Social Problem Research Project:

Introduction

For the research project, which will span the last few modules, you will choose a problem in society that you feel needs a solution or improvement. Then, you will research the problem, including its causes and effects, and propose a practical solution (or two) to the issue. You will argue your problem in a researched, academic essay.

This assignment has four major parts:

Part 1: A memorandum where you will acknowledge your purpose and goals in a formal writing format (100 points due in Module 6)

Part 2: Annotated Bibliography in which you list and detail your sources (100 points due in Module 6)

Part 3: A digitial presentation, where you will organize and detail your intended essay’s research via PowerPoint or similar program. (100 points due in Module 7)

Part 4: An argumentative research essay for the academic community, where you will detail the problem and its potential solution(s) persuasively with credible research for evidence and backing (200 points due in Module 8)

Topic Selection

It’s important for you to choose a topic that you are passionate about so that you are more invested in its research. I will not choose a topic for you, but I do have some guidelines:

Off-Limit Topics: If the major backing for a topic roots itself in opinion, morality, or religious belief, then it is not an effective topic for an academic inquiry. For those reasons, please avoid the following topics: abortion, religious preference, death penalty, marijuana use, assisted suicide, and gay marriage.

Overly General Topics: Your essay will be about 5 pages long; you are not writing a book. Therefore, you need to choose a topic that is manageable. Topics that are too broad include gun control, child abuse, global warming, obesity, sex trafficking, violent media, teen pregnancy, bullying, or drug abuse. Nevertheless, these topics aren’t completely unavailable to you; if you’re interested in one of these ideas, you need to narrow it to a smaller central argument. (See below.)

Narrowed, Manageable Topics: Avoid choosing a broad, complex issue that cannot be easily solved. Since you only have a few weeks to work on this paper and to propose effective solutions, you should narrow your topic down into a feasible focus. For example, instead of “gun control,” you could narrow the focus to “A problem in society is that many guns are bought and sold without proper background checks and training.” With this topic, you can research more effectively. As you narrow your topic, make sure you can state it as a problem (e.g. “A problem in society is _________.). Moreover, you should begin to imagine a practical solution for the problem. For example, a solution for your problem would not be that “guns must be eliminated everywhere”; this is too broad and too problematic.

A Word of Caution: It’s important that you narrow your topic effectively, but be sure not to narrow too much. For this assignment, you should choose a topic that others have debated and discussed in research. Therefore, you shouldn’t narrow to “guns are too rampant in Fayetteville, NC”; this would be too hard to research on general, academic databases.

Topic Challenge: All of the aforementioned topics are overdone. As a teacher, I’ve read many essays about these topics, and in society, they are often beaten into the ground. Therefore, I challenge you to select a narrowed, nuanced topic that’s engaging for you, for me, and for your academic audience. Spend some time reading major, credible news outlets (like Fox News or the New York Times); see what society’s engaged in right now and then engage yourself, too.

As you begin to think of problems, spend some time thinking not only of the problem, but of solutions, too, in order to make sure your topic as a whole has lots of potential! For example, if I chose “the rising costs of college make it difficult for adults to return to college” as my problem, I could consider offering tax breaks for students, increasing grants, revising the federal budget, educating adults on ways to save for educational expense, and so forth.

Also, keep in mind that you’re not arguing if something is good or bad. No one will protest that sex trafficking is a problem. Instead, zero in on the real problem and a concrete argument. You could argue that regulation and security at the borders are ineffective at managing and stopping the trafficking of both children and women from third-world countries. Then, you could spend time proposing improvements and alternative solutions.

Part One: The Memo

100 points; 10% of Course Grade

A memo is a formal document that often justifies a decision or proposes an idea. In this assignment, you’ll do both.

Your memo should follow the typical structure for professional memos. Review the sample in the module for additional guidance.

Your memo should do the following in four paragraphs:

First paragraph: State—in detail–your topic choice.

Second paragraph: Justify your interest in the topic and explain why this topic would matter to both the academic and general community.

Third paragraph: Discuss what causes this problem and how it affects society (in brief).

Fourth paragraph: Propose (in brief) ideas for how to solve (or at least improve) this problem effectively

You do not need to include research in this memo.

Your memo should be single-spaced with four paragraphs as well as the typical memo heading. Your memo should not exceed one page in length.

Keep in mind: memos are typically concise and formal. This is not your actual essay, so you only need to scratch the surface of your causes, effects, and solutions. Your goal is to convince me – as the reader of your memo and your instructor – that this is a worthy problem and that you can contribute to the conversation surrounding your social problem with practical ideas.

Review the Sample Memo for additional help.

Submission: Please use the link in Blackboard to submit your memo.

Use the following template to name your work: LastName_FirstName_CourseSection_Memo

(e.g. Brown_Laura_ENG.111.0021_Memo)

Part Two: The Annotated Bibliography

100 points (20 points per entry); 10% of Course Grade

An annotated bibliography is a document that lists and details sources, including a citation and paragraphs concerning the source. Annotated bibliographies allow students to do the following: (1) Organize collected research before writing; (2) Create proper academic citations before writing; (3) Review and critique research to ensure credibility and usefulness; (4) Demonstrate a deep, varied knowledge of a subject.

