Paper 2:  Writing Assignment List

Back to Topics

1.)        Be sure to write the title (or question that you have chosen to address) at the top of your paper.  (With so many papers to read, it helps me do focus on your particular topic quickly). 

 

2.)        You must cite all sources very clearly so that I can find them. If you plagiarize someone else’s work, you will be dismissed from this class.  You may use a broad variety of source material:  Newspaper and magazine articles, books and monographs, professional journals, documentaries, etc.  You are welcome to use internet source material, but be sure to reference it very carefully.

 

3.)        I want to see at least 5 references.  (You may use the text as one of them).

 

4.)        If you need help with citations, refer to “Citing Sources” under “Writing Assignments” in Blackboard.  It is critical that you cite all sources thoroughly.  You may use APA; MPA; and other formats.  The important thing is that I can get to the particular source and access it. 

 

5.)        Please set your margins to 1” all around the page.  Double-space your typing.  Use no larger than 12 pt type, (Times New Roman is preferred).  Be sure to number your pages.  Proofread your work carefully.  Due to the large numbers of papers I’ll be grading, I generally stop reading at the 5th typographical error, so proofread your work.  It is acceptable for you to let others proofread for you, as long as they don’t write your paper!

 

6.)        By all means, feel free to use VCU’s writing center for help with grammar and writing.

 

7.)        Save your paper in .doc; .docx; or .rtf format.  Do NOT save it in MsWorks; or Word Perfect format.  Please name your document as follows: lastname, first initial, 302paper2. In other words, if your name is Thomas Friedman, your paper would be titled, "friedmant302paper2".

 

You may choose to write on any ONE of the following questions from Chapters 6; 7; 8; 13; 9; 10; 11; 12; and 14:  (Crime, Violence, Sexuality, Family, Drugs, Health, Economy and Politics, Work, and Education). 

 

Chapter 6: Crime and Criminal Justice

 

Here are some web sites that you may find useful:  (There is a wealth of information available on the web.  Try to be objective in your analysis.

FBI Home Page:  http://www.fbi.gov/

Death Penalty Information Center: (anti-death penalty)  http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

Pro-Death Penalty.com  http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/

 

 

1.         Regarding the debate over the death penalty, what is your opinion?  Should the death penalty be abolished in the U.S.?  Cite support for your position

 

2.         The U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world, both in terms of numbers and percentages.  Some states are spending more on prisons (and the U.S. criminal justice system associated with them) than they are on education.  How do liberals and conservatives approach this problem?  Is there a viable alternative?

 

 

Chapter 7: Violence

 

There is a wealth of information available to you on the web on all of these topics: 

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/5/1222

http://www.healthyminds.org/mediaviolence.cfm

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan07/gang_threat011807.htm

 

 

1.         Does violence in the media (including television, movies, popular music, and video games) increase the overall level of violence in society in general?  Examine both sides of this issue when formulating your opinion.

 

2.         Gang violence is an increasing concern in this country.  Once considered primarily an urban problem, it is now found outside urban areas as well.  Examine the statistics on this topic and address some of the more effective ways of dealing with it.  (Which sociological perspective is most helpful in explaining why it occurs as a social phenomenon).
 

 

Chapter 8:  Sexuality

 

Here are some websites that deal with the subject of prostitution.  The first is the Prostitute’s Education Network <http://www.bayswan.org/penet.html> Examine this site closely as it contains a wealth of information.  What is the significance of discarding the term “prostitute” for “sex worker”? What are the key objectives that advocates of legalized prostitution want to achieve for all sex workers?  Read one sex worker’s account of her employment at the Nevada Brothels.  What does she conclude about them?  Next, visit a site that opposes legalized prostitution, the Prostitution Research and Education Website,  <http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/>.  Examine the articles it has posted and be sure to read the interview with Melissa Farley.  Why does she oppose using the term “sex worker”?  Why does she oppose legalized prostitution?  Now go to the web page of the National Organization for Women < http://www.now.org/index.html>.  Can you find out what stand does it take on legalized prostitution?

 

 

 1.        Prostitution is defined as a “victimless crime” with the implication that it is sexual activity between two consenting adults that does not harm others.  Canada and some western European countries have legalized it (and it is legal in the state of Nevada).  Should prostitution be legalized across the United States?  Why/why not?   

