When considering a research topic, consider an interesting topic that is worth further research.
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review the Narrowing a Topic and Developing a Research Question (Links to an external site.) web page and Integrating Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial. These resources will help you in developing a topic.
It is also recommended that you review these tutorials from the Ashford University Library:
Database Search Tips (Links to an external site.)
Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.)
You may also want to review the Sample Final Paper GEN499 download, 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:
Climate change
Pollution
Religious conflict and violence
Rise of artificial intelligence
Lack of education
Unemployment and lack of economic opportunity
Government accountability and corruption
Food and water security
International drug trafficking
Poverty and income inequality
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.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 Globalization and Its Ethical Implications [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review the following Week 1 and Week 2 required resources that focus on globalization, ethics, and moral reasoning. This will assist you in examining your own development of ethical and moral responsibilities as they relate to your Final Paper and its topic.
Read these articles from Week 1:
From Globalism to Globalization: The Politics of Resistance
Globalization, Globalism, and Cosmopolitanism as an Educational Ideal
Transnationalism and Anti-globalism
Read these articles from Week 2:
Introduction to Global Issues
A Global Ethics for a Globalized World
Virtue Ethics and Modern Society
Classical Stoicism and the Birth of a Global Ethics: Cosmopolitan Duties in a World of Local Loyalties
Reflect: The change of our world from a local economy to a national economy to a global, international economy means that increasingly diverse populations will have to work together to achieve common goals. However, as the economy becomes increasingly global, local economies and people may suffer economic disadvantage or may find themselves marginalized from the rest of the world. Globalization creates ethical dilemmas for which we will need to find solutions.
Write: For this discussion, address the following prompts:
Explain the implications of globalization.
Identify at least two ethical issues that go along with the global societal topic you have chosen for your final essay.
Explain how globalization contributes to or affects these ethical dilemmas.
Propose solutions to these ethical dilemmas that are feasible financially, socially, and culturally.
DQ2 Ethics and Moral Development [WLOs: 1, 2, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review the Week 2 required resources that focus on ethics and morals. This will assist you in examining your own development of ethical and moral responsibilities.
Read the articles:
A Global Ethics for a Globalized World
Virtue Ethics and Modern Society
Classical Stoicism and the Birth of a Global Ethics: Cosmopolitan Duties in a World of Local Loyalties
Responsibilities of an Educated Person (Links to an external site.) [Blog post] by jwood00
Moral Education for a Society in Moral Transition (Links to an external site.)
Decision Procedures for Ethics: DEAL Carrying on Without Resolution (Links to an external site.)
Reflect: Take a deeper look at your own life and determine which experiences have inspired ethical and moral reasoning. Were there any huge influences in this process?
Write: For this discussion you will address the following prompts:
Explain what it means to be ethical as it relates to personal, academic, and professional growth.
Provide at least one ethical dilemma you have encountered, and describe how the issue was resolved.
Describe how your general education courses have influenced your ethical values.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 Final Paper Progress [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prepare: In preparation for this discussion forum, make a list of what you learned most throughout the process of researching your final essay topic, as well as difficulties you may have encountered along the way.
Reflect: Think about what you have learned in the development of your research findings on the global societal issue you chose in the Week 1 discussion forum, your proposed solution and its ethical outcomes, and share with your classmates why this specific issues requires further research.
Write: For this discussion, you will address the following prompts:
Identify the global societal issue you have chosen to research for your Final Paper, an argumentative essay, and explain why further research on this topic is important.
Provide a clear and concise thesis statement that includes a solution to the global societal issue (see Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.) for assistance).
Explain how this global societal issue impacts a specific population.
Locate a peer-reviewed scholarly source and provide statistical data that you found surprising on the topic.
DQ2 Scholarly Sources and Research [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this assignment, view the videos Scholarly and Popular Sources(1) (Links to an external site.), Why Can’t I Just Google? (Links to an external site.), and Effective Internet Search: Basic Tools and Advanced Strategies (Links to an external site.).
Reflect: Good research is a combination of many types of sources. Prior to taking this course, did you understand the differences between these sources and the importance of finding one type of resource over another?
Write: For this discussion, you will address the following prompts:
Explain at least five differences between popular and scholarly sources used in research.
