Major: Social work

Below are some questions i had wrote down:

Is everything being done to protect our teen and children in the home environment?

How do you verify abuse?

How important are Social workers?

Is this a growing field compare to others?

Are social workers being overworked?

Should social workers be paid more?

1. Brainstorm a list of words or phrases that come up when you think about argumentative topics related to your major (or issues in education) that you want to know more about. You may need to do a preliminary Google search or look around a database like Opposing Viewpoints to gather more ideas. Don't censor yourself.

keep in mind what this paper is not: it is not just an exploration of why you are interested in a particular job or major, nor should it simply be a comparison/contrast between two jobs, two majors, nor an outlook of whether or not there are jobs out there in your field, etc.).

2. "Review your list. Look for a single item in any column that seems promising. Ask yourself these questions: Is this something that raises questions that research could answer? Are they potentially interesting topics? Does this get at something I've always wondered about? Might it open doors to knowledge I think is important, fascinating, or relevant in my life?" (Ballenger 27). Circle the item.

3. "Spend five minutes or so listing what you know about your topic already" (Ballenger 41).

For Essay 3, you must write an ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER.

That is, the paper must argue for or against something, present a solution to a problem, or defend a position: it may not just present information on a subject.

(The lessons in Unit 3 will walk you through how to write this essay. Carefuly review all the content.)

(Our assigned essay, Marc Prensky's "Colleges Should Mandate That All Textbooks Be Digitized" is an example of an argument

1. Write a research paper that tries to convince the reader of a position. In other words, to repeat, your paper should not just inform your reader about a topic, but instead it must convince your reader of something. Think of an argumentative paper as writing FOR or AGAINST something.

You may choose your own topic, but to promote writing across the curriculum, choose from the following:

• an argumentative issue that exists within your major/field of study or a job you currently hold or want to hold (where you take a side and argue FOR or AGAINST something. Don't just explore a career, salaries, etc. – that does not equal an argument). For example, a business student may write an argumentative paper in support of/or against the Affordable Care Act and its effect on small businesses. A criminal justice student may write an argumentative paper in support of/or against the use of confessions in trials. Ultimately, choose a topic that will be of real interest to you. Consider perhaps a problem you face at your current job or areas of disagreement in your profession of interest.
• an argumentative issue that exists in the field of education (where you can take a side and argue FOR or AGAINST something. Think of a problem or issue you yourself may have faced in the past or are facing now, a school policy with which you disagree, etc.)

Before writing the full paper, you will first work through the process of creating a research proposal and an annotated bibliography. Keep in mind that, first and foremost, your topic will need to approved by your instructor.

For the purposes of academic discourse, please avoid choosing controversial topics that will require, in great part, relying on religious/moral arguments. Although you are each, of course, entitled to your own personal beliefs, it will best for this course to depend on academic sources that are independent of personal faith. For example, avoid writing papers about abortion, the death penalty, etc.

Unit 3 will cover, in detail, how to write an argumentative research paper — and its precededing components.

Your final research paper must be between 1500-1800 words and adhere to MLA formatting.

Source guidelines:

• The paper must incorporate formal research.
• A minimum of three (3) sources must be used – a maximum of five (5) sources can be used.
• Only ONE (1) source may come from a direct website; this does not mean that you cannot conduct all of your research online — you can, but your other sources must be academic ones (books, newspaper articles, journal articles, etc.). It IS possible to access these sources remotely via the library portal (from your home or work computer) without having to physically visit the library, if you would prefer not to or are unable to do so. The unit content will explain how this is possible.
• Within the paper itself, you must cite each source from which you paraphrase, summarize, or quote. All in-text citations must adhere to MLA formatting. Although this is a reseach paper assignment, the bulk of the paper should still come from your own original ideas, interpretations, evaluations, and suggestions. Roughly, no more than 30% of the paper should come from source material.
• An accompanying Works Cited page is required: papers submitted without one will automatically earn a zero (0).
• Accompanying multi-media materials can be incorporated — and are encouraged! — but should be in addition to, not in place of, other formal source material and own content.