Need help identifying a problem for your final research project?

This week we will continue the work you did in the week 2 discussion, zeroing in on the topic for your final paper.

Describe a problem you might want to explore in your final paper. Then try to persuade your classmates to share your view that this problem needs to be looked at. Your initial post will have two parts:

• What is the problem? Describe it in terms of who, what, where, when, how, and why.
• Why should this problem be examined? Persuade your peers that money/time should be committed to this problem. Use the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos (described here in Types of Persuasive Appeals) as appropriate to convince them that this is an important issue to be studied and/or solved.

Responding to Others

• Try responding to them using the strategies you practiced in week 4 (responding as a skeptic, reflector, validator, or extender).
• Ask them questions about the problem they are going to explore.
• Ask them about key concerns, target audience, or the kind of sources they might use.
• Provide respectful feedback about the persuasive tactics in their posts.
• Extend the conversation, exploring topics in creative and constructive ways.