Locate and summarize one peer-reviewed, scholarly source from the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and one popular source that pertain to your Final Paper topic. In your summary of each article, comment on the following: biases, reliability, strengths, and limitations.
From the sources you summarized, list and explain at least five visual cues from the peer-reviewed, scholarly source that were not evident in the popular source.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 4 Discussion
Elements of Critical Thinking [WLOs: 2, 3, 4] [CLOs: 2, 3, 4]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, in preparation for discussing the importance of critical thinking skills,
Read the articles
Common Misconceptions of Critical Thinking
Combating Fake News in the Digital Age
6 Critical Thinking Skills You Need to Master Now (Links to an external site.)
Teaching and Learning in a Post-Truth world: It’s Time for Schools to Upgrade and Reinvest in Media Literacy Lessons
Critical Thinking and the Challenges of Internet (Links to an external site.)
Watch the videos
Fake News: Part 1 (Links to an external site.)
Critical Thinking (Links to an external site.)
Review the resources
Critical Thinking Skills (Links to an external site.)
Valuable Intellectual Traits (Links to an external site.)
Critical Thinking Web (Links to an external site.)
Reflect: Reflect on the characteristics of a critical thinker. Critical thinking gets you involved in a dialogue with the ideas you read from others in this class. To be a critical thinker, you need to be able to summarize, analyze, hypothesize, and evaluate new information that you encounter.
Write: For this discussion, you will address the following prompts. Keep in mind that the article or video you’ve chosen should not be about critical thinking, but should be about someone making a statement, claim, or argument related to your Final Paper topic. One source should demonstrate good critical thinking skills and the other source should demonstrate the lack or absence of critical thinking skills. Personal examples should not be used.
Explain at least five elements of critical thinking that you found in the reading material.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which good critical thinking skills are being demonstrated by the author or speaker. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates good critical thinking skills.
Search the Internet, media, or the Ashford University Library, and find an example in which the author or speaker lacks good critical thinking skills. Summarize the content and explain why you think it demonstrates the absence of good, critical thinking skills.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 5 Discussion
Reflecting on General Education and Career [WLOs: 2, 3, 4] [CLOs: 2, 3, 4]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read the articles Teaching Writing Skills That Enhance Student Success in Future Employment ; An Inner Barrier to Career Development: Preconditions of the Impostor Phenomenon and Consequences for Career Development (Links to an external site.); and 9 Questions That’ll Help You Find Your Dream Career (Links to an external site.); watch the video Business, Management & Administration (Links to an external site.); and review the General Education Curriculum found in General Academic Information and Policies (Links to an external site.) in the University of Arizona Global Campus Catalog. This catalog addresses the core competencies that the general education courses must cover: Ethical Reasoning, Written Communication, Oral and Interpersonal Communication, Information Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Quantitative Reasoning.
Reflect: Think about the core competencies as previously mentioned, and ponder your time taking general education courses. Reflect on the specific courses not associated with your college major and determine the level of new information you have acquired that relates to the core competencies. You must also think about a potential job you might apply to once you graduate and determine what skills you developed through general education courses that make you qualified for a specific job.
Write: For this discussion, you will address the following prompts:
Review a job description through a job website (e.g., Career Builder (Links to an external site.), Monster (Links to an external site.), etc.) in your desired career field. Please provide the job title and the link to the job description.
Identify at least five skills you have obtained through your general education courses that will make you successful at this job.
Demonstrate with at least two examples how your newly acquired knowledge and skills have shaped both your personal and professional development.
Describe your plans for putting your education to use within your community.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 1 Assignment
Importance of Becoming a Global Citizen
Prepare:
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the A Model of Global Citizenship: Antecedents and Outcomes article and watch the Globalization at a Crossroads (Links to an external site.) video. Go to the Ashford University Library and locate one additional source on global citizenship that will help support your viewpoint, or you may choose one of the following articles found in the Week 1 Required Resources:
From Globalism to Globalization: The Politics of Resistance
Globalization, Globalism and Cosmopolitanism as an Educational Ideal
Transnationalism and Anti-Globalism
Reflect: Please take some time to reflect on how the concept of global citizenship has shaped your identity and think about how being a global citizen has made you a better person in your community.