For this assignment, you should find three credible, academic sources (see the Research Reliability Meter handout). Each source will be one entry for your Annotated Bibliography. Each entry should include the following:

1. MLA Citation

2. Summary Paragraph of the Article. Use at least one quote (using the OREO method and an in-text citation) in your summary.

3. Analysis and Application Paragraph. In one paragraph, discuss how this source contributes to the general conversation for your topic and how this source will affect the development of your own essay.

Use the following tips for your research:

Make sure you have at least two academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, which you will access using the library’s online databases.

Your other sources may be books, reliable websites, or news articles (from unbiased, credible sources).

You may use at least four sources for your essay; however, you should only detail the first three for this assignment.

As you select your sources, make sure you have a variety. For example, you should not have multiple sources by the same author or multiple sources published by the same magazine or journal.

Nevertheless, they must all be credible for the academic community, so you should NOT use personal websites (like blogs), Wikipedia (NEVER use this in the academic setting), or sources that show clear bias.

If you use a website, take time to vet it carefully. It should be recent, updated, and reliable. If in doubt, email me.

For all of your sources, avoid using dated material. A good rule of thumb is to use materials written in the past five years (avoid anything over ten). The more recent, the better, though, especially in terms of statistics and data.

Please review the Sample Annotated Bibliography for additional guidance.

Submission: You should put all entries in alphabetical order in a document in proper MLA format. Please submit this document via SafeAssign

Use the following template to name your work: LastName_FirstName_CourseSection_AnnotatedBib

Part Three: The Digital Presentation

100 points (20 points per entry); 10% of Course Grade

Requirements:    6-8 slides of content to include:

–your thesis

–the main points: causes, effects, and solutions of your problem

–direct references from ALL THREE sources to support causes,

effects, and solutions to your problem

–include only the most insightful ideas from sources for support

–in-text citations where necessary

–concluding thoughts

2 additional slides to include:

–title slide

–Works Cited slide with ALL THREE sources in MLA format

Expectations:    Make sure all slides are legible without any distracting fonts or pictures. Do not copy whole paragraphs from your paper to place on a slide and read to the class. You will need to reformat the information into short, bulleted, talking points.

Your slides should be visually appealing and appropriate. You may include pictures, but they need to be purposeful.

All slides should be carefully edited for grammar and spelling mistakes.

Use the sample presentation as a guide to help you develop yours.

Use the following tips for your research:

Make sure you have at least two academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, which you will access using the library’s online databases.

Your other sources may be books, reliable websites, or news articles (from unbiased, credible sources).

You may use at least four sources for your essay; however, you should only detail the first three for this assignment.

As you select your sources, make sure you have a variety. For example, you should not have multiple sources by the same author or multiple sources published by the same magazine or journal.

Nevertheless, they must all be credible for the academic community, so you should NOT use personal websites (like blogs), Wikipedia (NEVER use this in the academic setting), or sources that show clear bias.

If you use a website, take time to vet it carefully. It should be recent, updated, and reliable. If in doubt, email me.

For all of your sources, avoid using dated material. A good rule of thumb is to use materials written in the past five years (avoid anything over ten). The more recent, the better, though, especially in terms of statistics and data.

Part Four: The Research Essay

200 points; 20% of Course Grade

This assignment requires you to compose a focused, organized, and supported academic argument about a social problem and its potential solution(s). To support your assertions, you will integrate at least five credible, academic sources as evidence, and you will analyze how those sources support your thesis.

To strengthen your argument, you should not only integrate credible sources, but you must acknowledge possible counterarguments and obstacles. For example, if you’re arguing that gun shows should be regulated more (and how), then you’ll need to address those who oppose your entire premise (those who argue for less or the same regulation) and the obstacles that arise with your solutions (e.g. If you think an agency should monitor the shows, that would involve more man power and thus more money for government employees. One obstacle would be finding funding, so you have to justify why/how to do that in spite of potential opposition.)

Your essay should:

1. Employ a strong organizational structure, which includes an effective intro and conclusion as well as a detailed thesis statement with corresponding topic sentences.

2. Use sound, logical reasoning to argue a problem's presence and its solution.

3. Use ethos (credibility), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion) in order to appeal to the reader.

4. Be approximately 4 pages long (1200 words).

5. Adhere to proper MLA format.

6. Employ at least four credible, varied, and academic sources. Two must-read articles from the library's online databases. You may use the three sources from the previous assignment.

7. Demonstrate the MEAL plan strategy for all paragraphs (Main idea [topic sentence], Evidence, Analysis, and Link).

8. Connect all ideas with strong transitions between paragraphs and transitional phrases to link ideas within paragraphs.

9. Integrate all quoted material smoothly and ethically.

10.Count all summarized, paraphrased, and quoted material with in-text citations and a Works Cited page. All citations should be in proper MLA format.

Submission:

Use the following template to name your work: LastName_FirstName_CourseSection_ResearchPaper

(eg Brown_Laura_ENG.111.0021_ResearchPaper)

Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions about this paper's requirements or if you have

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