Final Paper Topic

 
Prepare:  As you prepare to write your response to this discussion assignment,  you may want to review the following resources as these will help you in  developing a topic:

Developing a Topic (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Integrating Research (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

It is also recommended that you review these tutorials from the Ashford University Library:

Database Search Tips (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

You may also want to review the Sample Final Paper GEN499, so that you can start preparing your rough draft that is due in Week 4.
 
Reflect: When considering a research topic, consider  an interesting topic that is worth further research. For instance,  having a strong opinion on a specific topic may deter you from thinking  more critically, and therefore the research might end up being  one-sided. It is a good idea to pick a topic in which you can provide a  good argument for both sides of the societal issue.
  
Write: For this discussion, address the following prompts:

Identify a global societal issue from the following list that you  would consider researching further for your Week 5 Final Paper: 

Aging population
Critical Thinking Skills for the 21st Century
Gender Inequality
Global Climate Change
Global Water Shortage
Marginalization and Minorities
Refugee Crises
Children’s Rights
Social Media Censorship

Describe effective methods you used in identifying and narrowing  down to just one of the topics to further research for your Final Paper.
Explain three ways you can critically analyze sources to determine if they are scholarly.
Summarize information from at least two scholarly journal articles  from the Ashford University Library that will support your claims for  your chosen topic.
Explain why scholarly sources should be used to support your writing on the selected topic.
Download and attach a PDF copy of one of the peer-reviewed scholarly  articles that you found from the Ashford University Library to your  answer using the “Attach” function located below your response.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length, which  should include a thorough response to each prompt. You are required to  provide in-text citations of applicable required reading materials  and/or any other outside sources you use to support your claims. Provide  full reference entries of all sources cited at the end of your  response. Please use correct APA format when writing in-text citations  (see In-Text Citation Helper (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.) and references (see Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.).