Write: Use the Week 1 Example Assignment Guide downloadwhen addressing the following prompts:
Describe and explain a clear distinction between “globalism” and “globalization” after viewing the video and reading the article.
Describe how being a global citizen in the world of advanced technology can be beneficial to your success in meeting your personal, academic, and professional goals.
Explain why there has been disagreement between theorists about the definition of global citizenship and develop your own definition of global citizenship after reading the article by Reysen and Katzarska-Miller.
Choose two of the six outcomes of global citizenship from the article (i.e., intergroup empathy, valuing diversity, social justice, environmental sustainability, intergroup helping, and the level of responsibility to act for the betterment of this world).
Explain why those two outcomes are the most important in becoming a global citizen compared to the others.
Describe at least two personal examples or events in your life that illustrate the development of global citizenship based on the two outcomes you chose.
Identify two specific general education courses.
Explain how each course influenced you to become a global citizen.
The Importance of Becoming a Global Citizen
Must be 750 to 1,000 words in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style resource. (Links to an external site.)
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least one credible source in addition to the two required sources (video and article).
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for an assignment. The Integrating Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial will offer further assistance with including supporting information and reasoning.
Must document in APA style any information used from sources, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s In-Text Citation Guide (Links to an external site.).
Must have no more than 15% quoted material in the body of your essay based on the Turnitin report. References list will be excluded from the Turnitin originality score.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
Before you submit your written assignment, you are encouraged to review the review the Grammarly (Links to an external site.) page tutorial, set up a Grammarly account (if you have not already done so), and use Grammarly to review a rough draft of your assignment. Then carefully review all issues identified by Grammarly and revise your work as needed.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 2 Assignment
Information Literacy
[WLOs: 3, 4] [CLOs: 3, 4]
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Research Guides and Tutorials under the Getting Research help tabs in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library.
Prepare: Knowing how to thoroughly research a topic is extremely important while achieving your education. You may be asked to support your information with peer-reviewed scholarly resources, but how can you find this type of resource? The University of Arizona Global Campus Library allows you to search through different avenues to find the requested types of resources. You can narrow your search by the author, year published, title, subject, and by indicating what type of resource you are looking for. You even have access to a librarian if you need some guidance in finding more resources on your topic.
Reflect: Given that you have been in college for awhile, it’s time to reflect on what you have learned through the use of the University of Arizona Global Campus Library in relation to how you learned to acquire new information from a variety of sources.
Write: This week, you will take the Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL) (Links to an external site.). This test is not graded, and your results are anonymous. The TATIL assesses students’ ability to recall and apply their knowledge and their metacognition about core information literacy dispositions that underly their behaviors. Through this combination of knowledge and dispositional assessment, TATIL offers a unique and valuable measure of the complexities of information literacy. The results of this assessment will guide University of Arizona Global Campus in developing the best possible library resources and research methodologies training.
Accessibility Statement:?If you have a disability that impacts your ability to successfully participate in this or any other course activity, please provide your instructor with your authorized Accommodation Request form from the Office of Student Access and Wellness so that he/she can discuss and arrange an alternative plan with you.
After completing the TATIL (Links to an external site.), in a two- to three-paragraph response with each paragraph consisting of five or more sentences,
Describe your experiences using resources, including concerns encountered when conducting academic research through the University of Arizona Global Campus Library. Areas of concern may include developing a research strategy, using the search function within a database, or evaluating sources.
Explain how using the University of Arizona Global Campus Library has improved your experience in conducting research. For example, you could identify and explain how specific tutorials that you have used have helped improve your ability to conduct research.
The Information Literacy paper
Must include at least two paragraphs (of at least five sentences each) that respond to the two prompts, and that are formatted according to APA style as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must have no more than 15% quoted material in the body of your essay based on the Turnitin report.
Must include a separate references page when citing specific sections and/or tutorials of the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center for specifications.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 3 Assignment
Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography
[WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) and Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) web pages, and Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.) and Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) tutorials.
Reflect: Reflect back on the Week 1 discussion in which you shared with the class the global societal issue that you would like to further address. Explore critical insights that were shared by your peers and/or your instructor on the topic chosen and begin your search for scholarly sources with those insights in mind.
