Author: chris

III.        Methodology and Research Strategy (1-2 pages):  This section provides the reader with a description of your strategy to conduct research for this paper. It identifies your variables and how you operationalized your research approach.  It describes the data you found and how you analyzed it for your Analysis and Findings.  This section describes any limitations you discovered about your strategy and how you overcame them. Given the length of the class, this section usually identifies the independent and dependent variables and describes how the researcher plans to analyze them to arrive at reasonable findings.

1. Analysis and Findings (3-4 pages): This section provides the results of your research and the analytical arguments that the paper makes as a result of an analysis of the variables.  In a quantitative project, this section would provide the results of the data collection and an analysis of what it illustrates in empirical terms. However, given the length of the term, most projects will be qualitative.  This section should also provide the evidence that proves (or disproves) the hypothesis.
2. Conclusions (2 -3 pages): This section will contain the concluding analytical arguments based on what research has revealed to answer the research question.  Like any conclusion, it should provide a synopsis of the project, the strategy, and the results and what they add to the body of knowledge.  This section should also offer suggestions for avenues of future research for other scholars, as all knowledge is evolutionary.
3. References (or Bibliography): This section will contain all references, cited in Turabian format, properly indented, and alphabetically arranged. Entitle this section as either “References” or “Bibliography” depending on the type of citation you use in the rest of the paper.  You should compile these and add to them as you’ve gone along. They should be error free!!!

All essays need to be 500 words and be well supported with textual evidence.

You will be graded on the following:

1) your ability to come up with a thesis;

2) your ability to prove that thesis by using textual evidence;

3) your ability to use textual material smoothly (i.e. introducing quotes, explaining them, and showing HOW they prove your thesis);

4) your ability to organize your essay in climatic order (motivate your reader for the intro and provide your thesis and/or blueprint, use topic sentences for main points, transitions to link ideas and paragraphs, build to an exciting conclusion) ;

5) your ability to answer the question asked in sufficient detail and length (500 words); and

6) your ability to use the standard practices of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and MLA documentation.

Choose one of the following:

1. The setting is often very important in a story and can serve as a symbol or in some cases, as a kind of character. Using the short story, “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The A & P” formulate a thesis that argues why the Valley of the Ebro and the grocery story, A & P, play a major role in the meaning of the stories. How do those settings ultimately contribute to the themes of the stories? Use key words and phrases from the stories to serve as evidence. Create a coherent 500-word argument.

2. We have discussed how the codes of both femininity and masculinity have changed since the days of Hemingway. Using one work from the past that we’ve studied including poems and one piece from the current time (including video lectures, TV Shows, or other cultural evidence), provide a thesis that argues that these codes have either changed greatly, stayed the same, or changed slightly using literature and cultural artifact to back up your assertions in a coherent, argumentative 500-word essay.

3. In a 500-word essay, discuss how race functions as an obstacle to the American Dream in two of the following poems, “Let America Be America Again,” “I, Too,” “Harlem,” “The Incident,” “ Yet do I Marvel,” or “The Lynching.” Be sure to discuss whether or not you think the poet holds out hope for the future or if he sees this as a permanent barrier to success. Demonstrate your knowledge of the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural milieu. Provide evidence and support for your conclusions from the poems.

The topic of your project needs to be a contemporary societal problem, such as healthcare reform, immigration reform, privacy rights, euthanasia, First Amendment Rights, stem cell research, capital punishment, corporate prisons, legalizing drugs, ageism, animal rights, cloning, prayer in schools, racial profiling, recycling/conservation, sexism, outsourcing jobs, workplace bullying, etc. The topic must focus on a single aspect, as in “How far do corporations intrude into the private lives of their employers?” or “The social costs of financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs.” You may suggest another topic to use, but the instructor must approve the topic during the Week Two Discussion.

The Final Research Project will present research relating the responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In this assignment, you will do the following:

• Research one aspect of a contemporary social problem.
• Define the problem.
• Propose a possible solution for the problem.
• Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You should take on the perspective of a critically thinking researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and evidence to support the thesis statement.
• Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from the position you take on the issue and explain how those outcomes would influence society and culture.
• Interpret statistical data from at least two peer-reviewed scholarly sources.
• Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity, reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately identify strengths and weaknesses.

Research and Define the Problem

You must take on the perspective of your major field of study and explain in your paper what that perspective is and how it informs your view of the topic. The topics listed above are far too broad to write about in 10–12 pages (3,300–3,900 words). Instead, you must choose a narrowly defined thesis and approach it from the perspective of your field.

