This activity is a two-part assignment that will unfold over a two-week period. The first step, which is due at the end of Module 5, is to choose a topic and create an outline for the second part of the assignment, which is an essay that is due by the end of Module 6. The process of creating a topic proposal and outline before your essay will be a required step for all of the essays in this course.

Part 1: Topic and Outline (due at the end of Module 5)

You have been examining the liberal arts disciplines throughout this course. You have also wrestled with complex ethical dilemmas, as well as issues and concerns around diversity and communication. All of these activities have required you to apply your critical thinking skills. In Essay 3 you will have an opportunity to explore a particular liberal arts discipline and examine the history of how that discipline interacts with diverse peoples, cultures, and groups.

Please select ONE of these disciplines:

- Performing arts: you should most likely pick only one or two of these to focus your essay on: dance
Outline Requirements:
- Construct a title, proposal, research question, and short outline around your selected discipline and the following statement: "The discipline of ZZZ has struggled with the ethical and fair treatment of people from diverse backgrounds and women entering or working in this field since it was founded."
- Clearly identify the liberal arts discipline of your choice
- Devise a clear precise research question around the topic of fair and equitable treatment for a specific group, such as women, racial or ethnic groups, different cultures, etc. within this disciplinary field. Not all disciplines will cover all groups, but most will cover at least 2 or 3.
o Your outline should include:
o Introduction
o Historic data
o Today's data
o Change over time
o Be sure you examine the issues of minorities and women. (Your discipline may also include specific religious groups who were ostracized.)
o Compare the discipline's progress to others; how does it compare? What is the social context? (Ex: The civil rights movement of the 1960s had a huge impact on society, but what was the impact on the discipline or field? Think about baseball and Jackie Robinson.)
o YOUR analysis and examination of possible solutions you have found, as well as your own ideas to build your conclusion.
- None of these components should be written in paragraph or essay form; you should just provide core ideas. Bullet-points are fine. You haven't got all the facts yet, just show that you know where you will be going.

Part 2: Essay

For the second part of the assignment, you will write an essay based on your topic choice.

Please include the following in your essay:

1. Start with the history of your chosen discipline, when and where was it founded and who were the "founding fathers."

2. Place this in a historical context, for example: "ZZZ began as a scholarly discipline in 16th century Europe. At this time, most women were not allowed to attend college and further their education. People in Africa and Asia were making discoveries in this field but were not recognized or considered by the European founders of the discipline." (Give examples of overlooked or ostracized individuals to support any claims.)

3. Consider how advances in social justice and ethical treatment have helped your discipline to improve its treatment of women and minorities over time, or has it? (Be sure to use up-to-date research. Check the dates on your sources!)

4. Discuss whether any of the promises made about equality and opportunity for women and minorities are actually being fulfilled and why or why not. (Be specific: what is being done, and is it working?)

5. Include any other factors that may be at play here. (financial, political, colonialism, nationalism, etc.)

6. Examine the facts in relation to the factors at play and use this understanding to build a logical and informed conclusion. Have you found any solutions in your research for the issue? If so, include them in your discussion/conclusion, along with your own ideas about how this discipline can and/or cannot overcome its historic under representation of women and minorities.

Additional Requirements and Resources:

1. A minimum of four resources from academic publications found in the Excelsior Library

2. 750 - 1250 words of writing. This does not include the title page or reference page. Please organize your paper based upon the approved outline and your faculty feedback.

3. Grammatically correct sentences. If you need assistance, free tutoring is available through Smarthinking. You can link to it under "Learning Resources" in your Table of Contents. It is the link, "Free Tutoring." To receive assistance on how to write essays, you can refer to the Excelsior OWL.

4. Use APA citation guidelines.