The laws of drinking and driving in america

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Final Paper Option:

 

Structure of the Paper: The final paper option in this class takes the form of a “miniature” literature review and analysis.  Once you have elected to complete the final paper (decision by Monday, March 31^st), you will not be allowed to switch to the group project except with express permission of the instructor.  Anyone who does not actively indicate that he or she wishes to complete a group project will be assigned this option by default. The paper should be organized according to the following guidelines:

 

Topic: Your paper should be written about any topic related to drug use and American society that we have not discussed in class (or you may elaborate more fully on a topic that we have covered if you discuss it with me first). You must submit your choice of topic to me on Oncourse by Monday, April 7^th for approval.

 

Introduction: (1-2 pages) What is your topic?  Why might others find it important?  Generally speaking, what kind of research has been published about this topic?

 

Background/Literature Review: (2-3 pages) This section should be a more in-depth summary of the literature about your topic.  You should not be expressing any opinions of your own in this section – the purpose here is to describe what has been published/what is known.

 

Discussion: (2-3 pages) This section should be your own interpretation of the literature review.  For instance, if your topic is “secondhand smoke” and you find in your literature review that secondhand smoke harms children riding in vehicles with parents who smoke, what might you conclude?  Does this finding inform your perception of current laws?  Would you suggest changing the law?  And so on…

 

 

 

 

References: Within your paper, you must cite a minimum of 6 peer-reviewed documents (I suggest searching for them using the library’s search engines or Google Scholar).  You should use APA style citations for in-text citations:

–         E.g., “Text text text text (Author, Author & Author, Year).”

–         A good reference for APA style citations can be found here: http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa

 

Grading Rubric: H318 Final Paper

 

Paper Adheres to the Topic (20 points) – the topic does not deviate from the topic presented to the instructor (10 points).

            – Topic was submitted to the instructor on time (10 points)

Introduction (30 points) – the introduction is an adequate presentation of the topic, in general (20 points) and explains why the topic is an important facet of drug use in American society (20 points). 

Background/Literature Review (70 points) – the background/literature review section presents an adequate picture of the topic using a variety of sources (40 points). This section does not contain personal opinions, but rather focuses on describing what has been found and reported in the peer-reviewed literature (30 points).

Discussion (70 points) – the discussion section moves beyond the factual information presented in the literature review and provides critical analysis of at least two areas of interest derived from the background section (70 points).

Spelling/Grammar/Length (20 points) – each of the sections falls between the required length guidelines.  Grammar, spelling, and overall linguistic structure is appropriate for a college-level final paper.

References (20 points) – the paper cites at least six peer-reviewed references, and uses in-text citations for each of those documents properly, in addition to providing a final “references” section at the end of the paper.