Research Paper: Students will complete a comprehensive, 5-7 page research paper identifying, explaining and analyzing a challenge to attaining the American Dream, as defined in the USA Today article, "Are you middle class?" This project will allow students to focus on one challenge and explore many facets of it while considering possible solutions based upon legitimate evidence/data. Students can focus on issues related to employment, education, housing, immigration, healthcare, federal, state, or local laws, etc. Use of this thematic focus will enable students to develop a deep understanding of one aspect of pathways and barriers to the American Dream while mastering the process associated with composing a large research paper. The only topic not available is Retirement/Social Security.
Suggested Topics:
*The above list is not meant to limit student selection. If you have an idea, please talk with your instructor or the librarians as soon as possible so we can help guide you during the research process.
Using a variety of sources, such as newspapers, periodicals, speeches, interviews, books, websites, documentary films, etc., will provide the most comprehensive collection of information. Sources should be recent and published within the past five years -- 2020 to present.
All components must be typed in MLA format. All components will be submitted to Canvas.
Good starting points for background information are reference "books," such as dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias. You may choose Wikipedia to get a sense of a topic. However, Wikipedia is best used by going to the source material (references) listed at the end of each article.
Our library includes another database you may know, Britannica. Britannica has an online version, ProCon, that can also be helpful for identifying information relevant to your essay topic, helping to limit its scope.
Another good source for this stage of your research is Credo. The Credo Reference database includes a great MindMap tool to help you brainstorm topic ideas.