Example: If you are an economics major, and you are interested in immigration reform, you should approach a very specific aspect of immigration reform through the lens of economic theory and practice. A specific thesis question would not be, “How does illegal immigration influence the U.S. economy?” One could write thousands of pages on such a topic. Instead, a better question would be, “How do illegal immigrant hotel workers in Chicago impact the economy of Northern Illinois?” You would then want to do the research and determine the positive and negative impacts they have, ultimately trying to conclude how illegal immigration in this area should be approached ethically.

How to Hone Your Thesis: It is important that you start your research early in this course. Try to find the most important contemporary questions and theories in your field of study and then align the most important questions with a very specific aspect of the general topics above. For example, if you are a psychology major, you might want to start thinking within the realm of healthcare reform or aspects of mental health and criminality in the prison system.

Your Argument

You must present a complete argument, including a major claim with at least five points of evidence, information, or data that will prove the claim.

• The thesis statement must be
  • A clear, simple declarative sentence as the first or last sentence in the opening paragraph of the essay.
  • Of such a nature that it can be substantiated, corroborated, verified, and proved through appeal to primary or secondary academic research source materials.
• The introductory paragraph must
  • Present the thesis statement, an explanation for the importance of the topic, and its relation to the student’s field of study.
• Beliefs, opinions, and personal opinions must not be introduced at any point in the essay.
• All beliefs and opinions should be supported with academic evidence. Sweeping generalizations with no supporting academicevidence do not reflect adequate critical thinking skills.
• Do not include rhetorical questions in your essays. All the questions that are pertinent to your project need to be answered in your essay and your answers again need to be supported with evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles and academically published books.

Attributes of Good Critical Thinking in Papers

• Your paper should include academic sources that explain multiple sides of the issue.
• The evidence that you use should come from high-level researchers engaged in your field of study.
• Your interpretations of the evidence should be objective and state the conclusions and theses presented in the evidence clearly and fairly.
• Your paper should place the various forms of evidence in relation to one another and demonstrate why one form or perspective is stronger than the other positions that one could take on the issue.
• Your paper should point out the limitations of current evidence and attempt to indicate areas for future research.

Ethical Outcomes of the Position You Take

After you have defined the problem and created an argument about how one ought to respond to the issue, you need to explain the ethical outcomes of the position you have taken. This should again be in relation to the field of study in which you are working. There might be different ethical outcomes that result from your analysis. For example, going back to the example issue above, from an economic standpoint, illegal immigrants might contribute positively to the economy of Northern Illinois in a specific number of ways. Thus, an economist who believes that positive impact to the economy is the greatest good would say that one should promote the use of illegal immigrants. However, because these workers are often paid less than others and eliminate jobs that could be done by residents of Chicago, there could be other negative ethical outcomes that would outweigh the positive impacts to the economy. It is your goal to draw out the ethical implications of your thesis and explain the underlying rationale that is the foundation for your claim that one action is better than another.

• Critical thinkers are those who can outline the positive and negative ethical impacts of their positions. In addition, they are able to provide a rationale for why they believe a specific position is the right position, even when it leads to negative outcomes.
• Critical thinkers are also able to be honest and objective about the limitations and gray areas that pertain to their theses.

Final Research Project Requirements

The Final Research Project may be presented as a formal research paper (essay format), a PowerPoint presentation, a video, or a podcast equivalent to a minimum of 10 – 12 pages in APA format (approximately 3,300 – 3,900 typewritten words, excluding title page and reference pages). Written essays must adhere to all APA formatting standards and requirements, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

PowerPoint presentations must include the full text (at least 3,300 words) in the speaker notes portion of the slides, with appropriate citations, and full reference pages. PowerPoint presentations must adhere to the basic principles of PowerPoint presentation design and must include citations and references according to APA standards and requirements.

Videos and podcasts must include a full transcript, in APA format, including appropriate in-text citations and a references page.

Quotations:

There must be no more than 15% quoted content in the body of your essay. All quoted material must bear quotation marks and a full quotation citation.

Source Documents:

• There must be 10 or more source documents used, cited, and referenced.
• Multimedia sources (such as videos) may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. If multimedia sources are used, then they must be authored and distributed by credible sources, such as universities, law schools, medical schools, or professors, or found in the Ashford University Library.
• Where print documents are used for source materials, those must be peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, and academically published books. Popular media sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows, etc.) may not be used. Materials from advocacy groups (e.g., Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women, etc.) may not be used.
• Two of the peer-reviewed scholarly sources used must include statistical evidence, which must be accurately interpreted.
• Sites such as ProCon.org and Wikipedia should not be used.
• Religious texts are neither peer-reviewed nor scholarly and so may not be used in any way.

