Defining a Community Problem
First Draft Due: November 24th
Final Draft Due: December 1st
In our last essay, we made an argument about the relationship between individuals, communities, and larger systems through a focus on Flint’s tragic disaster as Anna Clark reports it in her book The Poisoned City. In your fourth, and final, essay, you will be asked to research and define an issue in your own community.
Begin by identifying the many communities to which you belong (home communities, our university community, communities such as churches, sports teams, fraternities and/or sororities). Next, identify a significant problem within one of these communities that should be explored for the health of the community and/or surrounding, related communities. For example, I might research the presence of outdated lead pipes in my town or the resistance of some members of my community to a proposed transitional living home in my neighborhood. I might research the problem of Rider community members not being regularly tested for the coronavirus. I might research debates in an online parenting forum on which I participate actively as to whether or not individuals who oppose some vaccinations should be allowed to stay on the forum.
Once you have identified a problem in a community of which you are a part, you will need to learn more about it. Research this problem using local or national media and/or interviews with members of the community or involved participants. You should also find at least one substantive source (either a scholarly source or a longer, exploratory magazine, newspaper, or web article) that addresses a similar (if not exact) issue. This source should be at least ten pages long, and it should be addressed to an educated audience. It should reflect one of the essays we have read in class.
The goal of your final paper will be to define and explain this problem and how it affects the community for a general audience. You may propose or explore solutions in the concluding paragraphs, but this is not the goal of the paper. Your definition and explanation of this problem should draw from three to five sources, at least one of which must be a substantive article (found in a scholarly journal, magazine, newspaper, or web site) that addresses a similar issue. The other sources can be interviews and/or shorter newspaper or web pieces. You can, for example, consult local news sources like The Rider News (http://www.theridernews.com/), NJ.com (https://www.nj.com/), and other web sites or local papers. You may also choose to interview other members of the community over email, phone, or Zoom.
You should cite your sources in MLA or APA (as the class decides) and include a “Works Cited” page or “Bibliography” listing all sources.
Your final draft should be 4-5 pages (1000-1500 words) in standard formatting as outlined on the syllabus.