Stasis is the point of controversy or the issue within a topic. My group will be exploring the controversial topic of the legalization of marijuana across the United States. We will also be emphasizing its presence on college campuses.
Stasis presents itself on two sides, the argument for legalization and the argument against it. The two arguments at hand are:
(Legalize) – Marijuana should be legalized because it is up to the individual to decide what they do with their bodies.
(Criminalize) – Marijuana should remain illegal due to negative health and safety aspects placed on the rest of society.
Stasis then draws out four recognized questions in argument:
1) Conjecture (the facts)
- Did something happen?
- What are the facts?
- Is there a problem/issue?
- How did it begin and what are its causes?
- What changed to create the problem/issue?
- Can it be changed?
2) Definition (the meaning or nature of the issue)
- What is the nature of the problem/issue?
- What exactly is the problem/issue?
- What kind of a problem/issue is it?
- To what larger class of things or events does it belong?
- What are its parts, and how are they related?
3) Quality (the seriousness of the issue)
- Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
- How serious is the problem/issue?
- Whom might it affect (stakeholders)?
- What happens if we don’t do anything?
- What are the costs of solving the problem/issue?
4) Policy (plan of action)
- Should action be taken?
- Who should be involved in helping to solve the problem/address the issue?
- What should be done about this problem?
- What needs to happen to solve this problem/address this issue?