For this assignment you will choose a topic narrow it research different points of view about it and identify your

For this assignment, you will choose a
topic, narrow it, research different points of view about it, and identify your
audience in order to develop your angle on the topic.

After
looking at the list of topics below, which was shared in Week 1’s lecture,
choose a topicin which you have more than just a passing interest. The best topic to choose is one which impacts
you in some way. Having personal
experience with the topic will probably lend some perspective on it and may get
you closer to anangle on it. Also, sometimes
research can be daunting, but if you have personal experience with the topic,
or are even passionate about it, you will probably be more motivated to keep
working when the “going gets tough.” Thus, while “interest” in a topic is important, mere interest will
probably not sustain you through this project.You might ask yourself, “What is
it about this topic that sparks my interest enough to write a ten page paper
about it?”

Once
you choose the topic, please respond to the five questions below. Each of your responses should be
approximately two paragraphs in length.
This assignment will be graded using the Week 1 Assignment Rubric
available in Doc Sharing.

Education

Technology

Family

Health
and Wellness

School
Bullies

Multitasking
and Technology

Sexualization
of Girls

College
Students and Weight Issues

No Child
Left Behind Act/Race to the Top

Technology
and Social Isolation

Gender
Discrimination

Childhood
Obesity

Grade
Inflation

Perils
of Social Networking

Unequal
Rights in Marriage, Children

Fad
Diets

College
Students and Underage Drinking

Online
Dating/Online Predators/Sex Offenders

Children
of Divorce

Junk
Food

Student
Debt

Illegal
Downloading of Protected Content

Domestic
Violence

Sedentary
Lifestyles

College
Students, Cheating, and Plagiarism

Internet
Censorship/ Classified Information Leaks

Cyberbullying

Teenage
Pregnancy

College
Dropout Rates

Identity
Theft

Life-Work
(Im)balance/Flexible Work Schedules

Concussions
in Athletes

High
School Dropouts

Texting
and Driving

Insurance
Premiums for Smokers and Obese Employees

1. What is your possible
topic? Brainstorm five questions about it.
In
this section pick a topic from the above list and then brainstorm five
questions you have about it. If you feel
disconnected from the topics on the list, choose one of your own, but make sure
it is not an “overused topic,” such as abortion, gun control, capital
punishment or legalization of marijuana.
That is unless you have personal experience with the topic and can offer
a unique perspective. Also, beware of current issues that might not be
well-researched yet; you may not find enough sources at this time. Your purpose
for brainstorming five questions is to narrow the topic to a manageable
scope. Who knows, one of the questions
may eventually become your research question, the question that directs your
entire paper. Need help getting
started? See the list of questions below
that are related to the following topics:
perils of social networking, concussion and athletes, and grade
inflation. (The examples below do not include five questions; but yours
should.)

Examples:
·
Perils of social
networking: How does social networking affect our social lives and our outlook
on the world? Does it make us more socially isolated? What dangers are involved
in meeting people online? Should my children be on social network sites, and at
what age might it be okay for children to be on social networking sites?
·
Concussions and
Athletes: How do head injuries affect athletes over the long term, especially
when repeatedhead injuries? What are the medical data and statistics? My
kid plays football; what are the statistics on injuries to teenagers, and thus,
should my child play football?
·
Grade Inflation: How should the world of higher education
my world—copes with problems of grade inflation?Should students complain about
grade inflation knowing that it might affect the rigor of the course?

2.
How
is the topic important to you and how does it affect you? What do you
personally hope to gain or accomplish by writing about this topic?In this section,
describe your topic and how it first affected you. Explain why it is important
to you. Reflect on how or why your background, motivations, needs, or interests
sparked you to choose this topic. The best topics are those that are important
to and involve you.

3. Research your topic and
provide a brief summary of the current points of view about the topic. Share
at least two different/opposing positions on the topic.While this section asks
for summaries of two others’ positions, write each summary in your own words. Each should be a paragraph in length. To conduct research on your topic, find at
least two credible sources that offer opposing perspectives and summarize those
points of view in a paragraph. Additionally, although we will be learning more
about APA documentation style next week, use.net/index2.php”>Citation Machine, the DeVry APA
Handbook, APA tutorials in the syllabus, and/or Chapter 26 in your textbook to
provide full APA references for both sources. (Note: The “click here” for your
references is formattedas hanging indent.)

4.
Describe
whom you might choose as your audience. Who are your readers, and what are
their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to
structure your writing to appeal to them? Think about who will need/want to read your paper.
What do you need to consider about those readers? Will they be open-minded or
antagonistic? Are you outside your group of readers, which means that you need
to choose a formal voice and use “they,” or are you part of your group of
readers, which means that you can use a more conversational voice and use “we”?
Analyze the groups and individuals who are reading and writing on your chosen
topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds will dictate your
writing approach.

5. What specific issue
will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you
provide?
In this section, decide upon and explain which
“side” of the argument you are on and what your thesis statement will be. To do
that, you should attempt to come up with a question about the topic that you
will answer in your paper. Your answer becomes your working thesis statement.
For example, you might write the following: “With the growing instances of road
rage across the nation, it might be argued that drivers who do not abide
by the rules of the road are the cause of road rage (e.g., not using a turn
signal when changing lanes; travelling slowly in the left lane when others are
trying to pass; not turning into the same lane when turning a corner). If
drivers who do not follow the laws are the problem, then shouldn’t states
require extensive driver’s education of all new drivers?” Note that this
question can be answered either yes or no. Additionally, the question asks,
“Should….” Your question should begin with “should,” “must,” or “do we need
to” because your thesis will be a persuasive, “should,” “need to,” or “must”
statement.