Summary Conclusion:

You must have a summary conclusion as the last paragraph(s) of the project, presenting the major point of the essay and the evidence supporting that point.

Word Count:

The content body of the project must be 3,300 words or more. The word count does not include anything in the title page, running header, or reference list. It is expected that you meet all logistical requirements of this paper.

Reference List:

• The list of references must include only those source documents that are cited within the body of the project.
• The project must fully comply with APA formatting standards and requirements as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center: title page, running header with page numbers, font face and size, line spacing, citations, and reference page(s).

Course Reflection Questions:

Please 3 topics that you found most interesting this semester and briefly describe why.

What were your 2 least favorite topics and why?

What aspect of the course did you find most challenging? How would you assess your your overall approach to meeting course requirements? Is there anything that you would have done differently?

How might the course be modified to address this challenge? (Constructive–“not mean spirited” feedback is appreciated:-))

Thank you!

1.

Nature vs. nurture

Early and Middle Adulthood developmental stage

3.

Schizophrenia

800 words please or more!!!!!!!!!!

At this level, you are learning the core concepts of the discipline and you will produce a graduate level paper that presents a research “puzzle” relevant to the subject matter of this class. The paper will be 10-15 pages in length.

The requirements for this project will mirror the requirements for all graduate papers. The paper will be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman, Calibri, or other standard font, with margins of 1” all around.  It will be double-spaced except where the format calls for single spacing, for example, block quotations and the list of complete citations.  Citations will conform to the Turabian format whether you choose to use the Parenthetical/References style or the more traditional Foot- or end-notes/Bibliography style. To recap the Format of the Paper:

• Title Page of the Paper. The title of your paper should be brief but should adequately inform the reader of your general topic and the specific focus of your research. Keywords relating to parameters, population, and other specifics are useful. ALWAYS use a Title Page for graduate work! Your title page will include the title, name, course name and number, and Professor’s Name.

1. Introduction, Research Question, and Hypothesis (1-2 pages): This section shall provide an overview of the topic that you are writing about, a concise synopsis of the issues, and why the topic presents a “puzzle” that prompts your research questions, which you will include. This section can be preceded by an epigraph that creates interest in the topic.  We encourage the use of epigraphs, but please follow the proper format for epigraphs!!
2. Review of the Literature (3-5 pages): All research projects include a literature review to set out for the reader what knowledge exists on the subject under study and helps the researcher develop the research strategy to use in the study.  A good literature review is a thoughtful study of what has been written, a summary of the arguments that exist (whether you agree with them or not), and are arranged thematically. The literature review is not an annotated bibliography and should be written in coherent narrative style. At the end of the summary, there should still be gaps in the literature that you intend to fill with your research.

III.        Methodology and Research Strategy (1-2 pages):  This section provides the reader with a description of your strategy to conduct research for this paper. It identifies your variables and how you operationalized your research approach.  It describes the data you found and how you analyzed it for your Analysis and Findings.  This section describes any limitations you discovered about your strategy and how you overcame them. Given the length of the class, this section usually identifies the independent and dependent variables and describes how the researcher plans to analyze them to arrive at reasonable findings.

1. Analysis and Findings (3-4 pages): This section provides the results of your research and the analytical arguments that the paper makes as a result of an analysis of the variables.  In a quantitative project, this section would provide the results of the data collection and an analysis of what it illustrates in empirical terms. However, given the length of the term, most projects will be qualitative.  This section should also provide the evidence that proves (or disproves) the hypothesis.
2. Conclusions (2 -3 pages): This section will contain the concluding analytical arguments based on what research has revealed to answer the research question.  Like any conclusion, it should provide a synopsis of the project, the strategy, and the results and what they add to the body of knowledge.  This section should also offer suggestions for avenues of future research for other scholars, as all knowledge is evolutionary.
3. References (or Bibliography): This section will contain all references, cited in Turabian format, properly indented, and alphabetically arranged. Entitle this section as either “References” or “Bibliography” depending on the type of citation you use in the rest of the paper.  You should compile these and add to them as you’ve gone along. They should be error free!!!

Team Bldg & Leadership Unit V Case Study

Unit V Case Study

In any team, problems will arise and team members will have questions about the conflict and how to resolve it. Members across departments must collaborate and contribute to the resolution of any unhealthy form of team conflict. Based on Case One: ElectriGov (found on page 177 in your textbook), answer the following questions:

1. Why is it important for an organization to have a mission?
2. Why is it important for team members to know their roles on a team?
3. Is competition within a team a good or bad thing? Explain your response.
4. Why is it important to set short- and long-term goals when planning a meeting regarding conflicts? Provide examples.
5. Why is it significant for leaders to understand how to resolve conflict and avoid unhealthy agreements?

