You will be writing a short problem-solution essay of your own which incorporates research material to define a problem of your choice, explore potential solutions, and lead to a conclusion in which you promote one selected solution as the most efficient choice.
STEP ONE: DEFINE THE PROBLEM
First, you must define, or draw a boundary around, the problem you will be exploring. “Environmental change” is too big, but “negative effects of overdevelopment” is more manageable. “Politics” is too broad, but “increasing voter participation” is clearer and easier to discuss. You may use some research material here to help define your problem, like statistics that reveal the decline in voter participation rates or quotations from policy experts on overbuilding in sensitive environmental areas. This section provides a frame of reference for the paper as a whole and should inform the reader about the aspect of the problem you wish to address.
STEP TWO: EXPLORE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
In this section of the paper, you will explain two or three potential solutions that should lessen the overall effects of the problem you identified. None of the problems you selected can be solved by one simple solution (if they could be, we’d have fixed them already!). Instead, you will talk about some potential solutions that should mitigate, or lessen, the problem as a whole. For the voting problem, this might include a “motor voter” law that makes it easy for people to register to vote while they are renewing a driver’s license, making Election Day a national holiday so people are free to go to the polls, or changing our voting method to mail ballots or secure electronic voting. All of the solutions you suggest should include research information that explains why the solution is viable and what effect the selected solution can have or will have on the problem you have defined.
STEP THREE: SELECT THE BEST SOLUTION
Out of the solutions you have discussed, you need to choose one as the best solution to your problem. Note that this is not the only solution, but the one you think will have the strongest or most positive impact on your original problem. In this section of the paper, you will use your research to back up your conclusion. Explain why this choice is the best one. What effects has this solution had in other circumstances? Is this solution being implemented somewhere else in a positive way? What results have occurred?
Your finished paper should meet the following guidelines:
- Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. standard font
- 2-3 pages of text
- Research information should be cited internally using MLA format (quick guidelines here)
- Works Cited page at the end in proper format listing the sources you have used in the paper
Your final paper should be uploaded to Google Classroom no later than Friday, December 16. Remember to revise and proofread before submitting!