Write: For this assignment, review the Annotated Bibliography Formatting Guidelines downloadand address the following prompts:
Introductory paragraph to topic (refer to the Final Paper guidelines for your topic selection).
Write an introductory paragraph with at least 150 words that clearly explains the topic, the importance of further research, and ethical implications.
Thesis statement.
Write a direct and concise thesis statement, which will become the solution to the problem that you will argue or prove in the Week 5 Final Paper. (A thesis statement should be a concise, declarative statement. The thesis statement must appear at the end of the introductory paragraph.)
Annotated bibliography.
Develop an annotated bibliography to indicate the quality of the sources you have read.
Summarize in your own words how the source contributes to the solution of the global societal issue for each annotation.
Address fully the purpose, content, evidence, and relation to other sources you found on this topic (your annotation should be one to two paragraphs long—150 words or more.
Include no less than five scholarly sources in the annotated bibliography that will be used to support the major points of the Final Paper.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills by accurately interpreting evidence used to support various positions of the topic.
The Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography
Must be 1,000 to 1,250 words in length (not including title page) and formatted according to APA style, as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must use at least five scholarly sources.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for an assignment. The Integrating Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial will offer further assistance with including supporting information and reasoning.
Must document in APA style any information used from sources, as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper. (Links to an external site.)
Must have no more than 15% quoted material in the body of your essay based on the Turnitin report. References list will be excluded from the Turnitin originality score.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 4 Assignment
Rough Draft Review Process Evaluation
[WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Purpose: The primary goal of this weekly assignment is to enable you to understand the revision process and revise your paper with the help of a writing specialist.
Prepare:
Step 1: Prepare a shortened version of your Final Paper (at least four pages) by including the following:
Introduction paragraph and thesis statement you developed for your Week 3 Assignment.
Background information of the global societal issue you have chosen.
Brief argument supporting at least two solutions to the global societal issue.
Conclusion paragraph.
Must document any information used from at least five scholarly sources in APA style as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) Note that you will need at least eight scholarly sources for your Final Paper in Week 5.
Step 2: After you have completed a rough draft of your paper, submit that draft to the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center by using the instructions found in the Paper Review (Links to an external site.) page. Your paper will be returned within 24 hours, so give yourself enough time to complete and submit it prior to the due date.
Reflect: Carefully review the summary feedback found in the email from the tutor and the margin comments that you see on your returned paper. Consider each of the suggestions provided to help you to revise your paper.
Write:
What You Need to Submit to Waypoint:
Upload the document that contains the feedback from the Writing Center specialist.
Submit the journal assignment answering the following questions in at least 400 words:
Identify the top three issues your writing specialist focused on in your rough draft (e.g., paragraph structure, proper use of quotations, thesis statement, etc.).
In what ways were those issues surprising?
Describe what you learned from some of the feedback your writing specialist provided as explanations.
Was this feedback helpful?
Evaluate the usefulness of the paper review tool.
In what ways did this activity improve your academic writing skills?
Will you use the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center to review your work in the future? Why or why not?
Identify Writing Center Video Tutorials (Links to an external site.) that you find most useful and explain why. Also, identify tutorial(s) you found least useful and explain why.
The journal part of the assignment does not need to be formatted in APA style; however, correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is required.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 5 Assignment
Global Societal Problem, Argument and Solution
[WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this assignment, please review this Sample Final Paper GEN499 downloadfor additional guidance on the expectations of this assignment.
The topic of your essay needs to be a global societal problem from the following list:
Climate change
Pollution
Religious conflict and violence
Rise of artificial intelligence
Lack of education
Unemployment and lack of economic opportunity
Government accountability and corruption
Food and water security
International drug trafficking
Poverty and income inequality
Reflect: Based on the topic that you have chosen, you will need to use critical thinking skills to thoroughly understand how this topic can be a global societal problem and determine some logical solutions to the problem.
Write: This Final Paper, an argumentative essay, will present research relating the critical thinker to the modern, globalized world. In this assignment, you need to address the items below in separate sections with new headings for each.
In your paper,
Identify the global societal problem within the introductory paragraph.
Conclude with a thesis statement that states your proposed solutions to the problem. (For guidance on how to construct a good introduction paragraph, please review the Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) from the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center (Links to an external site.).)
