Hola mis estudiantes! As announced in class today, we will begin working on our first affirmative cases. Remember that "affirmative" means that you will argue for the resolution, "Resolved: That the United States should significantly change one or more of its policies with Mexico."

An affirmative case is written in a very specific way, but you have complete freedom to choose what you want to write about.

Your affirmative case must outline:
I. Definitions: What words in the resolution are difficult to understand? What words would you like to clarify? Please define at least two words (use a dictionary).
II. Harms: What are the harms of the current system? How do United States policies harm Mexico? Or, how does Mexico abuse United States policies and harm Mexcio? Please list at least two harms.
III. Plan: What steps can we take to fix the problems? Think about how we can solve these problems, too. For example, list mandates (what is your plan of action?), the agent (WHO will be in charge of passing your plan), the enforcer (who will make sure your plan is carried out), and the funding (how we will pay for your plan).
IV. Advantages: What are the good things that come from your plan? Have you solved the harms? Please list at least two advantages.

Affirmative cases take a lot of thought and you will need to do this as outside thinking! Remember that you will be partnered with someone with a similar commitment level to their work, so do a good job on your case outline so I can see how much you want to succeed at this project!

As always, if you have questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Best,
Kay