Essay Instructions: Here are the directions from my professor: (My additions have been added in CAPITALS)
The purpose of this assignment is to focus on a controversial topic related to human sexuality that interests you and to demonstrate your expert knowledge about this topic. You can get ideas for a topic from your reading of the textbook. Feel free to run your topic by me. Please make your topic as specific as possible. That means no papers that just deal with a topic in a general fashion such as "Prostitution" or "Homosexuality" or "Teenage Pregnancy". Find some aspect of the topic to write about - an "angle". For example, "Trafficking of under-aged sex workers in the US and Russia", "Violence against gay people in the US and Uganda" or "Sex Education in schools and its impact on teen pregnancy rates in the US and Argentina" .
Description:
Write a paper that addresses all of the following components:
1) Identify the problem/issue and explain why it interests you personally.
THIS TOPIC INTERESTS ME BECAUSE PEOPLE SHOULD BE FREE TO PRACTICE THEIR SEXUALITY IN WHICH EVER WAY THE CHOOSE AS LONG AS THEY ARE BOTH CONSENTING ADULTS NOT ATTEMPTING TO DEVICE ONE ANOTHER.
2) As a health professional (or whatever your future career is), why is it important for you to know about this problem/issue.
MY FUTURE CAREER IS A HEALTH EDUCATION TEACHER IN THE HIGH SCHOOL SETTING (GRADES 9-12, AGES 13-18) I FEEL THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC TO ME BECAUSE LEARNING DIFFERENT ATTITUDES FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD CAN ONLY HELP ME BETTER SERVE A POPULATION LIKE THE NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
3) What are the causes of this problem/issue (include your own personal opinion as well).
MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT PEOPLE ARE HUNG UP MY RELIGIOUS MORALS, AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE AT ALL TIMES.
4) Describe mainstream attitudes in society about this issue/problem and state whether you think they are justified.
I DO NOT THINK THEY ARE JUSTIFIED HERE IN THE U.S.
5) Compare this problem/issue to another country (e.g., Access to contraception in the US versus in India, Discrimination against gay people in the US versus Uganda, Sex trafficking in the US versus Russia; Attitudes toward prostitution in the US and the Netherlands). Makes sure you choose a country and not a continent. For those of you who are confused between a country and continent, Kenya is a country and Africa is a continent. Sub-Saharan Africa is not a country. It is a region. Eastern Europe is not a country. It is a region.
6) Locate one organization in the US and one in this other country that deals with this specific issue/problem. Please make sure you choose an organization that deals with this specific issue and not an organization that has a broader mandate and deals with a host of issues. Describe the goals of each organization, types of services, problems and any other information you may think relevant. Give your opinion about how the two organizations compare against each other.
7) If someone asked if you could recommend a website, movie/documentary, and a book about this issue/problem, what would you tell them. Write a brief blurb about each one, identifying the name, author/source, what it deals with specifically and what things this person would find interesting about each. You must write about all three (website, movie/documentary and book). I expect more than a sentence or two copied off the internet. I expect you to have read the website and book and viewed the movie/documentary. The more detail you can give the better. It goes without saying that you cannot choose the textbook. You need to find another book to recommend. Make sure you choose a book, website and movie that is specifically tailored to your topic and not just about human sexuality in general.
8) Summarize the main ways this issue/problem is being addressed in the US and in the other country you have selected. Devote equal attention to both countries.
9) Identify one method/approach for addressing this issue/problem that you believe is good or has potential to be effective and explain why you prefer this method/approach over others. Here is where your grasp of the professional literature should be evident.
10) As a future health educator, state what contribution you can make in addressing this issue/problem on the local, national and international level. Be as specific as possible. No vague statements or generalizations. I expect you to put some thought into this and it should reflect your mastery of the issue/problem you wrote about.
I BELIEVE THAT I CAN EDUCATE PEOPLE ON THE ISSUES AND ALLOW THEM TO MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES ABOUT IT, SUCH AS IN THIS PAPER. (Please expand upon this idea!)
Instructions:
1) Your paper should be 13-15 pages long (excluding cover page and bibliography).
2) Your paper should be double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font.
3) Use 1" margins. There are to be no big gaps between paragraphs. Please do not attempt to make the paper seem longer than it is through crafty formatting. Each paragraph should be joined to the next paragraph. Begin each paragraph by indenting it 0.3".
4) You can use a variety of resources to complete this paper, but you must use a minimum of ten professional journal articles (eg "New England Journal of Medicine", "Journal of School Health", "American Journal of Health Education". "Journal of Sex Research", "American Journal of Sexuality Education", "Archives of Sexual Behavior", "Journal of Homosexuality", etc). There are tons of professional journals related to health and sexuality. The more professional journal articles you use, the better! These articles must have been published within the last 5 years. Full-text articles can be accessed directly by going to the Lehman library website. Make sure that you find peer-reviewed journal articles through the Lehman College library website. I do not want to see articles found through a Google or Yahoo (or other similar search engines) or use of Wikipedia. Your articles need to come directly from professional scientific journals which are available to you on the college library website. For information about how to access full-text journal articles or how to contact a Lehman College librarian for help, please click on the "LIBRARY RESEARCH" button on the left.
5) Your paper needs to be written in a professional manner. That means you need to have a title for your paper on the first page followed by your name. Your paper should be formatted properly as instructed above. Make sure you number each page. Please make sure that you properly cite all your sources in your paper and provide a bibliography at the end. Make sure you follow the APA style. I do not want to see any quotes. You need to put everything in your own words and you need to cite all your sources. It is not acceptable to copy a sentence or paragraph and think it is okay as long as you cite the source. You need to put everything in your own words and cite your source. There will be a penalty of -5% for every sentence that is copied directly from the author. Again, everything needs to be written in your own words and there are to be no quotes.