Describe background information on how that problem developed or came into existence.
Show why this is a societal problem.
Provide perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations so that you fully represent what different parts of society have to say about this issue.
Construct an argument supporting your proposed solutions, considering multiple disciplines or populations so that your solution shows that multiple parts of society will benefit from this solution.
Provide evidence from multiple scholarly sources as evidence that your proposed solution is viable.
Interpret statistical data from at least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources within your argument.
Discuss the validity, reliability, and any biases.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of these sources, pointing out limitations of current research and attempting to indicate areas for future research. (You may even use visual representations such as graphs or charts to explain statistics from sources.)
Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from your solution.
Provide at least one positive ethical outcome as well as at least one negative ethical outcome that could result from your solution.
Explain at least two ethical issues related to each of those outcomes. (It is important to consider all of society.)
Develop a conclusion for the last paragraphs of the essay, starting with rephrasing your thesis statement and then presenting the major points of the topic and how they support your argument. (For guidance on how to write a good conclusion paragraph, please review the Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) from the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center (Links to an external site.).)
The Global Societal Problem, Argument, and Solution Paper
Must be 1,750 to 2,250 words in length (approximately between seven and nine pages; not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style, as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center resources.
Must use at least eight scholarly sources.
Source Document Requirements:
Multimedia sources (such as videos) may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. If multimedia sources are used, they must be authored and distributed by credible sources, such as universities, law schools, medical schools, or professors, or found in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library.
Government sources may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. Examples include whitehouse.gov, state.gov, usa.gov, cdc.gov, and so forth. These websites can be used to make a stronger point about your proposed solution within the argument.
Where documents are used for source materials, those must be peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, and academically published books. Popular media sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows, etc.) must not be used. Materials from advocacy groups (e.g., Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women, etc.) must not be used.
Sites such as ProCon.org and Wikipedia must not be used.
Religious texts must not be used.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for an assignment. The Integrating Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial will offer further assistance with including supporting information and reasoning.
Must document in APA style any information used from sources, as outlined in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.).
Must have no more than 15% quoted material in the body of your essay based on the Turnitin report. References list will be excluded from the Turnitin originality score.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center for specifications.
Good Critical Thinking Tips:
Your paper should include academic sources that explain multiple sides of the issue.
Your interpretations of the evidence should be objective and state the conclusions and theses presented in the evidence clearly and fairly.
Your paper should place the various forms of evidence in relation to one another and demonstrate why one form or perspective is stronger than the other positions that one could take on the issue.
Your paper should point out the limitations of current evidence and attempt to indicate areas for future research.
Writing Tools:
Before you submit your written assignment, you are encouraged to review the The Grammarly Guide: How to Set Up & Use Grammarly (Links to an external site.) tutorial, set up a Grammarly account (if you have not already done so), and use Grammarly to review a rough draft of your assignment. Then carefully review all issues identified by Grammarly and revise your work as needed.
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 1 Quiz
Question 1Select the statement that is true for APA formatted citations.
Quotations that are 40 or more words should be formatted as a block quote.
The period goes before the citation for quotations less than 40 words.
The citation should go in this order: (author, p. #, year).
All in-text citations include the authors’ last names, first initials, and the year of publication.
Question 2What is the list of sources at the end of your document titled?
Bibliography
Reference List
Works Cited
References
Question 3In APA style, the list of references should be in order by:
Chronological by date of publication
Alphabetical by title of article
Separated by journals, books, and website sources
Alphabetical by first author’s last name.
Question 4When writing a reference for a journal article, you should italicize both the name of the journal and the volume number.
True
False
Question 5When citing a source with just two authors, you should never write et al. Instead, you should always provide the author(s) last names followed by the year of publication.
True
False
Question 6What is the best way to avoid plagiarism?
Ask your friend to proofread your assignment.
Quote several sources and cite each one in APA format.
Paraphrase information from a source in your own words and cite the source.
Use a recycled paper from a previous course.
Question 7When you paraphrase information in your own words, you don’t have to cite the source.
True
False
Question 8What are the main elements of an APA formatted paper for college students?
