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Section 3: Overview

Identifying a Question, Perspective, and Position

We will determine which subtopic and question we will investigate further as we move toward developing a perspective and position on an important public health issue. After learning about issues and ethical frameworks related to the research and testing of vaccines and universal access to public health resources, we will work in research teams to investigate a subtopic within public health.

From our reading, research, analysis, and discussion, each of us will frame, explain, and defend a perspective and position that will lead to the development of an argument in Sections 4 and 5. We will delineate our proposed argument and participate in a peer review.

  • Lesson 1:

    We will explore the options for further research and the related issues, questions, and controversies from the realm of public health. We will build background knowledge for Subtopic 2, concerning the research and testing behind vaccine development, by examining a seminal US document, the Belmont Report, which sets ethical and practical standards for human subject testing.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will continue to explore the options for further research and the related issues, questions, and controversies in public health. We will build background knowledge for Subtopic 3: Access to Public Health Resources by reading two seminal documents from the United Nations, the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, and a 2019 Declaration on Universal Health Coverage.

  • Lesson 3:

    We will determine which of the subtopics we want to study further as background for the argument we will write in Section 5. We will join a research team to further investigate the topic, issues, and questions, then begin additional reading in the subtopic.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will organize in subtopic research teams, review what we think and know so far, and plan what we will read, analyze, delineate, and evaluate to extend our understanding in our subtopic area.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will delineate and discuss information and arguments we have individually researched so that other students on our team will know if they want to use those texts in developing their own arguments.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will share additional information within research teams, and then individually begin to develop a perspective and position to drive the planning of our final argument.

  • Lesson 7:

    In a peer review, we will each present and delineate a proposed argument in response to the unit’s Central Question, the Culminating Task question, and our selected subtopic question. We will use our peers’ feedback to revise elements of our argument and submit them for review to our teacher.

  • Lesson 8:

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will share the understanding we have gained through our independent reading and continue to read our texts.