Research Project - Cengage



Research Project

Objective: To explore and become familiar with an issue related to sustainability

Purpose: To develop research and argumentative writing skills for upper-level inquiry papers and to integrate appropriate visual images into a text

Format: Essay

Length: Minimum of 1,200 words of text not including title or references

Audience: General, educated audience

Value: 30% of the course grade

Dates:

• Proposal due SEPT 29 (post in Discussion folder)

• Draft due for peer and instructor review NOV 3 (post in Assignment -- Research Project--DRAFT)

• Revision due NOV 24 (post in Assignment -- Research Project--REVISION)

Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you know how to find sources for a research-based essay, then construct a persuasive argument that uses material from those sources for support and include appropriate visual images to help illustrate the evidence you present.  The topic will be an issue related to sustainability, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (The Dictionary of Sustainable Management).  The thesis will be the overall judgment you make of this issue, its causes, and potential outcomes.  The thesis must be able to be supported and appropriate to the task. 

Below are some suggestions for topics, though you are not limited to this topics:

• Sustainable development in _________ (a country/state/city/community, an industry)

• Sustainability movements at universities

• Economic sustainability for __________ (women, minorities, disenfranchised groups)

• Sustainability policies in specific companies

• Social sustainability

• Environmental sustainability

• Consumption and sustainability in the office

• Greening of ________ (office, business, industry)

• IT and sustainability

Choose a topic that interests you, and aim to align it with your field of study. For example, if you are a marketing major, how might you incorporate sustainability strategies to enhance a company's intangible image to the public? If you are an engineering major, how might a development company ensure carbon footprints are minimized? If you are a sports management major, what is the International Olympic Committee doing to ensure sustainability has a focus when cities host the Olympics? (As an example, the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics will be announced on October 2nd, and part of the selection criteria focuses on sustainability. You can see the different cities' bids at to see how the cities addressed this issue.) 

Then, create a research question which has one of three possible answers: yes, no, maybe. For example: Has this current focus on sustainability in product development and corporate life add value to a product or corporation? Answers: yes, no, maybe. You can find sources which will support either yes or no, and sources which see shades of gray. It will be up to you to explore the topic, then use the material you find to answer the question in one of three ways.

A proposal for research, which includes a topic, a research question, what you want to learn (which is different than what you want to find), and at least four sources (see below) is due by Tuesday, September 29th. 

Sources

For the purposes of this assignment, you must find useful material from journals, other periodicals, and specialized web sites. Books may be used for historical comparisons, but you may find few books dealing with some of the current issues related to environmental effects/effects on the environment.

You must cite a minimum of two sources from each of the following categories:

A) articles published in scholarly journals. This means essays or articles you find in a journal devoted specifically to science or a related field. The article usually will not have been published before, unless it is a translation. You may use databases to determine which journals have the articles you want, and then use the Mason library catalogue to determine whether we have the journal here at Mason, or you may receive whole text articles from a database. The journal’s focus may be specific or broad, but again at least part of the article should deal specifically with the topic you have chosen.

B) articles published in substantial periodicals (Economist, Barron's, Scientific American) or podcasts/broadcasts of feature stories from major media outlets (CNN, NPR, CNBC, etc.).

C) web sites devoted to sustainability (see Sustainability Resources on the main course page).

Consult the Mason Library Help with Research, Library Catalog, and The Mason Library Databases Page for help with your research.  Consult The Inexcusable Error List and Quotation and Citation Guidelines for help with writing and citation.

Evaluation

Grades will be based on the following criteria:

o Content: Includes an explicit and strong argument (thesis statement), based on the findings of the research question, in the introduction which will guide the reader through the evidence.

o Content: Includes a thorough discussion of the evidence for the argument.

o Content: Includes some discussion of the counterargument and why the argument should override the counterargument.

o Content: Includes a conclusion which focuses on the why the argument should be made (the implications).

o Content: Includes at least two appropriate visual images (charts, graphs, images, tables) which help illustrate the evidence used to support the argument.

o Content: Includes a unique title which clearly indicates what the essay is about.

o Content: Meets minimum length of 1200 words not including title and reference information.

o Format: The essay is word processed in 12 point font, using standard U.S. spelling, sentence structure and punctuation. 

o Format: The essay is written in paragraph form and includes at least two graphical images.

o Format: Listed in an upper corner of the first page are your name, due date (and revise the due date on revisions!) and course information (e.g., ENGL302-B21).

o Format: The paper is formatted, cited and documented in APA Style.

o Format: The entire paper is in the same font style. (Font sizes can be smaller for footnotes and page numbers, but the style should be the same as the text.

o File is named userid_knowing (e.g., dbeach_research)

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