Title page, page numbers in the upper right-hand corner, keywords, body of paper, and references list
Header on each page, page numbers, title page, body of paper, and references list
Page numbers, title page, footnotes, author note, body of paper, and works cited page
Header on title page, abstract, author note, body of paper, and bibliography page
Question 9Each source listed in the reference list must be cited at least one time within the body of the paper.
True
False
Question 10When providing two or more authors’ names in a parenthetical citation, you should use the word “and” to join the names, not the ampersand symbol. For example, the citation should look like this: (Doe, Jones, and Faulkner, 2000, p. 12).
True
False
GEN499 General Education Capstone
Week 4 Quiz
Question 1 Catherine goes to her local movie theater only to see romantic comedies. Since Catherine did not go to the movies yesterday, there is not a romantic comedy playing at her local theater.
The reasoning above is flawed because the evidence:
does not suggest that Catherine goes to see every romantic comedy that plays at her local movie theater.
implies that Catherine is uninterested in most types of movies.
does not indicate whether Catherine watches only romantic comedies at home.
suggests that Catherine’s local movie theater hardly ever shows romantic comedies.
Question 2 A recent study of 100 employees from six departments of a major corporation found 65% to be sleep deprived. The researchers concluded that the majority of corporate employees are sleep deprived.
The researcher’s conclusion is suspect because it:
relies on a sample that is too small to represent the entire corporate workforce.
fails to describe the effects the sleep deprivation has.
is based on evidence that is statistically impossible.
assumes that corporate employees are more sleep deprived than other people.
Question 3 Mrs. Orlof teaches two history classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Yesterday she gave the same test to both classes. Anyone who failed the test must take a retest. Since a greater percentage of students who took the morning test failed the test than students who took the afternoon test, more of Orlof’s morning history students than afternoon history students will have to take the retest.
The conclusion above is not necessarily valid because:
more students may have taken the test in the afternoon than in the morning.
some of the students who passed the afternoon test may have received information about the test from morning students.
some students may have been absent from both classes.
more students in the morning class may have passed the test than failed the test.
Question 4 All sages provide both wisdom and inspiration. Since Dasha’s speech contained wisdom and greatly inspired her audience, Dasha is a sage.
Which one of the following points out the flaw in the argument above?
Just because Dasha is a sage doesn’t mean that she is always wise and inspirational.
Just because Dasha’s speech provided wisdom and inspiration doesn’t mean that it provided more wisdom than inspiration.
Just because Dasha satisfied two requirements of being a sage doesn’t necessarily mean that she satisfies all the requirements of being a sage.
Just because Dasha provided wisdom and inspiration in a speech doesn’t mean that all sages use speeches to provide wisdom and inspiration.
Question 5 Reporter: A new campaign finance reform bill being considered by Congress would limit the amount of campaign contributions that political candidates can receive. However, a survey of candidates running for mayor, governor, and senate seats shows that not one of them favors the bill. Clearly, there is no desire among politicians to limit campaign contributions.
Which one of the following points out the flaw in the reporter’s argument above?
The views of candidates currently running for office do not necessarily represent the views of all politicians.
The reporter wrongly assumes that no politician has ever supported a bill intended to limit campaign contributions.
The evidence provided by the reporter suggests that most politicians are in favor of the new bill.
The reporter doesn’t indicate the amount that the new bill would limit campaign contributions.
Question 6 Since Jessica’s participation in local politics increased significantly after she joined her school’s political science club, it is clear that her involvement in that club led her to take an interest in politics.
The argument above is flawed because:
it doesn’t say which political issues Jessica is interested in.
it states that the only purpose of the political science club is to spark an interest in politics.
it misuses the word “significantly.”
it’s possible that an interest in politics caused Jessica to join the political science club.
Question 7 The untimely death of Professor Hathaway halted his groundbreaking research into the uses of solar power. It therefore appears that Hathaway’s research will not result in practical applications.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Researchers at other universities are conducting research into the potential applications of solar power.
Officials at Professor Hathaway’s university have refused requests to make Professor Hathaway’s research public.
Not all professors at Professor Hathaway’s university knew that he was conducting research into the uses of solar power.
Professor Hathaway’s research can be used by other scientists to create useful applications.
