Writing homework essay anonymously to avoid controversy I am attending a course at a neighboring institute purely out of interest. Neither credits, nor grading of any kind are involved.

As part of the course, we are required to work in pairs (assigned, not chosen) and write an essay on a controversial/contentious topic. My partner and I find ourselves on opposite sides of the debate.

On account of the controversial nature of the topic, its connection with my academic work and my own contributions to the field, I am not comfortable diluting my stand. However, compromise is inevitable in pairs/groups, and I realise the point of this exercise might be to reinforce exactly that.

Nevertheless, I don't wish to sign off on something that I don't believe in 100%.
I also don't wish to opt out of the assignment as my partner is being graded on it and it seems unethical to leave him hanging.

So I propose submitting the essay titled:
(Title),(Partner name and affiliation), (Anonymous, independent).

Is there any precedent to do this, or is there a strong reason not to? Do I use a pseudonym instead?

Any advice on alternatives or other points of view would be appreciated.
The point of an exercise in dissecting a contentious issue is not that you must agree 100% on the solutions to the issues by the end. The point is to find where you and the other members agree and where you and the others agree either that a) further research is needed or b) fundamentally different approaches are being proposed.

Your desire not to sign off unless you agree 100% with everything in the document essentially defeats the integrity of the exercise. You are allowing your (preconceived) stand to override the goal of finding common ground. Common ground is saying "We agree on these statements, we need more time on these statements, and we disagree on these statements."

So, first compile a document that presents the statements where you both agree, where you both agree that further research is required, and where you both agree that you both disagree.

Then, prepare an addendum. Present your views for the statements where you disagree. Invite your co-author to do the same.

Avoid using the addendum as a way to poke holes in the main document. The addendum should be of the tone "I FULLY agree with the presentations in the main document. I see issues however at the noted points of disagreement. My reasons are as follows: ..." Limit the addendum to a minimum (e.g. one page or even one paragraph).

Submit the document and the two addendum pages.