Your Case Study should be in APA style with a minimum of two pages (not including the title and references pages).

References

Dyer, W. G., Jr., Dyer, J. H., & Dyer, W. G. (2013) Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance (5^th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1.5 page for this

Please review the Case Study introduction presented below…and provide a one to two page input on your thoughts relative this event.   Please submit your input as a word document format (.doc).  Please remember to cite the sources for your research.

Case Study – “Hubble Trouble”:

Some years ago work began on the development of the Hubble Space Telescope….which was placed into low earth orbit in 1990.

The capability provided by the Hubble Space Telescope is a historic prescedent for mankind…..vis a vis the advanced imaging of the cosmos…..from a vantage point in space….free from image distortion caused by the earth’s atmosphere.

Considerable care and planning was associated with the development of this complex space based instrument.

Unfortunately, the Hubble Space Telescope experienced several delays and cost over-runs.

The deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope was further delayed due to the un-related loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Once the Hubble Space Telescope was ultimately deployed it was discovered that the telescope suffered from a significant optics error in the development of it’s primary reflecting mirror.

Fortunately, a team was able to develop a solution to address this error….at considerable additional expense….and opportunity loss (vis a vis…the re-allocation of space shuttle missions to implement the solution….).

Questions:

What went wrong in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope ?

What was the impact / consequences associated with this error ?

What actions did the Hubble Space Telescope development team employ to preclude the problem from happening ?

Why weren’t the actions that the team employed sufficient to prevent this embarassing problem from occuring ?

What Systems Engineering processes / actions should the James Webb Space Telescope development team consider employing to preclude such a problem from occuring in this successor space telescope ?

• Sony and Toshiba
• Nordstrom vs. Macy’s
• Sears vs. JC Penney
• Dell vs. Acer
• Sams Club, vs. Costco
• Staples vs. Office Depot
• Zappos vs. 6pm.com
• KiitchenAid vs. Subzero
• Ford vs. Toyota

• Font: Arial, Size 12, double space

• Length: 3–4 pages Citation Style: APA

your keys drop from the top of the tower and fall straight to the ground.you want to know far from the base of the tower the keys landed. draw a triangle that will help you solve the problem. label each triangle with the information you know. The tower is 50meters tall and it has a 86 degree angel

You are required to write a complete laboratory report that covers all three experiments for “Lab 2: Water Quality and Contamination,” using knowledge gained throughout the course. To begin, download the Final Lab Report Template and utilize this form to ensure proper formatting and inclusion of all required material. Additionally, view the Sample Final Lab Report before beginning this assignment, which will illustrate what a Final Lab Report should look like. You must use at least four scholarly sources and your lab manual to support your points. The report must be six to ten pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

The Final Lab Report must contain the following eight sections in this order:

1. Title Page – This page must include the title of your report, your name, course name, instructor, and date submitted.
2. Abstract – This section should provide a brief summary of the methods, results, and conclusions. It should allow the reader to see what was done, how it was done, and the results. It should not exceed 200 words and should be the last part written (although it should still appear right after the title page).
3. Introduction – This section should include background information on water quality and an overview of why the experiment was conducted. It should first contain background information of similar studies previously conducted. This is accomplished by citing existing literature from similar experiments. Secondly, it should provide an objective or a reason why the experiment is being done. Why do we want to know the answer to the question we are asking? Finally, it should end with all three hypotheses from your Week Two experiments. These hypotheses should not be adjusted to reflect the “right” answer. Simply place your previous hypotheses in the report here. You do not lose points for an inaccurate hypothesis; scientists often revise their hypotheses based on scientific evidence following the experiments.
4. Materials and Methods – This section should provide a detailed description of the materials used in your experiment and how they were used. A step-by-step rundown of your experiment is necessary; however, it should be done in paragraph form, not in a list format. The description should be exact enough to allow for someone reading the report to replicate the experiment, however, it should be in your own words and not simply copied and pasted from the lab manual.
5. Results – This section should include the data and observations from the experiment. All tables and graphs should be present in this section. In addition to the tables, you must describe the data in text; however, there should be no personal opinions or discussion outside of the results located within this area.
6. Discussion – This section should interpret your data and provide conclusions. Discuss the meanings of your findings in this area. Was your hypothesis accepted or rejected, and how are you able to determine this? Did the results generate any future questions that might benefit from a new experiment? Were there any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results? If so, how could you control for these in the future?
7. Conclusions – This section should provide a brief summary of your work.
8. References – List references used in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.