Part 2: Outline

I. Introduction

a. Subject of Essay: Affirmative action is not worth the struggle.

b. Argument: Although the Supreme Court now supports affirmative action in colleges, according to Robert Shireman, the author of "10 Questions College Officials Should Ask About Diversity", there are problems in trying to keep colleges diverse because they fear accusations of reverse racism, therefore affirmative action should be demolished.

c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument: I will first explain what affirmative action is. Then I will show some examples of how hard it is to comply with the policy. After that I will say why it not worth such a struggle, of course while considering all points of view.


II. Body

a. Paragraph 1: Affirmative action is a policy that attempts to give minorities and women a better chance to succeed at things like education, or at their place of work.

i. Evidence for that point: Webster dictionary directly defines affirmative action as "an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women; also : a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons"


b. Paragraph 2: One position on affirmative action is that it needs to be used to help create an equal society.

i. Evidence for that point: "The law school's prestige in academic and professional circles grew as it
became more diverse. Affirmative action hardly diminished its stature. Rather, Boalt Hall was a great law school because of affirmative action." (Lawrence, 929)

ii. Many say that diversity and affirmative action can help make a college more prestigious although people against affirmative action say affirmative action makes a college or university less prestigious.


c. Paragraph 3: Another position on affirmative action is unconstitutional

i. "any policy that gives consideration to race is essentially a form of racial preference or quota system and is in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and is therefore unconstitutional." (Rhoads, Saenz, and Carducci, 192)

d. Paragraph 4: There are so many ways people try and support this policy.

i. Robert Shireman says there are so many wrong things people are focusing that worsen the problem of diversity. (10 questions..., 462)

ii. Focusing on race alone and not just class is one big problem.