Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this assignment, please review this Sample Final Paper GEN499 for additional guidance on the expectations of this assignment.

The topic of your essay needs to be a global societal problem from the following list:

• Refugee Crises

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 & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. from the  CenterLinks 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.

The Global Societal Problem, Argument, and Solution

• 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 Writing Center’s APA StyleLinks 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 2013Links to an external site..
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks 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 & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. as well as Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the 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 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 print 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 SourcesLinks 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 ResearchLinks 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 Writing Center’s In-Text Citation GuideLinks 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 ListLinks to an external site. resource in the 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 GrammarlyLinks 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.
• Total Possible Score: 24.00
• Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Conclusion
• Total: 3.00
• Distinguished – Provides an exceptionally clear and focused introduction paragraph and thesis statement about global societal issue that will be addressed in the body of the essay. The conclusion paragraph clearly sums up the topic in five or more sentences.
• Proficient – Provides a clear and focused introduction paragraph and thesis statement about the global societal issue that will be addressed in the body of the essay. The conclusion paragraph sums up the topic. Minor details are missing.
• Basic – Provides a somewhat clear introduction paragraph with a thesis statement about the global societal issue that will be addressed in the body of the essay. The conclusion paragraph minimally sums up the major points of the topic. Relevant details are missing.
• Below Expectations – Attempts to provide a clear introduction paragraph with a thesis statement and a conclusion paragraph. Significant details are missing.
• Non-Performance – The introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment instructions.
•  
• Describes Background Information of Global Societal Issue
• Total: 4.00
• Distinguished – Comprehensively and clearly describes background information of the global societal issue including how the issue developed, reasons why this is a societal issue, and perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations on the issue.
• Proficient – Clearly describes background information of the global societal issue including how the issue developed, reasons why this is a societal issue, and perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations on the issue. The description is slightly underdeveloped.
• Basic – Minimally describes background information of the global societal issue including how the issue developed, reasons why this is a societal issue, and perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations on the issue. The description is underdeveloped and/or unclear.
• Below Expectations – Attempts to describe background information of the global societal issue; however, the description does not address how the issue developed, reasons why this is a societal issue, and/or perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations on the issue; significantly underdeveloped; and entirely unclear.
• Non-Performance – The description of the background of the global societal issue is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
•  
• Constructs Argument with Evidence Supporting Proposed Solution
• Total: 6.00
• Distinguished – Constructs a comprehensive argument of the global societal issue that includes supportive evidence that the proposed solution will benefit multiple disciplines or populations.
• Proficient – Constructs an adequate argument of the global societal issue that includes supportive evidence that the proposed solution will benefit multiple disciplines or populations. The argument is slightly underdeveloped.
• Basic – Constructs a limited argument of the global societal issue that includes some supportive evidence that the proposed solution will benefit multiple disciplines or populations. The argument is underdeveloped.
• Below Expectations – Attempts to construct an argument of the global societal issue with limited supportive evidence that the proposed solution will benefit other disciplines or populations; however, the argument is significantly underdeveloped.
• Non-Performance – The argument is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
•  
• Interprets Statistical Evidence
• Total: 3.00
• Distinguished – Accurately and thoroughly interprets statistical evidence/data of at least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources on the selected global societal issue. The interpretation includes a discussion of the validity, reliability, strengths, and weaknesses of the sources.
• Proficient – Interprets statistical evidence/data of at least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources on the selected global societal issue. The interpretation of the statistical data is slightly underdeveloped or inaccurate.
• Basic – Minimally interprets statistical evidence/data of at least three sources on the selected global societal issue. The interpretation is underdeveloped and/or inaccurate.
• Below Expectations – Attempts to interpret statistical evidence/data of at least three sources on the selected global societal issue; however, some sources may not be scholarly, and the interpretation is significantly underdeveloped and inaccurate.
• Non-Performance – The interpretation of statistical evidence/data of at least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources on the selected global societal issue is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
•  
• Evaluates Ethical Issues and Outcomes of Proposed Solution
• Total: 3.00
• Distinguished – Comprehensively evaluates at least two ethical issues in relation to at least one positive and one negative ethical outcome in relation to the proposed solution of the global societal issue chosen.
• Proficient – Evaluates at least two ethical issues in relation to at least one positive and one negative ethical outcome in relation to the proposed solution of the global societal issue chosen. The evaluation is slightly underdeveloped.
• Basic – Minimally evaluates the ethical issues and outcomes in relation to the global societal issue chosen. The evaluation is underdeveloped.
• Below Expectations – Attempts to evaluate the ethical issues and outcomes in relation to the global societal issue chosen; however, the evaluation is significantly underdeveloped.
• Non-Performance – The evaluation of ethical issues and outcomes in relation to the global societal issue chosen is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
•  
• Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics
• Total: 1.00
• Distinguished – Displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains no errors and is very easy to understand.
• Proficient – Displays comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few minor errors and is mostly easy to understand.
• Basic – Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains a few errors which may slightly distract the reader.
• Below Expectations – Fails to display basic comprehension of syntax or mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains major errors which distract the reader.
• Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
•  
• Written Communication: APA Formatting
• Total: 1.00
• Distinguished – Accurately uses APA formatting consistently throughout the paper, title page, and reference page.
• Proficient – Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout contains a few minor errors. 
• Basic – Exhibits limited knowledge of APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout does not meet all APA requirements. 
• Below Expectations – Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA formatting. There are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as APA.
• Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
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• Written Communication: Word Requirement
• Total: 1.00
• Distinguished – The length of the paper is equivalent to the required number of words.
• Proficient – The length of the paper is nearly equivalent to the required number of words.
• Basic – The length of the paper is equivalent to at least three quarters of the required number of words.
• Below Expectations – The length of the paper is equivalent to at least one half of the required number of words.   
• Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
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• Written Communication: Resource Requirement
• Total: 2.00
• Distinguished – Uses more than the required number of scholarly sources, providing compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
• Proficient – Uses the required number of scholarly sources to support ideas. All sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
• Basic – Uses less than the required number of sources to support ideas. Some sources may not be scholarly. Most sources on the reference page are used within the body of the assignment. Citations may not be formatted correctly.
• Below Expectations – Uses an inadequate number of sources that provide little or no support for ideas. Sources used may not be scholarly. Most sources on the reference page are not used within the body of the assignment. Citations are not formatted correctly.
• Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.