We will be doing numerous group exercises in class that will provide us with external feedback about our papers, and I encourage you to work together outside of class as well. The more you discuss this material with other people, the more viewpoints and insight you will gain. Your papers will be different enough that you won't be able to "cheat" off one another, so help each other out, but don't copy.

When you argue a position, you are more credible if you support that argument with research. If you really want to convince me to agree with your position, I won't believe just you; you'll need to support your position with research, facts, expert endorsements, etc. When you do this, make sure to cite your sources. This way, not only do you support your argument, but you eliminate the possibility of plagiarizing as well.