Research-Based Paper AssignmentOne of the learning goals for this Enriched Core course is that you “demonstrate competence in information literacy by selecting, utilizing and documenting...

Research-Based Paper Assignment

One of the learning goals for this Enriched Core course is that you “demonstrate competence in information literacy by selecting, utilizing and documenting appropriate sources.” You will do this by writing a research-based paper investigating an organization or issue related to one or more of the texts we read.

Your goal is to:

1. develop a research question, proposal, and annotated bibliography (please see below for detailed instructions and examples of these elements)

2. conduct research to answer your question

3. present your answer in the form of a formal research-based paper Topic Choices:

This assignment gives you the opportunity to find out more about an organization or issue related to one or more of the books that we will read together this semester. You should start by selecting one of the following.

These topics and initial questions are meant as jumping-off points to help you develop your own specific focus. In formulating a research question, remember to phrase it in the form of “why” and/or “how” – in other words, your question is something that should not be able to be answered by a simple Google search or a yes/no; it should include some complexity. This research question will serve as the basis for a thesis statement: •

The Walden Woods Project: Founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley, the Project preserves the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, both cornerstones of Thoreau’s philosophy. The Project achieves this mission through the integration of conservation, education, research and advocacy. Spend some time researching this organization, along with related projects including some of their past, present, and future projects and initiatives (Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods; Walden Woods Project Farm, for example). Then, write a paper in which you share the information that you have found, making sure to also explain the direct connections you see between the Project’s work and Thoreau’s Walden. •

The Aldo Leopold Foundation: One way that the life and work of Aldo Leopold lives on today and remains relevant is through the Aldo Leopold Foundation. According to their webpage, “The Aldo Leopold Foundation was founded in 1982 with a mission to foster the land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold, awakening an ecological conscience in people throughout the world.” Spend some time researching this organization, including some of their past, present, and future projects and initiatives. Then, write a paper in which you share the information that you have found, making sure to also explain the direct connections you see between the Foundation’s work and the landscapes, regions, and issues discussed in Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac.

• Rachel Carson’s Legacy: As we will discuss when we read Silent Spring, although she died prematurely Rachel Carson had a huge impact on the mid-20th -century environmental movement – an influence that extends to today. What groups today are working to keep Rachel Carson’s legacy alive and relevant? Spend some time researching the following organizations: the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society; the Rachel Carson Council; the Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University; and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (you are welcome to include other organizations or groups that you discover during your research).

Then, write a paper in which you identify and explain how the work of these organizations (along with any others you might discover during your research) builds on the foundations laid by Carson in Silent Spring. • Great Salt Lake Water Level: When Terry Tempest Williams began writing Refuge (1991) in the 1980s, the Great Salt Lake was experiencing flooding due to historically high water levels, something that she writes about in detail in her book. Today, the Great Salt Lake water level is at a historic low, creating an environmental crisis.

Write a research-based paper in which you investigate the current water crisis at Great Salt Lake and compare it to the 1980s, making sure to connect back to Refuge. • Soul Fire Farm -- Ending Racism and Injustice in the Food System: Later this semester, we will read excerpts from Farming While Black, by Leah Penniman, a co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, NY. According to their mission statement, “Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system. We raise and distribute life-giving food as a means to end food apartheid. With deep reverence for the land and wisdom of our ancestors, we work to reclaim our collective right to belong to the earth and to have agency in the food system. We bring diverse communities together on this healing land to share skills on sustainable agriculture, natural building, spiritual activism, health, and environmental justice. We are training the next generation of activist-farmers and strengthening the movements for food sovereignty and community self-determination.” Spend some time researching Soul Fire Farm, paying particular attention to their programming and events, including the history of the farm and some of their past, present, and future projects and initiatives.

Then, write a paper in which you share the information that you have found, making sure to also explain the ways in which their work highlights the intersection of environmental, racial, food, and other social justice movements. You may wish to include other farms doing similar work that you encounter through your research. • Diversity and Inclusion (or Lack Thereof?) in the National Parks System: In Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors (2014), Carolyn Finney spends some time discussing the historic lack of diversity and inclusion in the National Parks Service (NPS). In order to address this issue, as she writes, “within the NPS a number of strategies and programs have been developed to address issues of diversity and inclusion in their visitorship, staff, and surrounding communities. These initiatives include youth and social science programs, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and a Workforce Diversity Management Program. Spend some time researching these initiatives, as well as any others you might discover through your research. Identify and explain these initiatives and then assess their overall impact and effectiveness (or lack thereof). How successful has the NPS been in addressing their historical lack of diversity and inclusion through these efforts and others?