Question 8 Career counselor: It is best for artists to build a practical and safe career that will guarantee them a secure income, and then pursue their art in their spare time. That way, they will be motivated to work hard at their day jobs to support their art making, and both their career and their art will thrive.
Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?
Splitting time between two pursuits in life often causes both to suffer.
Having the time and money to make art doesn’t guarantee an artist commercial success.
Many people who aren’t artists prefer to pursue practical and safe careers.
Some forms of art making are expensive and require a good deal of money to pursue.
Question 9 Some politicians claim to support the environment in speeches they make around the country. However, to get to those speeches they ride in gas guzzling, pollution creating private planes. They therefore clearly don’t believe a word of what they say and are actually making the environmental problem worse.
Which one of the following, if true, would best weaken the argument above?
Improvements to the environment brought about through the politicians’ public support of environmental regulations more than offset the damage done to the environment by the politicians’ private planes.
A majority of voters surveyed agree that politicians sometimes make society’s problems worse.
Most people who hear the politicians’ speeches on the environment are unconvinced by their arguments.
Some of the politicians try to hide the fact that they travel by private plane to their speeches around the country.
Question 10 As part of its reorganization, company X created five new positions within the company. However, after the reorganization was complete, company X had fewer employees than before the reorganization.
Which one of the following, if true, would best explain the result described above?
Some employees were laid off as a number of old positions were eliminated in the reorganization.
The new positions were created to respond to a greater demand for company X’s products.
Some employees who quit over dissatisfaction with the reorganization were immediately replaced by new hires.
Some employees of the company were switched into new departments to fill the new positions.
Question 11 Last season at City Opera House, far more people attended opera X than opera Y. However, opera Y generated far greater net profits for City Opera House than did opera X.
Each of the following could directly explain the result indicated above EXCEPT:
a difference in the merchandise sales associated with operas X and Y.
a difference in the subject matters of operas X and Y.
a difference in the operating expenses of operas X and Y.
a difference in the ticket prices of operas X and Y.
Question 12 Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair.
conductor : orchestra
director : cast
producer : movie
teacher : principal
skater : rink
Question 13 Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair.
building : blueprint
guitar : song
bridge : island
cake : recipe
ship : sea
Question 14 Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair.
heavy : weight
color : size
Correct!
hot : temperature
feather : scale
dry : wet
Question 15 Barney: Last winter, I slipped on the outside stairs of PineTree Café and broke my leg. My fall was caused by ice on the stairs that the restaurant failed to remove. Since the restaurant clearly did not provide a safe atmosphere for its customers, I am justified in taking it to court.
Lydia: Unwarranted lawsuits are sweeping the country—lawsuits that have no legal merit and are brought simply to make lawyers and their clients rich. If this trend continues, soon our legal system will be swamped to the point where it won’t be able to administer justice to people who truly deserve it. You therefore should drop your case against PineTree Café.
The speakers above appear to disagree on which one of the following points?
The legal system will soon be unable to administer justice to people who deserve it.
Many unwarranted lawsuits are sweeping the country.
Barney’s lawsuit against Pinetree Café is unwarranted.
Barney is likely to win his case against Pinetree Café.
Question 16 Arthur: The solutions to most mystery novels I read are not believable. However, my enjoyment of a mystery novel depends only on its suspenseful mood and colorful characters.
Norton: Roughly 80% of the mystery novels I read have believable solutions, which is good since I do not enjoy mystery novels that don’t have believable solutions.
The speakers above:
disagree on whether an author’s enjoyment in creating a mystery novel influences whether that novel will have a believable solution.
disagree on whether a believable solution is required for the enjoyment of a mystery novel.
agree that a suspenseful mood and colorful characters add to the enjoyment of a mystery novel.
agree that most mystery novels do not have believable solutions.
Question 17 Some drugs combat obesity or alcohol addiction by turning off pleasure centers in the brain. However, if the dosage is too high, there’s a risk that people taking them will be plunged into depression.
The statements above, if true, support which one of the following assertions?
Drugs that affect pleasure centers in the brain are often taken at dosages considered to be too high.
The benefits of a medication may be at least somewhat offset by its side effects.
All drugs, if taken at too high a dosage, pose the risk that the people taking them will be plunged into depression.
