about providing vouchers to students in public education to
enable them to obtain schooling from a variety of alternative sources.
Will the Philadelphia School District Ban on Soda
Sales improve Students' Health? An analysis of the controversy
by William Piel