Prepare: As you prepare to write your response to this discussion   assignment, you may want to review the following resources as these will help   you in developing a topic:  Develop a Research        Topic Incorporate        Sources into Your Research Paper

It is also recommended that you   review these tutorials from the Ashford University Library: Searching in        Databases Evaluating Sources

You may also want to review the Week Five Sample Final   Paper Guide, so that you can start preparing   your rough draft that is due in Week Four.

Reflect: When considering a research topic, consider an   interesting topic that is worth further research. For instance, having a   strong opinion on a specific topic may deter you from thinking more   critically, and therefore the research might end up being one-sided. It is a   good idea to pick a topic in which you can provide a good argument for both   sides of the societal issue.

Write: For this discussion you will address the following   prompts:  Identify two global societal        issues from the following list that you would consider researching        further for your Week Five Final Argumentative Essay: adult illiteracy,        funding for General Education vs STEM in primary and secondary schools,        minimum wage, oceans desertification, overcoming the digital divide,        refugee (escaping persecution, war, or death) crises, species        extinctions (modern), tax havens, Transatlantic Trade and Investment        Partnership (TTIP), universal statement of human rights (pick one),        airport security, or wealth disparity. Describe effective methods        you used in identifying and narrowing down to just one of the two topics        to further research for your final essay. Explain three ways you can        critically analyze sources to determine if they are scholarly and        credible. For one of the topics chosen,        summarize information from at least two peer-reviewed journal articles        from the Ashford University Library that will support your claims. Explain why scholarly sources        should be used to support your writing on the selected topic. Download and attach PDF        copies of the two articles that you found from the Ashford University        Library to your answer using the “Attachments: Add/Remove” function        located below your response. Please view this Attaching        Documents to Discussions        tutorial for more guidance on how to attach your article to your        discussion post. You can also view this Citing and Saving        Articles in [email protected] tutorial        if you are unsure how to save articles found from the Ashford University        Library.

Your initial post should be at   least 250 words in length, which should include a thorough response to   each prompt. You are required to provide in-text citations of applicable   required reading materials and/or any other outside sources you use to   support your claims. Provide full reference information of all sources cited   at the end of your response. Please use correct APA format when writing in-text citations  and references.

Respond to Peers: Review your classmates’ posts, and respond to at least   two of your peers by Day 7. In each response, provide comments on your   classmate’s topic idea and ask a question that prompts your classmate to   think more critically about how to explore the research topic in more detail.   Each participation post should be a minimum of 75 words. 

Carefully review the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate this   Discussion Thread.