The topic of your project needs to be a contemporary societal problem, such as healthcare reform, immigration reform, privacy rights, euthanasia, First Amendment Rights, stem cell research, capital punishment, corporate prisons, legalizing drugs, ageism, animal rights, cloning, prayer in schools, racial profiling, recycling/conservation, sexism, outsourcing jobs, workplace bullying, etc. The topic must focus on a single aspect, as in "How far do corporations intrude into the private lives of their employers?" or "The social costs of financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs." You may suggest another topic to use, but the instructor must approve the topic during the Week Two Discussion.
The Final Research Project will present research relating the responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In this assignment, you will do the following:
- Research one aspect of a contemporary social problem.
- Define the problem.
- Propose a possible solution for the problem.
- Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You should take on the perspective of a critically thinking researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and evidence to support the thesis statement.
- Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from the position you take on the issue and explain how those outcomes would influence society and culture.
- Interpret statistical data from at least two peer-reviewed scholarly sources.
- Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity, reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately identify strengths and weaknesses.
Research and Define the Problem
You must take on the perspective of your major field of study and explain in your paper what that perspective is and how it informs your view of the topic. The topics listed above are far too broad to write about in 10-12 pages (3,300-3,900 words). Instead, you must choose a narrowly defined thesis and approach it from the perspective of your field.