Requirements: Length & Format: 6-8 full pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins all around, heading and page numbers, works cited page (MLA Format) Sources: a minimum of 6 scholarly or reputable news sources

Research Question, Proposal & Annotated Bibliography 1. Research Question: First, you should clearly identify and state a specific research question that you intend to answer. This question should address a how or a why about your chosen topic. You should state your research question: 1. How ____________________ ? OR 2. Why _______________________? OR a combination 3. How ____________, and why _____________ ? or Why _________, and how _____________ ? 2. Research Proposal: Next, you should write a one-paragraph research proposal, using the following steps: 1. Begin the paragraph by describing your topic in a sentence as specific as you can make it: “I am trying to learn about (working on / studying) ______________.” 2. Next, add a sentence that includes an indirect question that specifies something that you do not know or understand about your topic but want to: “I am studying ________ [the topic from your previous sentence] because I want to find out who/what/when/where/whether/why/how _________________.” [Here, you are posing your research question as an indirect question]. 3. Then add another sentence that explains why your reader might want to read your paper: “I am investigating this question in order to help my reader understand how/why/whether ____________________.” 4. Finally, indicate what sources you might include to help you answer your question. 3. Annotated Bibliography: Your annotated bibliography should include • A correctly-formatted works cited entry for a minimum of 6 sources (scholarly and/or reputable news) • A paragraph summarizing the source’s main idea, assessing the source/comparing it with the other sources you’ll be using, and reflecting on how you will use this source in your essay. On the following page, you will find a sample annotated bibliography --- you may find this helpful in preparing your own (please note that the sample does not reflect the newest changes to MLA format). Sample Annotated Bibliography: Amanda Smith Composition II 8 November 2013 Annotated Bibliography Boeree, George C. Personality Theory: A Biosocial Approach. Department of Psychology. Shippensburg University, 2009. Web. 6 November 2013. In Personality Theory: A Biosocial Approach by George C. Boeree, many diverse and specific psychological disorders are discussed. Boeree writes in very fine detail about these disorders. This source is appropriate to use because it touches on major depression; a mood disorder that is occasionally associated with gun violence. This source can be comparable to the others because it explains how depressed people can have suicidal thoughts and thoughts that encompass death, thus potentially leading to abuse of automatic weapons. I will use this source to show how having psychological disorders such as major depression can impact an individual’s use and abuse of automatic weapons. DeVylder, Jordan. “Psychosis Risk and Prevention of Persistent and Severe Mental Illness: Implications for Social Work Practice.” Columbia Social Work Review, Volume II. Columbia University. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. In DeVylder’s assessment on psychosis, he explains how psychosis has not been treated or defined correctly. He is arguing that research and treatment for people who have or could potentially have psychosis have not been done properly. This is a good source to use for Essay 3 because it explains how psychosis can be treated so that people struggling from this disorder can once again be mentally stable, making it easier for the public and lawmakers to be at ease with the thought of these people owning a gun. This source can be compared with the others in that it reconciles the doubts and concerns that the other articles have about mental illness and gun control, conveying that mentally ill people can be successfully treated so they can be just as worthy of owing a gun as someone with a lasting record of a healthy mental state. I will use this source to show that highly beneficial treatments are possible for the mentally ill so that they may have the same rights as someone with a healthy mental state. Federal Bureau of Investigation. “National Instant Criminal Background Check System.” U.S Department of Justice, 8 Oct 2010. Web. 6 November 2013. This bit of information brought about by the FBI is clearly about defining the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, NICS for short. The main points of this information are to simply define what the check system stands for and what its plans are for keeping people safe. This source is beneficial because it defines the NICS, something that is crucial for my essay. This information from the FBI is comparable to the other sources in that it explains exactly what the NICS is in relating to mental illness and gun control; this is critical because the NICS is all about not allowing guns and other weapons to fall into the wrong hands. I will use this source in my essay by discussing how the NICS is the main organization in dealing with who can obtain a weapon and who cannot. Gostin, Lawrence O., Record, Katherine L. “Dangerous People or Dangerous Weapons: Access to Firearms for Persons With Mental Illness.” Georgetown University Law Center, 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. This article by Gostin and Record is about the grand controversy that is surrounding mental illness and gun control. It argues that people with mental illness are not the problem, but the true problem comes from the gun control laws themselves. This article is good because it directly argues a key side that is discussed within my research essay; is mental illness really the problem when it comes to gun laws? This source is comparable to the others in that it encompasses every side of the argument of the issue of gun control and mental illness and not just small details about a particular law or specific disorder. I will use this source to support my claim that mentally ill people alone are not the overall problem in this controversy, but gun laws need to be improved as well. Research Question, Proposal & Annotated Bibliography 1. Research Question: First, you should clearly identify and state a specific research question that you intend to answer. This question should address a how or a why about your chosen topic. You should state your research question: 1. How ____________________ ? OR 2. Why _______________________? OR a combination 3. How ____________, and why _____________ ? or Why _________, and how _____________ ? 2. Research Proposal: Next, you should write a one-paragraph research proposal, using the following steps: 1. Begin the paragraph by describing your topic in a sentence as specific as you can make it: “I am trying to learn about (working on / studying) ______________.” 2. Next, add a sentence that includes an indirect question that specifies something that you do not know or understand about your topic but want to: “I am studying ________ [the topic from your previous sentence] because I want to find out who/what/when/where/whether/why/how _________________.” [Here, you are posing your research question as an indirect question]. 3. Then add another sentence that explains why your reader might want to read your paper: “I am investigating this question in order to help my reader understand how/why/whether ____________________.” 4. Finally, indicate what sources you might include to help you answer your question. 3. Annotated Bibliography: Your annotated bibliography should include • A correctly-formatted works cited entry for a minimum of 6 sources (scholarly and/or reputable news) • A paragraph summarizing the source’s main idea, assessing the source/comparing it with the other sources you’ll be using, and reflecting on how you will use this source in your essay. On the following page, you will find a sample annotated bibliography --- you may find this helpful in preparing your own (please note that the sample does not reflect the newest changes to MLA format).