Ashley Yong Source 3

Are policies based on race and gender unfair?

Jost, Kenneth. "Rethinking Affirmative Action." CQ Researcher 28 Apr. 1995: 269-392. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.

In this source, a judge differentiates quotas and affirmative action, an important distinction for those who believe it is unfair. Some call it preferential treatment or reverse discrimination because it puts white students at a disadvantage. This article also focuses on the Republican versus Democratic view on affirmative action and how their policies align with the program. Although this source focuses more on the direction of employment with questions like "Should affirmative action plans be limited or eliminated for all employers, both public and private?"

Concerned Student 1950 was the hottest topic of debate at my family friends' Thanksgiving dinner table. Everyone naturally looked to me to give me insight and opinion and while I asserted that I did not feel qualified enough to discuss it, my family friends did not hesitate to share their strong opinions. My uncle specifically brought up the demands of CS1950 and how they demand that 10 percent of faculty be black. He complained that it should be based solely on merit and acknowledge that he himself was a minority and said that if he was discriminated against for having an Asian accent that he would understand. Um, excuse me sir, what kind of convoluted logic is that? Needless to say, I excused myself from the dinner table. I agree with the source in their evaluation of the Republican and Democrat stances on affirmative action and tend to side with the Democratic stance more. I don't think this was a great source to use because it more strongly focuses on employment over higher education. Therefore, it does not lead me to any answers I intend to answer in my essay. It does make me wonder if affirmative action in employment and higher education should have the same underlying principles and if it does already.

This source responds to source 1 in that it addresses the morality behind using affirmative action in higher education/the hiring process. I could compare and contrast public opinion on affirmative action in higher ed versus hiring but that strays from the topic and focus of my paper. It is not really a matter of whom I agree with more because it doesn't work well in conversation with each other.

The new questions this source has led me to ask include, "Should affirmative action plans be limited or eliminated for all universities, both public and private?" "If not, how should they be different?" and "Should affirmative action in employment and higher education have the same underlying principles?" These are important to explore and attempt to answer before we can assess the overarching question/thesis of "What does affirmative action tell us about the stake of minority students in higher education?" Next, I will explore an article from a different database.