Overview
For this final project you will continue with the social issue that you selected (language and power; freedom and security; health and wealth) and you will write an essay where you discuss your perspective. You will use the ideas and information from the summary-response and the quote log to write your case study. You will submit a first draft and a revised draft of this assignment.
Content
Describe a “real life” instance of your selected social issue in a professional or a personal setting.
Discuss your perspective on your selected social issue, including the reasons for your viewpoint.
Discuss how your core values inform or influence your perspective on your selected social issue.
Demonstrate that you are really thinking about your issue—don’t settle for easy answers, don’t pretend that conflicting evidence doesn’t exist, and don’t feel that you have to take an either-or position.
Discuss the complexities of your selected social issue. For example, do not just conclude that using academic language is always good, or that government surveillance is always bad, or that wealth automatically leads to health. Think about the intricacies of these issues and how they play out in everyday life.
Organization
Include an introductory paragraph, where you clearly outline a “real-life” instance of your social issue and you give a thesis statement that indicates your perspective (see Part 2: Writing Your Introduction for an example).
Include three body paragraphs where you include details, examples, and quotes from at least three of the course readings to help you develop and support your key points (see Part 3: Writing Your Body Paragraphs. for an example).
Include one body paragraph where you discuss how your core values inform or influence your perspective on your selected social issue (see Part 3: Writing Your Body Paragraphs. for an example).
End your essay with a concluding paragraph where you restate your thesis, summarize your key points, and leave the reader with the “so what?” ( see Part 4: Writing Your Conclusion for an example).
Grammar and Mechanics
Your paper should be written according to the standards for academic writing, with attention to the following:
punctuation: this includes things such as proper use of commas, colons, and apostrophes.
word-level accuracy: this includes things such as proper capitalization, spelling, word-tense, and usage.
sentence-level accuracy: this includes things such as proper sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Take time to proofread after you’ve written your essay. Think about the kinds of writing mistakes you tend to make (like using “text-speak” or sentence fragments) and watch out for those. Reading your paper aloud is a good way to catch any mistakes.
