Essay Instructions: PART I
This assignment will help you explore the way a topic in human sexuality is covered in two very different sources: 1) a scholarly journal; and 2) a popular media source. You will summarize a scholarly article (peer-reviewed, evidence-based, original research) and one popular media article on your topic. Once you see how the topic is covered in each source, you will write a paper:
1. comparing and contrasting the coverage;
2. discussing the relative merits of each; and
3. addressing which of the two approaches (scholarly or popular media) is better suited to disseminate information about your selected topic .
Instructions
Step 1: Find a scholarly article
CHOSEN ARTICLES-References.
-Ruger, W., Wilson, S. E., & Waddoups, S. L. (2002). Warfare and Welfare: Military Service, Combat, and Marital Dissolution. Armed Forces & Society (0095327X), 29(1), 85-107.
-Bradley, C. (2007). Veteran Status and Marital Aggression: Does Military Service Make a Difference?. Journal Of Family Violence, 22(4), 197-209. doi:10.1007/s10-4
-Nunnink, S. E., Goldwaser, G., Afan, N., Nievergelt, C. M., & Baker, D. G., (2010) ?The role of emotional numbing in sexual functioning among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.? Military Medicine, 175:6 424-428. Retrieved from http://www.amsus.org/index.php/journal/
-Chronology of significant legal and policy changes affecting women in the military: 1947?2003. Women?s Research & Education Institute (2005).Available: http://www.wrei.org/projects/wiu/wim/wim_chron01.pdf
-The facts on the military and violence against women. Family Violence Prevention Fund (2005). Available: www.endabuse.org.
-Military ?don?t tell? policy hushes up rape and sexual assault. National Organization for Women (2003). Available: http://www.now.org.
.
? Select an appropriate topic, an online library databases to find an article from a ?peer-reviewed? evidence-based scholarly journal.
? Reading the abstract (or summary included in the introductory paragraph of each library source) will help you narrow your search.
? Once you have found an acceptable article, read it completely.
? Read the abstract and introduction at the beginning and the conclusion at the end of the article first. The topic and hypothesis will be provided in these sections. Then read the methodology and data/results sections. Reading the introduction, summary, and abstract will help you better understand and follow the data-heavy results section.
Step 2: Summarize the scholarly article
? Write a 1-page summary of the single scholarly article you selected, including:
? The hypothesis of the study on which the article reports.
? How the study was conducted, including:
? The group of people researched and written about (colleges students? adolescents? the elderly? military members? sexual minorities? etc.)
? The research method used (i.e. naturalistic observation, lab experiment, survey, etc.)
? The results of the study, the interpretation of the data by the authors and any conclusions they include at the end of the article.
? Edit and revise your summary for content, grammar, and APA format. Using APA format, identify the article title, the article authors, the journal in which the article was published, the date of publication, and the focus of the research.
Step 3: Find and summarize the popular media article
? Find and analyze/summarize an article from the popular media that covers the same topic as the scholarly paper. Acceptable popular media sources include sources like:
? Traditional newspapers
? Magazines
? Credible websites
Unacceptable popular media sources include:
? Blogs
? Wikis
? Wikipedia
? TV shows
? Movies
? Tabloids (National Enquirer, etc.)
? Write a 1-page summary and review of the popular media article.
? Summarize the key points and include any information that identifies the group and the methods described.
? Describe any conclusions drawn by the authors.
? Edit and revise your summary for content, grammar, and APA format.
Step 4: Critique
? In the third and fourth pages of the paper, you will compare the article from Step 2 with the article from Step 3, addressing the following:
? What do they have in common?
? Other than visually, how are they most different?
? What is the value for consumers reading each?
? What are the cons associated with the way each presents the information?
? Both sources can be important means of communicating information about your topic. Explain what is best about the scholarly approach and why, and what is best about the popular media approach and why.
? Consider:
? Reasons professors require students to use papers from peer-reviewed and professional organizations.
? Reasons for studying sex formally instead of just learning about it from popular media sources.
Step 5 Conclusion:
? In about a half page, conclude your paper. Include insights you gained from conducting the review, summary, and comparison of the two forms of information. You may comment on their relative interest to you or the average reader.
PART II
Students may earn up to 20 points toward their final course grade by reading 2 course-relevant SCHOLARLY PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL articles from AN online library and submitting two separate brief 2-3 page summary reports for each. The articles summarized for the optional extra credit assignment must be different from the article used for the scholarly portion of the Scholarly vs Pop Media Focus of Sexuality paper. For this assignment, two separate summaries must be submitted as two separate papers for grading (one summary paper can't be submitted for partial credit). Essay style papers and/or those citing more than one article are not eligible for credit consideration. Extra credit in this course means in addition to work required of every student. These papers should not be considered as substitutes for skipped discussion assignments or tests. APA formatting and source crediting style must be used.
