The goal is to prepare students to live and work in a dynamically changing world by emphasizing student growth and lifelong learning. In keeping with our institutional mission and vision, we promote the development of the five key Core Abilities. For this course, the identified core ability is: Think Critically and Solve Problems. Not only will your skill in explaining the core ability be measured by this assignment, this assignment will also be counted toward the completion of the CCCS requirement. CCCS assignments are mandated by the State Board of Education. Here are the requirements that you need to know: • ALL CCCS work must be successfully completed with no less than a “C” grade. o If you score less than 69.5% on any single CCCS assignment, you are not eligible to pass this course, your final grade will be an F, and all subsequent work will be marked zero in your grade book. • The CCCS requires that you: o Produce a series of written assignments o Write at the appropriate collegiate level o Structure your assignments in a recognized format o Show evidence of analysis and critical thinking Unless otherwise noted, CCCS assignments in this course must be written in basic MLA format. Additionally for this course, you will be WRITING IN FIRST PERSON. Assignments in this course require YOU to tell me your own point of view and to back it up with credible, reliable references. The ONLY WAY to do that is to write in FIRST PERSON. A Few Pointers • Always check your submission: PULL UP your assignment and make sure you’ve submitted what you meant to submit. Assignment drop boxes are set to take multiple submissions up to the due date, so if you make an error, you will be able to resubmit. • DO NOT wait until the actual due date to complete and submit your work—working ahead will help you to avert any potential issues that may arise should you procrastinate. • If your error causes your final submission to be late (or ungradable by me) then you will earn a zero. • DO NOT send me your submission via email—if you do, it will NOT be graded and you will earn a zero. Use of References This assignment requires the use of references. You are required to use a minimum of ONE EXTERNAL and TWO INTERNAL references. The two internal references you must use are (you may use written words contained in the lesson, or readings that are a part of a lesson to fulfill this requirement): • Lesson: Got Ethics? • Lesson: The Promise (Sociological Imagination) Your external source may be the textbook for the course but does not have to be. However, Wiki or any of the like is NOT acceptable. When you refer to the information from a course lesson, your citation for the works cited entry will be as follows (8th Edition MLA). This means that the minimum number of distinct references I should see on your works cited list is THREE (one external, two internal). Of course, a good writer will also consider how additional reference materials can highlight important passages of their writing. Utilizing additional high-quality materials will ensure that you earn the maximum points for use of references. All of your references (external and internal) must be cited in standard MLA format (8th edition is preferred; if you learned a different edition, email me for permission to use it). References must be high quality, academic references and you must include a works cited page that properly connects to your in-text citations. Plagiarism Please make sure that you understand what the penalties for plagiarism are. READ THE SYLLABUS. If I suspect that your paper has been plagiarized, it may get put into TurnItIn, and if it flagged for plagiarism, I will have “no mercy”. There will be no opportunity to revise. “I didn’t know” will not be a valid excuse. There are many ways to plagiarize, some intentional (you purposefully cheated), and some unintentional (you didn’t know the rules). In either case, I will not tolerate it and you will not be eligible to complete the course with a passing final grade. Review the syllabus, learn the rules, and ask me if you’re unclear. I’m always happy to clarify anything BEFORE I grade a paper. Length Requirement I grade on quality and not quantity. Your task is to write a high-quality academic essay which thoroughly addresses the components in the instructions. You should be able to complete this assignment in two to three typed and correctly formatted pages (this estimate is only the body of your paper and does not include the works cited page). If your paper “goes over” this estimate, you’re probably not narrowing your focus enough. Late Papers Remember that I do not accept late papers – except under certain, but limited circumstances. Please do not wait until the last minutes of the assignment due date to submit your work. It is YOUR responsibility to check your submission to verify that the submission process was completed. To set your mind at ease, consider taking a screenshot of the submission verification page. Emailed Papers No emailed papers will be accepted for grading. If you send your paper via email, it will be ignored. ________________________________________ ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS Below you’ll find several topics. Choose ONE to complete this paper. I’ve posted these topics because I want you to select something that interests you. PLEASE DO NOT select a topic about which you only want to argue why it’s “bad” or “unacceptable.” Find a topic about which you can write academically, professionally, neutrally and cohesively. Yes, you will be asked to supply an opinion, but this does not give you license to write a paper that’s all about why you think XX is a “bad idea” or “stupid” and that nothing good can come of it. Select something interesting to you, but not something that’s going to cause you to write an unprofessionally worded paper filled with inflammatory language—remember you must be professional and neutral in your presentation. • OPTION 1: Where are You Wearing? • OPTION 2: Tiny Chapel and the Wall • OPTION 3: Boxtown and the Pipeline This assignment requires you to submit your work in MLA format. This means that you need to carefully follow all of the instructions. You need to complete your work in full sentences, and in paragraph format. A thesis statement with a brief introduction, and subsequent paragraphs which answer the questions above, and a brief conclusion are required. A works cited page with correctly linked in-text citations are also required. Now that you’ve selected an option from above, write your paper. Constructing a basic five paragraph essay framework is the most logical way to complete this essay. Of course, when I say “five paragraph” I don’t mean that you are limited to exactly five paragraphs. You may have more (you probably will). Be sure to incorporate what your research uncovered to write your essay, rearranging and adding/eliminating as necessary to craft an essay which flows logically from one point to the next, and which follows the basics of standard MLA formatting: • Introduction o Thesis o Main Point o Main Point o Main Point o Any additional main points o Transition • Paragraph 1 o Expand your first main point o Use evidence o Transition • Paragraph 2 o Expand your second main point o Use evidence o Transition • Paragraph 3 o Expand your third main point o Use evidence o Transition • Any additional paragraphs you need to expand your main points • Conclusion o Reiterate main points • Works Cited Page ________________________________________ How You will be Scored Your assignment will be graded using a rubric which will be found in the Module for this assignment at a later date.