Gen Ed Capstone 499 Final Research Paper

Well, it's finally here! Over the course of the last five weeks, we've spent a lot of time preparing for this course's final assignment: a research paper on a topic related to one of today's most pressing problems. In Week One, we brainstormed potential topics, while in Weeks 2 and 3 we gathered up and explored several scholarly and non-scholarly discussions pertaining to these topics. At the end of Week 3, we submitted an annotated bibliography that summarized a few of these sources and discussed how you would incorporate them into your paper. In Week 4, we devoted an entire discussion to putting the final touches on our research questions and thesis statements. And now, you're finally ready to put the whole thing together!            Your primary Week 5 task is to compose your final paper for this class. In order to be eligible for full credit, your final paper must do the following:           1) Begin with an intro paragraph that introduces your topic and your specific research question, while also stating your thesis. This intro paragraph should also provide the reader with an overview of your entire argument, previewing the major points you're going to make in order to prove that argument.           2) Proceed to a series of body paragraphs (6-8) that go into detail on the various aspects of your argument. Ideally, your thesis statement will be built on 3-4 main points, and the body paragraphs are where you can explore these points in depth, making use of your chosen scholarly sources to do so. These body paragraphs will be the "meat and potatoes" of your essay; this is where you'll prove your main point and convince the reader of your argument's veracity. Please devote 1-2 separate paragraphs to each of your main points. And in addition to proving your own case here, please feel free to also use this portion of your essay to refute those scholars whose arguments you disagree with, and to countering their claims with contrary evidence.           3) Include a section (2-4 paragraphs) that analyzes some of the non-scholarly discussions you've encountered while researching this paper - for example, those seen in blog posts, videos, or podcasts related to your chosen social concern. Your goal here is to evaluate the arguments made in these Web-based materials in light of what you've learned from scholarly discussions of the topic. The question to consider here is this: based on what I've learned from the academic literature, how accurate are the claims made by non-academics writing on my topic? This section of your paper should conclude with some general observations regarding the reliability and credibility of non-scholarly, internet sources pertaining to your topic. Please note that depending on how your argument unfolds, this section can come before or after your discussion of the scholarly material on your topic.

  4) Include a section (1-2 paragraphs) that predicts how your chosen social concern will change during the next 5-10 years. In particular, your goal here is twofold: (1) to think about how some of the technological developments we've examined during our time together in GEN 499 might influence people's awareness of / involvement with your topic in the short-term future; (2) to put forward some tentative suggestions regarding the ways in which you yourself might get people motivated to do something about your chosen social concern (i.e., how to issue an effective "call to action"). In considering these things, please make reference not only to the various forms of "social media" we've examined in this class, but also to Putnam and Sander's research on "social capital."           5) End with a concluding paragraph that reiterates your research question, your particular argument, and all of the other major points made during the 3rd (non-scholarly discussions) and 4th (next 5-10 years) sections of this paper.         In order to be eligible for full credit, your final paper needs to include all of the aforementioned elements. Additionally, it should be between 10 and 14 pages long, must be formatted according to APA style, and needs to make use of at least 12 different scholarly sources (in addition to at least one non-scholarly, Web-based source like a blog, video, or podcast). Some of these scholarly sources can from our course materials (for example, Putnam and Sander's articles on "social capital," the Calkins / Kelley and Ostenson pieces on how to evaluate internet sources, or Batchelor and / or Zembylas' and Vrasidas' papers on technology and globalization), but at least 6 need to be articles that you found independently (or with my help) through the Ashford Library.

1) Evans, M. E., Copeland, J. M., & Dewey, M. E. (1991). DEPRESSION IN THE ELDERLY IN THE COMMUNITY: EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ILLNESS AND SELECTED SOCIAL FACTORS.International Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry, 6(11), 787-795. 2) Sugisawa, H., Shibata, H., Hougham, G. W., Sugihara, Y., & Liang, J. (2002). The Impact of Social Ties on Depressive Symptoms in U.S. and Japanese Elderly. Journal Of Social Issues, 58(4), 785-804. 3) Choi, N. G., & Wodarski, J. S. (1996). The relationship between social support and health status of elderly people: Does social support slow down physical and functional deterioration?. Social Work Research, 20(1), 52. 4) Grant, I., Patterson, T. L., & Yager, J. (1988). Social supports in relation to physical health and symptoms of depression in the elderly.The American Journal Of Psychiatry, 145(10), 1254-1258.