for Natural Science Guru M2A1 Project

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Project 1 Proposal

You are to develop a brief proposal in preparation for two later assignments. The purpose of this proposal is for you study an area of diversity of special interest to you while developing research skills.

There are many types of diversity that we have touched on in this course. Project 1 asks you to select one area of diversity you would like to learn more about and research this area of diversity to answer the following questions:

1. What are the most important communication barriers that affect your chosen area of diversity? 
2. How is this group affected by discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes, or ethnocentrism? 
3. What communication strategies can help to improve communication for this group and reduce discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes, or ethnocentrism? 

This project will have three parts. In the first part, you will write a proposal explaining the topic you have chosen. For the second part, you will conduct research on your topic and create an annotated bibliography of sources related to your topic. The final part of the project will ask you to write an essay putting it all together.

You will select an area of diversity and write a paragraph of approximately 250-300 words. Discuss this area of diversity, why it is of interest to you, and what you hope to learn from your research into this area.

Here is a list of some common areas of diversity. You may choose from this list, or you can suggest your own area of diversity to explore. If you choose an area not on this list, be sure to explain your choice and why you feel it is a strong topic to research.

• Race 
• Ethnicity/National Origin 
• Age 
• Class 
• Gender 
• Sexual orientation 
• Physical ability 
• Linguistic diversity/language 
• Religion 
• Political or philosophical belief systems 

Your proposal should be written using Microsoft Word or Open Office (freeware found at Apache OpenOffice – Official Site – The Free and Open Productivity Suite).

Submit your paper using the assignment dropbox.

Paper requirements:

• 250–300 words 
• Double–spaced 
• APA writing conventions (http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx ) 
• Proofread for grammar – SmartThinking is available to assist you with your writing and is available at Smarthinking, Inc.
• Refer to the SLA Project Proposal Rubric to see the grading parameters. 

The final eight-page essay for Project 1 will be due at the end of Week 5. Be sure to plan ahead to have enough time to complete the final essay.