Identifying 21st Century Problems

Identifying 21st Century Problems

A Mini-Research Project (in preparation for IDST 400)

Project Description:

Your final project in 0BVU 200: Transfer Seminar is a mini-research project in which you identify a problem in your current field of study, do some initial research about that problem via library research and primary interviews, and present what you discover orally and in writing.

For example, a student who is a psychology major may see a problem of not having enough mental health services available for high school students in her area. She would first do some library research and then would find some people she knows who have information about or are interested in this topic. Those people might be high school counselors, high school teachers, mental health providers who are located in other areas, etc. By conducting primary interviews, she will learn more about the problem and may learn about potential solutions.

Other examples of this mini-research project could include the following:

An exercise science student researching compensation for college athletes
A business student researching the impact of immigration on the economy
An education student researching cyber bullying and online safety for students
A criminal justice student researching the benefits of police body cameras

We will discuss your topic as part of the assignment.

Project Purpose:

The purposes of this project are 1) to allow you to practice and grow your Signature Skills, 2) to prepare you for IDST 400 success, and 3) explore issues and opportunities in a career field of your interest.

Project Focus:
When you think of your current field of study (academic major or minor) or the occupational field to which you aspire, what do you regard as an interesting, compelling problem to which working professionals must respond in the next decade?
What evidence have you uncovered to support the claim that, in fact, a problem exists?
What evidence have you uncovered to explain why the problem is important and in need of solutions?
Finally, what is the apparent scale or scope of the problem?

You will answer the questions above in a two-page essay and a short presentation (see details below), but in order to get those answers, you will gather “evidence” as the assignment asks. You will conduct an interview with an expert and create a brief annotated bibliography from library research to learn.

Project Components:
1 Expert Interview
1 Brief Annotated Bibliography
2-3-Page Problem Essay
Expert Interview:

Conduct one interview about your project with an expert source. You must choose someone who has knowledge, experience or expertise related to your field of interest. You could interview a social worker, a local teacher, a local law enforcement person, or any member of a field or with expertise related to your your interests. Use the interview, which can be conducted in a variety of methods (face-to-face, email, telephone, web conferencing, etc) to help brainstorm possible problems, to refine or narrow a problem you’re already thinking about, to seek evidence or information about the problem, etc. Whatever helps move your project forward the most. Submit a 2-3 paragraph summary of your interview on Canvas. Include the name and title of your interviewee, the date of the interview, and then a short summary of key points of the interview. Either record or take notes at your interview as you will be required to incorporate them into your essay and presentation.

Annotated Bibliography:

Create a properly formatted annotated bibliography of three relevant, reliable sources related to the field you have chosen. You must use library-researched sources. Please do not use only mainstream media or online publications. You may choose either MLA or APA formatting for your bibliography. Review the video and How to Read a Scholarly Journal Article.

Each entry in an annotated bibliography consists of the bibliographic information properly formatted, and an annotation written in paragraph form. The lengths of the annotations can vary significantly in annotated bibliographies, from a couple of sentences to a couple of pages. The expectation for this project’s annotations is that each of your annotations will be 1-2 paragraphs (approximately one paragraph for summary and one for evaluation/explanation of value). See the example and Annotated Bibliography.

Essay:

Write a 2-3-page essay that answers the focus questions:

When you think of your current field of study (academic major or minor) or the occupational field to which you aspire, what do you regard as an interesting, compelling problem to which working professionals must respond in the next decade?
What evidence have you uncovered to support the claim that, in fact, a problem exists?
What evidence have you uncovered to explain why the problem is important and in need of solutions?
Finally, what is the apparent scale or scope of the problem?

The essay should be well organized (contain a clear introduction, body, and conclusion), clearly written, and must incorporate (including a correct citation in either APA or MLA format) at least one of the resources from your annotated bibliography and must reference your interview at least once. Essays should be typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, in 12-point font. Essays should be well-edited and free of grammatical and typographical errors.

I AM A psychology major SO IT NEEDS TO BE ABOUT THAT