Students are to research the topic of the death penalty and are to choose a side to argue. If
a student decides to argue for the continued application of the death penalty they should
argue their points and their reasoning for the death penalty, pointing out the positive
aspects and the benefits of such a sentence. If, however, students decide to argue against
the death penalty they should argue their reasoning for abolishing the sentence and the
negative aspects of the punishment. The information provided in the speech is not being
graded; only the presentation of the speech itself is being graded. Students are to draft a
brief outline of their speech on a Microsoft Word document or similar text document
prior to speech delivery. A sample speech outline can be viewed by clicking “Sample
Speech Outline” under the Assignments and Exams tab in Blackboard while logged into
the course. The speech is to be at least 3 minutes in duration, but should be no longer than
5 minutes in duration..