Research Paper:
The paper must be seven to eight (7 - 8) pages in length (to include the title page, the body of the paper, and the reference page). APA format is required.The paper should be double-spaced, in 12-point font, and with one inch (1") margins all around, except for the title page. Do not add extra spaces between the paragraphs of your paper.
The student should select a topic for the paper that generally fits into the focus of this course. The paper should detail the selected topic so that a person reading the paper would gain a sound understanding of that topic.
NOTE: Paper will be submitted as a Word attachment to an email to the instructor's Kent email address no later than the date specified in the Assignment Schedule. Late papers will not be accepted.
Describe the Selected Problem - Identify a social problem (a problem that affects many people) that has either affected you personally, someone close to you, or a community to which you belong, and which you feel needs to be addressed.Include some research on the problem-how many people are affected?
What are some of the negative effects that stem from this problem? (For example, if you select campus shootings, you might research PTSD among shooting victims, the number of lives lost, etc. If you select a certain type of cancer, how widespread is it? How does it affect those who are diagnosed, and their loved ones?)
*To some extent, social problems are in the eye of the beholder. For example, some people will view abortion as a social problem, whereas others will view a lack of access to safe abortions as a social problem. You will not be graded on your specific perspective, so long as you adequately justify that your selected topic is a social problem through your description and research of the negative effects.
Research Existing Laws - Summarize what you learn through your research about state or federal laws and/or Supreme Court rulings pertaining to your issue. (With the campus shooting example, you might focus on laws surrounding gun ownership or regulation; with the cancer example, you might focus on laws surrounding the regulation of products that may increase that type of cancer, or laws regulating the standard of treatment/medical care for patients.)
Analyze the Effects of Existing Laws - Provide a consideration of the intended and unintended effects (both positive and negative) of the existing law(s). Do you think the legal system can effectively address your identified social problem? Why or why not? Are there any specific legal changes you would recommend? Explain your answer.
Utilize at least 5 different reliable resources within your paper. (Reliable resources include textbooks, .gov websites, .edu websites, books, or scholarly journal articles.) You should provide information about your sources in a reference list at the end of your paper in APA format.