Focus on a problem such as illiteracy, bullying, domestic violence, obesity, and other social issues.  Consider there are ways to prevent, or obliterate this problem.

Start by researching facts, statistics, dates, and any other pertinent information regarding this problem.

For example, if I saw students’ success in freshman composition courses as a problem, I might decide to propose solutions by considering what they are having the most issues with.  Then, I might address those issues by providing the necessary resources to encourage more efficiency and success.

Once you have selected a problem, and researched the facts and other information about it, consider proposed solutions to either address the prevention of the problem, or, to resolve the problem.  Either way, you must consider the time frame for which you are analyzing the context of your topic.  Additionally, your synthesis should revolve around suggestions for your audience along with informative details.

Your paper must point out and attempt to solve particular layers of your topic.  You should not only imagine what might be wrong, but also what can be better than it is.

Consider the following:

PROBLEM

What are the causes of the problem?

What are the most troubling or alarming images associated with the problem?

What are its short-term effects?  Long-term effects?

What other situation (event, attitude) does this problem resemble?

SOLUTION

What action (solution) will best address the causes of the problem?

What might stand in the way of this solution?

How will the solution change the situation?

Does this solution have potential shortcomings or limitations?

REMEMBER: 

“A solution might change the intellectual environment so that physical changes can take place later”

PUBLIC RESONANCE

Who should care about his issue?  Why?

What particular community, place, or group does this issue effect?

How might my reader(s) be involved in this issue?

Why is it important that others hear my opinion about this issue?

KEY ELEMENTS

Problem:  Includes illustrations or examples, and explanation of causes, and a picture of short- and long-term side effects.

Solutions:  Includes an explanation of how that solution will address, confront, or stop the causes of the problem.

Counterargument:  Addresses concerns about or opposing claims to the solution or the articulation of the problem.

Alternative Solutions:  Include any other potential strategies for addressing the problem.  Articulating alternative solutions requires an explanation of why these are less desirable than the main solution being offered.

Concession/ Qualifier:  Acknowledges any possible shortcomings of the solution or concedes value to some opposing claim or alternative solution.

The paper must:

Be a minimum of 5 pages (content, does not include works cited)

Follow guidelines of MLA formatting

Include a works cited page with a minimum of 5 sources

Be submitted with completed checklist, or corrected assignments must be submitted for grading

Be submitted on the last day of class for final grading and overall assessment of the project

 

NOTE:

Refer to checklist for due dates

 

Name

Professor

Subject

Date

How using cell phones while driving is dangerous

The use of cell phones has become more popular since their invention. Everyday millions of people use mobile phones for communication and online research. The growth of mobile phone industry and technology has been instrumental in making these gadgets affordable to majority including children. Studies reveal potential harm in rising use cell phones by drivers.

The use of phones while driving motor cars is very common today. However, this activity is considered dangerous given evidence relating cell phone use to a number of road accidents. Several states in the US have passed regulations forbidding use of phones while driving. Other states on the other hand allow the use of hands free gadgets.

Some researchers believe that using hands free gadgets are not safer than using handheld phones. The work involved in holding a conversation causes increased risk of loss of concentration while driving. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University found out that listening to phone conversations could cause up to 37{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} decrease of functions in human being’s parietal lobe. Parietal lobe is a part of the brain that integrates and manages information such as temperature, taste and touch.

According to Andrew Parkes, driver’s phone conversations impair the driver’s concentration more than passenger conversations. A simulation studies report from University of Utah concluded that drivers involved in passenger conversations performed far much better than lone drivers. The report attributed this to the replication of driving task and the traffic in their conversations.

However, the report by the University of Utah has been heavily criticized by other research institutions. Meta-analysis by the University of Illinois appreciated the danger of passenger conversations. According to AAA (formerly American Automobile Association), passenger conversation was responsible for 11{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} of accidents related to distraction.

Articles on media violence:

• “Violent Media Numbs Viewers to Pain of Others” – WMIA, pg. 165
• “Hate Violence? Turn It Off!” – WMIA, pg. 167
•  “Violent Media is Good for Kids” – WMIA, pg. 181
• “Media Violence Debates” – Moodle
•  “Whodunit—the Media?” – Moodle

• “Does Media Violence Lead to the Real Thing?” – Moodle
• “Music Videos Promote Adolescent Aggression” – Moodle
• “Does Fictional Violence Lead to Real Violence” – Moodle
• “American Psychological Association” – Moodle
• “When Life Imitates Video” – Moodle

 

This essay will be constructed as an academic argument and therefore should be well-reasoned, supported with logic based evidence from your readings, and balanced.  Preparation for this paper must include Exercise 1, Exercise 2, and Exercise 3 – proposal, as well as the 1^st draft with peer review and 2^nd draft.  It should be oriented toward a general, academic audience and will be evaluated according to the grading rubric for this course.

Paper Requirements:

• 5 pages (Minimum 5 FULL pages)
• Times Roman – 12 point font
• Double spaced
• One-inch margins (not 1.25, check your default margin settings)
• MLA documentation and style
• MLA Works Cited pageWHEN LIFE IMITATES VIDEOJohn Leo

  U.S. News & World Report, May 3, 1999

   

  Was it real life or an acted-out video game?

   

  Marching through a large building using various bombs and guns to pick off victims is a conventional video-game scenario. In the Colorado massacre, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris used pistol-grip shotguns, as in some video-arcade games. The pools of blood, screams of agony, and pleas for mercy must have been familiar–they are featured in some of the newer and more realistic kill-for-kicks games. “With each kill,” the Los Angeles Times reported, “the teens cackled and shouted as though playing one of the morbid video games they loved.” And they ended their spree by shooting themselves in the head, the final act in the game Postal, and, in fact, the only way to end it.

   

  Did the sensibilities created by the modern, video kill games play a role in the Littleton massacre? Apparently so. Note the cool and casual cruelty, the outlandish arsenal of weapons, the cheering and laughing while hunting down victims one by one. All of this seems to reflect the style and feel of the video killing games they played so often.

   

  No, there isn’t any direct connection between most murderous games and most murders. And yes, the primary responsibility for protecting children from dangerous games lies with their parents, many of whom like to blame the entertainment industry for their own failings.

   

  But there is a cultural problem here: We are now a society in which the chief form of play for millions of youngsters is making large numbers of people die. Hurting and maiming others is the central fun activity in video games played so addictively by the young. A widely cited survey of 900 fourth-through-eighth-grade students found that almost half of the children said their favorite electronic games involve violence. Can it be that all this constant training in make-believe killing has no social effects?

   

  Dress rehearsal. The conventional argument is that this is a harmless activity among children who know the difference between fantasy and reality. But the games are often played by unstable youngsters unsure about the difference. Many of these have been maltreated or rejected and left alone most of the time (a precondition for playing the games obsessively). Adolescent feelings of resentment, powerlessness, and revenge pour into the killing games. In these children, the games can become a dress rehearsal for the real thing.