(Answered)-Exploratory Essay Assignment Length: 1,800-2,400 words, typed, - (2025 Updated Original AI-Free Solution

Question

Exploratory Essay Assignment

Length: 1,800-2,400 words, typed, double-spaced

Source requirements: You must consult at least four reputable external sources for this assignment. One of those sources may include David Brooks's "The Social Animal"; however, while this is encouraged, it is not a requirement.

Citing:In order to avoid plagiarism, you must cite your sources in two ways: first, as an in-text citation in which you note the author's last name and a page number (if there is one) within your paper. Second, you should attach a works cited page to the end of your paper which includes a full reference citation for every source consulted in your essay. This form of citation is described within Module 6. You can also use to Easybib.com to generate the reference citation that will be included with your works cited page.

I understand that citing can get very complicated and that the online textbook only gives you a basic introduction to MLA formatting. If you have questions about citing, please see me or a tutor for help. Know, also, that I will not grade you down for incorrectly citing a source?I simply want to you understand that it is necessary to give credit to your sources. So long as you make an effort to cite any outside information you utilize in your paper, I will not lower your grade for improper citation.

Assignment: In the previous module, you were asked to turn inward?to use your own experiences, observations, and behaviors in order to evaluate a view of human nature and success posited by an outside source. As previously noted, reconsidering conventional notions of success is important to your own academic, emotional, and professional development, but, moreover, it can impact public policy.

This next essay turns your gaze outward and moves you away from personal reflection by asking you to research a specific problem in our current educational, justice, social, or economic system. What is the problem? How do others believe we should solve it? Though you are not required to mention Brooks's essay expressly, the work and thinking you did in previous modules should be in the back of your mind. Perhaps you reflected on your own educational experiences in the single-source essay: If success is determined by the connections you make to others, rather than your standardized test scores, how might your school have better served you? Similarly, if we do not make decisions rationally, how can we get people to eat healthier and take better care of themselves? Can drop-out rates be lowered with rational incentives?

In this essay, you will explore several sides of an issue in order to more fully understand what different people think about it. Think of yourself as an objective reporter, carefully explaining others' views on and solutions to a problem. You should not take a side just yet?that is the work of your fourth and final persuasive essay. For now, your job is simply to acquire, digest, and summarize (in your own words) all of the research you've gathered on your chosen issue. However, this does not mean that your essay will be an unstructured free-for-all, nor does it mean that you can simply copy and paste content from external sources into the body of your paper: the exploratory essay is framed by an underlying research question and follows a particular format. You will need to avoid plagiarism by properly paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing the research you gather. Be sure that you fully understand the difference between these three terms before beginning this essay.

Topics:Choose a current educational, sociological, or economic problem to explore in this essay. This problem should be related to a negative human behavior that educators, parents, and policy-makers are working to correct. Choose your topic carefully, as you will be using the perspectives and ideas you gather in this exploratory paper to craft a well-informed persuasive essay on the same topic in Module 8. For example, if you choose to explore the perspectives and opinions surrounding the 2012 Benghazi attack in this paper, you will take a clear, argumentative stance on that same attack in your persuasive essay. This also means that your topic for the exploratory essay needs to be debatable; otherwise, your persuasive essay will not be very persuasive.

It is important to remember the length of this assignment when choosing a topic. Large, sweeping topics will not do--you simply cannot cover all aspects of (for instance) abortion in a 4-page paper. You will have a much easier time with a narrowed topic--one that you wouldn't mind learning more about. I encourage you to choose a topic that you have not already formed an opinion on. Take this as an opportunity to learn something new and to allow your opinion to take shape as you gain insight into a particular issue. Either way, begin with a clear research question. Explore as many sides and answers to that question as you can. I've listed some ideas below, but keep in mind that the possibilities are, essentially, endless:

Educational Policy:

• Should we pay students for good grades?
• Should standardized testing be abandoned?
• How can we lower school drop-out rates in Massachusetts?
• How effective is the Core Curriculum in shaping well-rounded, successful students?

Social/Economic Policy:

• Is monetary child support an effective way to promote success in the children of single parents?
• Who should take responsibility for the obesity epidemic? The individual or the government?
• How effective is attachment parenting?
• Should drug users be incarcerated?
• How can we lower rates of homelessness in Massachusetts?
• Should casino gambling be outlawed in Massachusetts?