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Writing Assignment#1: Issue Exploration
Task: You will select a recent news article from the UMGC library and
answer a series of questions in connection with the issue or event covered in
the article that relates to your field of study (major). You are required to:
1. follow
the instructions below to explain the issue;
2. provide
an additional example of the issue;
3. connect
the issue to your field of study and,
4. pose questions
about the issue.
Source: One news article, available through the UMGC library, published within
the past 12 months.
Due date and grading: This assignment is due week two. It is worth 10% of your course grade and will be graded with a
rubric – attached
Outcomes you should
achieve by completing this assignment: As you complete the tasks required for
this assignment, you will be working toward several of the course outcomes:
1. Begin the writing process by exploring a topic
(Relates to course outcome 1)
2. Compose paragraphs that explain an event or issue (Relates to course outcome
2)
3. Demonstrate accurate grammar and mechanics in
writing (Relates to course outcome 3) 4. Identify a recent and reliable news
source and provide APA documentation (Relates to course outcome 4)

Organizing your
essay: Organize your essay into several
paragraphs and Respond to each of the
following

1. What is the current event or issue that is being
discussed in the news article? Explain the event or issue, assuming your reader
has little or no prior knowledge of it. Answer in
1-2 paragraphs.
2. What is your field of study and how do you see it relating to the
event or issue in your news article? Answer in one paragraph.
3. What do you want to know about the issue or event in your news article?
List two or more questions that you could pursue as part of your research.
4. Describe a specific real-life situation (other than one discussed in
your news article) where the issue at hand has been observed. This could be
something that happened to you or someone you know, or it could be a related
event in the news. Explain the connection to the event or issue in your news article.
Answer in 1-2 paragraphs.
Number your answers and/or include the
assignment questions so your instructor can see that you addressed each part of the
assignment.

Formatting your Essay: APA Essay Format
Provide an APA-style reference for the news article
you selected. The format for the reference is as follows:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article
in sentence case. Title of Newspaper in Title Case and Italics. Retrieved from
h”p://www.newspaperhomepage.com
Although the newspaper article should be available through the UMUC
library, provide the URL directly to the newspaper that published the article.
Do not provide a link to a library database record.
Title page is not required, but make sure you include your name and a title
that reflects your topic at the top of the first page.
Organize your essay into several
paragraphs, including the following:
an introductory paragraph with a thesis
statement
body paragraphs that support the thesis
statement
a concluding paragraph
All essays that you submit in this
class will be formatting using several basic components of APA style. The
American Psychological Association (APA) has a set of guidelines for formatting
papers and documenting sources.
Use
one-inch margins.
Double
space.
Use
and easy-to-read font between 10-point and 12-point.
Include
a title page with the title of your paper, your name, and the name of your
school.
APA formatting is used in many UMUC
courses. The requirements above are the basic APA formatting requirements. Some
courses may require additional components such as a running head
(shortened title at the top of each page), abstract, and headings. You
can visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Sample APA paper to see what this formatting looks like in practice.

Your Thesis Statement
An essay’s thesis is the main
assertion or point that the essay’s writer wants to make. In general, an
academic essay’s thesis will be expressed in a thesis statement – a
sentence that clearly lays out the essay’s main assertion.
For your first essay, you are
writing about a news article that discusses a current event or social
issue that relates to your field of study. Your thesis statement will say
something about that current event or social issue. As you begin drafting
your essay, try to write down a working thesis statement. It is a working
thesis statement because you might adjust it as you continue to work on your
essay, and that’s fine! Having a working thesis to start with will help you
keep your writing on track.

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