 

2.         Chapter 8 discusses the topic of abortion.  Abortion is one of the most controversial and divisive subjects in the United States, today.   What are the basic arguments on both sides of this issue?  Some have argued that new technologies will ease the tension over abortion.  Do you agree—(why; why not)?

 

Chapter 13:  Family Life

 

On the web you’ll find a host of conservative and liberal organizations that are all too eager to expound upon the family as the central building block of American society.

The following link will take you to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance (OFA):

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/

 

 

1.         Should society recognize marriage between gay people in the same way that it recognizes marriage between heterosexuals?  What are the arguments, pro and con?  Try to examine them with a mind to the political spectrum (e.g. liberalism; conservatism).

 

2.         Compared to earlier welfare legislation, has the 1996 Welfare Reform Act (officially, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996) been good or bad for poor families?   Explain your answer.

 

 Chapter 9:  Alcohol and other Drugs

 

Alcohol and tobacco are this nation’s most harmful drugs, yet national attention is generally focused on illegal drugs.  There are lots of web sites devoted to this topic.  The two links, below address the topic of the use of drugs by pregnant women.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/law/womenpregnan/

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3D91F30F933A0575BC0A96E948260

 

 

1.         Should marijuana usage be decriminalized or even legalized in the U.S.?  What are the Pros and Cons of decriminalization or legalization of marijuana in this country?

 

2.         According to the text, “[e]ach year, almost half a million drug-exposed infants are born in the United States” (p. 249).  (There is a recent article in the New York Times about this topic—see the link, above).  The text asks, “Given the personal harm and enormous costs that result when pregnant women use drugs, do you think society should hold these women responsible or not?  Should the women face criminal charges for giving drugs to a child or harming a child?   Examine arguments made in favor of and against this stand.   Should pregnant women who use drugs face charges of child abuse and neglect; or even more serious charges including assault and manslaughter?

           

 

Chapter 10: Physical and Mental Health

 

Here’s a link to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

     http://www.hhs.gov/

This link is to the United Nations World Health Organization:

     http://www.who.int/en/

 

 

1.         Which of the three political analyses of health care included in Chapter 10 do you find the most convincing?  Why—Be sure to back up your answer with factual information.

 

2.         According to the text, the number of college students who suffer from mental health problems is increasing (p. 286).  Research this topic.  What are the major health problems found among this countries college student population?  What have been advanced as the primary causes of these health problems?  What types of solutions have shown promise in helping to solve them?

 

 

Chapter 11:  Economy and Politics

 

There are many articles on the topic of the recent Bail-Out:

 

1.         Which model, “power elite: or “pluralist” best describes the power structure in the U.S.?  Support your conclusion with examples from the literature on this subject.

2.         Regarding the current economic situation, which many have called a “Financial Crisis,” should the federal government provide an $800+ billion dollar assistance package (“bail-out”) of the U.S. banking and mortgage industry?  Examine both sides of this question—What are the major reasons offered in opposition to it?  What are the reasons offered in support of it?   

 

Chapter 12:  Work and the Work Place

 

U. S. Department of Labor:             http://www.dol.gov/

AFL – CIO:                                       http://www.aflcio.org/

ExxonMobil Corporation:                http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/default.aspx?

 

1.         Examine the relative power of U.S. multinational corporations, the federal government, and labor unions.  Based on your review of the literature, which of the three exerts the most power in American society?  (Back up your answer with factual information).

2.         The numbers of temporary and contractual workers in the U.S. have been growing substantially in recent years.  Who benefits more from this—workers or industry?  Why?  Does the country, as a whole benefit from this shift in the workforce?  Explain.

 

Chapter 14:  Education

 

Visit the website of  the National Education Association (NEA), < http://www.nea.org/ >, “America’s oldest and largest organization committed to advancing the cause of public education”.  Click on the “Issues” button and you will find NEA’s position on a broad variety of issues.  This may help you in writing your papers if you choose one of the “education” questions, below.

 

 

1.         Are Standards of Learning (SOLs) a reasonable way to assess the job that public schools do in educating children?  Explain your answer and provide supporting data for your arguments.

 

2.         Discuss mainstreaming and summarize the arguments that both sides make regarding whether or not public schools should adopt this controversial program.  Be sure to provide evidence to back up your arguments.

 

 

 

 

Top of Page