Instructions

Use your browser to go back to the page you were on.

Click on the BEGIN HERE link to go to the first page of 'discussion' on affirmative action issues. The discussion is carried on by six speakers: Ann, John, Fred, Malik, Vera, and Dee. Each has a different view of the ethics of affirmative action. You can work your way through the discussion by clicking various links. There are three kinds of pages for you to look at:

• Discussion pages where issues are raised and arguments are made. These pages contain a simulated discussion of affirmative action. Each speaker puts forward various arguments for you to think about, analyze, and criticize while developing your views on the issues. These pages will always indicate at the top right that one of the characters is speaking..
  
  The discussion pages are of two sorts. First, there are those that are on the main path. These contain the main ideas under discussion. You can always tell whether a page is on the main thread because it says "On Main Path" in the title bar and there is a gold bar across the page just below the table at the top of the page. There is also a link on the right side of these pages called  "MAIN PATH:" followed by the name of the next speaker on the main path. You can use this link to go to the next page on the main path.

  Second, there are pages that are off the main path. These are somewhat less important to the main discussion. You can tell whether a page is off the main thread because it says "Off Main path" in the title bar and there is a plain black or grey bar across the page just below the table at the top. (There is no gold bar across the page.) There is also a link on the right side of these pages called "Return To Main Path." Use this link to go back to the main path.

• Comment pages that offer additional considerations. These pages all say "Comments" at the top left.

• Source pages that contain extended quotations from many different writers. These pages all say "Sources & Extracts" at the top left.

The important thing to remember is that the pages with the gold bar are the main path to follow. If you leave the main path, be sure to return to it in order to continue.

At the top center of each discussion page is a short title that indicates the subject discussed on the page. Below the topic are one or more links that can be used to look at other pages.

• Use the links around speakers names to continue along the thread of arguments. There may be speaker links for Ann, John, Fred, Vera, Malik, or Dee.
• Use the link called MAIN PATH: to continue on the main thread. (There is always one speaker link that will continue on the main thread, but it is easier to click the MAIN PATH: link to do the same. In a few cases there is more than one link that will take you to different points on the main thread.)
• Use the Comment link to display one of the comment pages.
• Use the Source link to display a source page containing an excerpt from another author.

If you choose to look at one of the related or source pages, you must use your browser's BACK key to return to the discussion page you were on. If you don't return to the main discussion page, you cannot continue along the main path of the argument.