Texting and Driving

For this assignment, you will choose a topic, narrow it, research different points of view about it,
and identify your audience in order to develop your angle on the topic.

After looking at the list of topics below, which was shared in Week 1’s lecture, choose a topicin which
you have more than just a passing interest. The best topic to choose is one which impacts you in some
way. Having personal experience with the topic will probably lend some perspective on it and may get
you closer to anangle on it. Also, sometimes research can be daunting, but if you have personal
experience with the topic, or are even passionate about it, you will probably be more motivated to keep
working when the “going gets tough.” Thus, while “interest” in a topic is important, mere interest will
probably not sustain you through this project.You might ask yourself, “What is it about this topic that
sparks my interest enough to write a ten page paper about it?”

Once you choose the topic, please respond to the five questions below. Each of your responses should
be approximately two paragraphs in length. This assignment will be graded using the Week 1 Assignment
Rubric available in Doc Sharing.

Education Technology Family Health and Wellness
School Bullies Multitasking and Technology Sexualization of Girls College Students and Weight
Issues
No Child Left Behind Act/Race to the Top Technology and Social Isolation Gender
Discrimination Childhood Obesity
Grade Inflation Perils of Social Networking Unequal Rights in Marriage, Children Fad
Diets
College Students and Underage Drinking Online Dating/Online Predators/Sex Offenders Children of
Divorce Junk Food
Student Debt Illegal Downloading of Protected Content Domestic Violence Sedentary
Lifestyles
College Students, Cheating, and Plagiarism Internet Censorship/ Classified Information Leaks
Cyberbullying Teenage Pregnancy
College Dropout Rates Identity Theft Life-Work (Im)balance/Flexible Work Schedules Concussions in
Athletes
High School Dropouts Texting and Driving Insurance Premiums for Smokers and Obese
Employees

1. What is your possible topic? Brainstorm five questions about it. In this section pick a topic
from the above list and then brainstorm five questions you have about it. If you feel disconnected
from the topics on the list, choose one of your own, but make sure it is not an “overused topic,” such
as abortion, gun control, capital punishment, or legalization of marijuana (unless you have personal
experience with the topic and can offer a unique perspective). Also, beware of current issues that
might not be well-researched yet; you may not find enough sources at this time. Your purpose for
brainstorming five questions is to narrow the topic to a manageable scope. Who knows, one of the
questions may eventually become your research question, the question that directs your entire paper.
Need help getting started? See the list of questions below that are related to the following topics:
perils of social networking, concussion and athletes, and grade inflation. (The examples below do not
include five questions; but yours should.)

Examples:
• Perils of social networking: How does social networking affect our social lives and our outlook
on the world? Does it make us more socially isolated? What dangers are involved in meeting people
online? Should my children be on social network sites, and at what age might it be okay for children to
be on social networking sites?
• Concussions and Athletes: How do head injuries affect athletes over the long term, especially
repeatedhead injuries? What are the medical data and statistics? My kid plays football; what are the
statistics on injuries to teenagers, and thus, should my child play football?
• Grade Inflation: How should the world of higher education –my world—cope with problems of grade
inflation?Should students complain about grade inflation knowing that it might affect the rigor of the
course?

[Click here: Type your response]
2. How is the topic important to you and how does it affect you? What do you personally hope to
gain or accomplish by writing about this topic? In this section, describe your topic and how it first
affected you. Explain why it is important to you. Reflect on how or why your background, motivations,
needs, or interests sparked you to choose this topic. The best topics are those that are important to
and involve you.

[Click here: Type your response]

3. Research your topic and provide a brief summary of the current points of view about the topic.
Share at least two different/opposing positions on the topic.While this section asks for summaries of
two others’ positions, write each summary in your own words. Each should be a paragraph in length. To
conduct research on your topic, find at least two credible sources that offer opposing perspectives and
summarize those points of view in a paragraph. Additionally, although we will be learning more about
APA documentation style next week, use Citation Machine, the DeVry APA Handbook, APA tutorials in the
syllabus, and/or Chapter 28 in your textbook “Writing Today, 2ndEditionto provide full APA references
for both sources. (Note: The “click here” for your references is formattedas hanging indent.)

[Click here: Type your two paragraph response]

[Click here: Type your references]

4. Describe whom you might choose as your audience. Who are your readers, and what are their
needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to
them? Think about who will need/want to read your paper. What do you need to consider about those
readers? Will they be open-minded or antagonistic? Are you outside your group of readers, which means
that you need to choose a formal voice and use “they,” or are you part of your group of readers, which
means that you can use a more conversational voice and use “we”? Analyze the groups and individuals who
are reading and writing on your chosen topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds
will dictate your writing approach.

[Click here: Type your response]

5. What specific issue will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will
you provide?
In this section, decide upon and explain which “side” of the argument you are on and what your thesis
statement will be. To do that, you should attempt to come up with a question about the topic that you
will answer in your paper. Your answer becomes your working thesis statement. For example, you might
write the following: “With the growing instances of road rage across the nation, it might be argued
that drivers who do not abide by the rules of the road are the cause of road rage (e.g., not using a
turn signal when changing lanes; travelling slowly in the left lane when others are trying to pass; not
turning into the same lane when turning a corner). If drivers who do not follow the laws are the
problem, then shouldn’t states require extensive driver’s education of all new drivers?” Note that this
question can be answered either yes or no. Additionally, the question asks, “Should….” Your question
should begin with “should,” “must,” or “do we need to” because your thesis will be a persuasive,
“should,” “need to,” or “must” statement.

[Click here: Type your response]