Project #3: Research-Based Problem/Solution Essay

Topic: Health

· Page Length Requirement: minimum of 4.5-full pages of text (no more than 7-pages), excluding the Works Cited page

· Citation Style: MLA Format

· Grading Weight: 25% of the overall course grade

Assignment Overview

This essay is a traditional problem/solution essay with the lens on a health-related topic. This assignment will require that you first discuss the problem and HOW you would go about solving the issue. As part of this project, you will need to conduct research to refine your topic, support your claim, and discover the unknown.

Topic

The general research question (writing prompt) is as follows: What Health-Related Problem Needs to be Solved in American Culture?

You will place appropriate and insightful research alongside your own knowledge and experiences to present these elements in and academic essay that proves a specific claim. The research will focus on identifying the problem and offering a solution regarding a health topic. Some possible health topics to explore are below:

· Social media, mental health, name specific social media apps to analyze for specificity

· Diet culture, fast food, artificial dyes, eating disorders, nutrition

· Sleep apnea, insomnia, brain health, sleep disorders, blue light melatonin

· Overwork culture, hustle culture, 9-5 hours vs. remote, work vs. rest

· Video game culture, addiction, “iPad kid”, declining literacy rates

· Lack of exercise, high school P.E. declining, toxic gym culture

· Healthcare accessibility, low income, affordable healthcare, lack of rural health care

· Substance abuse, underage drinking, binge college drinking, lifelong addictions

· Environmental health, air pollution, fossil fuels, cleaning products toxins, climate change

· Clean water scarcity, water bottles, filtration systems, plastic pollution oceans

· Smart phone addiction, upgrades, lack of concentration, social anxiety

· Financial health, debt, consumer industry, fast fashion

And the list goes on!

If you find a topic that is not on this list, please check with me. Some topics may coincide with each other as well, which is fine, as long as you have a clear thesis statement. Choose one specific topic to explore for your paper, please—something you hope to learn more about. Do not try to address everything listed here as the strongest papers focus on one topic like “sleep disorders.”

Once you decide on a specific health topic on which to focus, think about the reasons why you want this change to occur. Is this issue impacting a specific group of people? It should be for the sake of this assignment. Is there a particular experience or group of experiences that stand out? What will happen if

this problem isn’t fixed? What solution(s) would you offer? What specific policy and structural changes need to be implemented in order for this problem to be solved? Who needs to be a part of the solution? How long will it take for the problem to be fixed? Do you agree or disagree with the source(s) you have selected?

A Successful Essay

A successful essay will explain how a problem exists in a specific area and who it impacts. It will discuss practical solutions. It will incorporate at least three peer-reviewed and scholarly sources (refer to the WTCC library databases and our discussions from unit two). You may also choose to include up to two additional credible resources (essays, websites, interviews, podcasts, etc.). Your essay should analyze practical solutions. It should identify gaps in current research and suggest promising areas of future study. Your essay should flow logically, and the research should be appropriately and effectively embedded with your own perspective. The best essays for this assignment are engaging and informative.

All of you are heading down path that will at some point require research, whether in writing, engineering, agriculture, business, design, education, marketing, or any other field. When researching, it is always important to keep in mind where you stand in the conversation. Making research relevant to your life (and to the lives of others) can open new doors and forge new paths for your work (and make classroom research a bit more bearable). Acknowledging your own story in the context of carefully considered research helps bring the outside world in and will hopefully help you approach research with a critical and personal eye as you pursue your education and career goals.

Suggested Organizational Structure

The following outline offers the organizational structure of a definition essay.

INTRODUCTION

· Open with a hook. Interest your reader in your topic.

· Include a transition from the hook prior to the thesis. Perhaps offer some relevant background on the specific purpose of the essay. This section helps the reader see why you are focusing on this topic and makes the transition to the main point of your paper.

· The last sentence of the introduction is the multifaceted thesis statement. The thesis should be one sentence and should offer the topic and purpose of the essay. This statement should respond directly to the writing prompt.

BODY

· Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. Ensure each topic sentence clearly supports the thesis statement.

· Develop each topic sentence with examples, observations, facts, descriptions, whatever enables your reader to understand the claim made in your topic sentence. Be generous with details but maintain focus on the topic sentence. Link your ideas to the topic sentence.

· End each body paragraph with a closing sentence that emphasizes the main idea in the topic sentence. Note: You should have a minimum of three body paragraphs that follow this pattern; however, you certainly may choose to have more than three body paragraphs.

CONCLUSION

· Reaffirm your thesis without repeating it word-for-word.

· Perhaps return to the opening strategy for your closing.

· Clarify, “So What?” Emphasize the significance of your topic.

Assessment

This unit focuses our attention on the proper structure and tone of an academic essay, paragraph development, and accurate MLA page format. Your essay will be assessed on these skills. See the grading rubric for more detailed information about assessment.

Final Notes:

· Identify, analyze, and evaluate the integration of your source material. Avoid plagiarism by citing source material and using correct citations. Do not over quote material.

· Identify and include a clear, focused thesis as the last sentence of the introduction (the first paragraph of the essay). The thesis must make a specific claim and convey the purpose of the essay.

· Develop your main ideas that support the thesis in the essay body by way of exemplification—concrete, detailed, and coherent examples Each body paragraph must open with a focused topic sentence.

· Identify and apply the conventions of MLA format. I also require use of 12-point, Times New Roman font.

· Avoid use of 1st or 2nd person ("I," "we," "us," and "you"). This assignment asks for a response based on your own experiences, beliefs, and observations, but you write in an academic voice that uses third person only.

· Avoid personal narrative and opinion-based development (i.e., “I believe,” “I think,” “In my opinion,” etc.). All ideas must be well-supported with logical explanation, details, research, and connections.

· Use all stages of the writing process to develop a final draft that demonstrates your ability to incorporate standard, academic, writing conventions (see rubric)

The Research Process

1. Identify your topic
2. Develop search terms
3. Conduct a search
4. Evaluate information
​5. Cite your sources