It is useless to try to treat obesity or alcohol addiction through drugs.
Question 18 The higher the price of an antique, the greater people’s expectation that the object is rare. That, in turn, makes the antique appear more valuable.
If the statements above are correct, then offering an antique for sale at a bargain price:
Correct!
should be discouraged because it lessens a quality that makes that antique desirable.
should be encouraged because it increases the likelihood that antique will be sold.
will guarantee that the antique will not sell at a profit.
will likely increase people’s expectations that the antique is valuable.
Question 19 Only circus animals with a clean bill of health will perform in today’s exhibition. A monkey, a poodle, and a horse will perform in today’s exhibition. No circus animals with a clean bill of health were prescribed medications this week.
If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true on the basis of them?
Neither the monkey nor the horse performing in today’s circus exhibition were prescribed medications this week.
No more than two circus animals have a clean bill of health.
No circus animals were prescribed medications this week.
The monkey, poodle, and horse are the only animals performing in today’s circus exhibition.
Question 20 The president spoke to 19 congressmen from Texas to encourage them to vote for a bill. Since four of the 19 congressmen went on to vote for the bill, it is clear that the president persuaded those four to vote the way they did.
The argument above assumes that:
the four Texas congressmen who voted for the bill were against it before they spoke to the president.
the president did not try to influence the votes of any congressmen outside of Texas.
the Texas congressmen who voted against the bill were persuaded by someone other than the president to vote the way they did.
the bill will not pass because a majority of Texas congressmen did not vote for it.
Question 21 Looking to increase the profits of his lemonade stand, Johann doubled the price of a cup of lemonade from 25 cents to 50 cents. This clearly shows Johann’s lack of business sense, for now he’ll almost certainly sell fewer cups at the new price and therefore make less money than before.
The argument above assumes that:
even if Johann sells more cups at the new price than he did at the old price, he’ll still lose money on the lemonade stand.
profits from the price increase will not offset the money lost when fewer cups are sold.
the price increase will likely put Johann out of business.
Johann is looking to double the profits of his lemonade stand.
Question 22 A company can either invest in employee training seminars or update its computer network. Since updating the computer network would result in more measurable benefits, the company would be best off updating its computer network.
The argument above assumes that:
the benefit of the company investing in employee training seminars cannot be measured at all.
the employee training seminars would focus on teaching employees to use the updated computer network.
the more measurable a benefit, the greater value that benefit has to a company.
investing in employee training seminars would yield negative results for the company.
Question 23 Whereas many industries suffer during economic recessions, the art industry does well. Some think the reason is that artists feed off the anxiety and uncertainty during recessions to produce inspired works. Others think that recessions, while harmful to most people, produce a handful of very rich people willing to pay very high prices for artworks, driving up the value of the art market as a whole.
The author of the passage above is primarily interested in:
describing the effect that art has on the economy.
discussing the types of artworks that sell best during recessions.
presenting reasons for why the art industry does well during recessions.
providing evidence that the art industry does well during recessions.
Question 24 Political science professor: Many people insist that the Internet is revolutionizing the political process. They argue that Internet debates and online political polls and chat rooms give people greater access to political information. And they’re right that online political chatter increases daily. But offering or reading anonymous online opinions does not by itself make for active political participation. In the past one would attend a rally, protest, or town meeting to engage in real politics. Today, people sit passively in front of computer screens under the illusion that they are connecting with their fellow citizens.
Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the professor’s argument?
Internet debates and online political polls and chat rooms give people greater access to political information.
Political organizations of the past bear no resemblance to the political organizations of today.
While the Internet has made more political content available, meaningful political involvement has decreased.
The Internet has revolutionized the political process because it has allowed many more political viewpoints to be expressed.
Question 25 Sometimes people get caught in a “downward spiral,” a case in which something leads to a result which in turn leads to more of the original thing, bringing on more of the result. As the process continues, the result continually gets worse and worse. An example is when people turn to binge eating when depressed, which causes them to put on weight and feel unhealthy, which then makes them more depressed, leading to more overeating, and so on.
The author is mainly concerned with:
convincing people not to overeat.
explaining the process of the “downward spiral.”
showing how overeating can lead to depression.
showing how some processes lead to surprising results.
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