What is the greater good for the Gowanus?

Overview:
The Gowanus area is at a crossroads. Developers, Mayor Bloomberg, environmentalists, community activists, factory-owners, artists, and long-time residents are all trying to figure out what is the Greater Good for the neighborhood. A Community Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at the Secondary School for Research where these different groups will get to debate their points of view. As part of this debate, you will be arguing against a group of highly active citizens – environmentalists, developers, factory-owners and workers, and long-time residents who have either been living in and/or making art in the area for up to 20 years.

The Task:
On December 22 you will be debating as part of a group of concerned citizens. Your task is to develop the most informed, persuasive argument that you can for use in the debate. You will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the topic by writing a one-page position statement, and through your participation in the debate.

Your Grade:

You will receive both an individual grade (70%) and a group grade (30%) for your preparation and participation in the debate.

The Individual grade will be based on a combination of your one-page position paper and your personal contribution during the debate. For this part of your assessment you will be graded both on your verbal contribution during the debate 1) how much you speak, 2) how persuasive you are in using evidence, 3) accuracy and knowledge, and 4) professionalism.

The group grade will be based on how well your group works as a team during the debate. For this part of the assessment you will be graded on 1) teamwork – how well group members support each other, 2) how many group members participate (both actively in the debate but also as content support)