WHITE PAPER GUIDANCE

A White Paper is a report or statement regarding a specific subject that outlines related issues and proposes a path to solutions.  The term white paper comes from an old government practice of printing information on color-coded paper.  White indicated that it was open and accessible to the public.  The term is still used in government and business today.
White papers generally outline the benefits of a particular methodology, discuss a specific technology and its benefits, or address the benefits of harnessing a technology in a certain sector.

DETAILS
For the purposes of this class, your white paper should be around 2000 – 2500 words, plus notes and illustrations; please include notes or embed hyperlinks for [sources of] information that is not general knowledge. 

• Your sources may include materials from any publication that is on our readings lists:
  The Atlantic
  The Economist
  Harvard Business Review
  Harvard Magazine
  National Academies Press publications
  NY Times
  The New Yorker
  Science Magazine
  Technology Review (MIT)
  Wall Street Journal
  Government Reports (Quadrennial Tech Review, DoE, etc)
  Peer-Reviewed Journals (what are the “journals of record” for the topic you are exploring?)
  Conference Proceedings
  Topical Studies (Such as the Future of Work series, published by MIT, or Educate to Innovate and the Convergence study, published by the National Academies

The topic should be one of your choosing drawn from . https://sdgs.un.org/goals  The topics (also drawn from the UNSDG list) well discuss in this class are:

• Good Health & Well-Being
• Education
• Affordable & Clean Energy
• Decent Work & Economic Growth
• Life on Land & in Water
• Responsible Consumption & Production
• Climate Action

As with your opinion essay, you should bear in mind that in this class, you should demonstrate an understanding of issues created by the complex interactions among science, technology, and society.  Therefore, your opinion essay should begin to manifest this understanding by your ability to analyze, interpret, and employ aesthetic, ethical and/or philosophical discourse in relation to one of these topics.

Because these topics are quite broad, you should feel comfortable arguing a perspective regarding topics that can range from the decision between purchasing a new EV and continuing to drive your fossil-fuel vehicle, or challenges associated with privacy, security, and regulation of social media platforms, or competing interests in the context of land use.

This assignment should provide evidence of your realizing at least three of the five course objectives.  You must meet (20 minutes) with the instructor between 11 February and 1 March to discuss your plans for this assignment.

CONSIDERATIONS
White papers should:

• target a specific audience
• define a problem
• present expert analysis (knowledge of the technology & its benefits to society)
• make an argument that posits a solution
• elucidate how the recommendations are solutions to problems outlined

FORMAT

White papers include:

• an abstract
• an introduction & problem statement
• information that connects the problem with potential path to remedies
• solution[s], backed by evidence (both qualitative and quantitative)
• a summary emphasizing critical points

EVALUATION

Grading for this assignment will assess both the content and the presentation.  Your argument must be clearly articulated, well-reasoned, and supported by evidence.  The quality of writing matters.  Be clear.  Avoid complex and convoluted sentences (dont make your audience read a sentence repeatedly to understand your meaning).

We will talk about your plans for this project in a one-on-one in late February.  Please make an appointment and be prepared, at that meeting, to present the sources you plan to employ.  Your sources should meet the high standards of peer-reviewed publications.