Posted: April 3rd, 2015

Human and Growth and Development

Human and Growth and Development

how adoption may affect a child’s mental growth and health until adulthood.

Research Paper
This research paper is designed for you to explore the vast world of human development.  As such, your list of topics is expansive and vague.  I encourage you to pick a topic that sparks your interest; what do you care about?  What about our development, or rather – what affects our development – leaves you wondering “why” or “how?”  By doing this, your paper will be interesting, critical, thought-provoking, and you might actually learn something from it.  As you review the topics, if you discover that the concept you are interested in is not listed, please contact me so we can discuss whether or not it is appropriate for this assignment!
This paper will be at least 8 pages (cover page and reference page included in count), double-spaced, size 12 font, and in-text citations and reference section completed in APA format (abstract is NOT required for this paper).  Your research must consist of at least four (4) scholarly resources, such as: journal articles, organizational websites, and textbooks.  For those of you unfamiliar, the term scholarly means “characteristic of, or suitable to, learned persons” (Merriam-Webster, 2011).  You are in college; I expect you to utilize your critical thinking skills and be selective in what material you “believe” and use to support your ideas.
Your paper will be submitted as a Word Document file upload on Canvas and checked by Turnitin. Familiarize yourself with Turnitin and how it is used; papers with high similarity scores suggests plagiarism and is in jeopardy of a low grade. Please do yourselves a favor and take the time to learn how to properly paraphrase information and cite your sources. If you need assistance, please visit the Writing Center, located in H-200. Also, refer to the consequences resulting from academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
This paper is due April 7th, 2015 by MIDNIGHT. Late papers will be penalized by a 5 point deduction for each missed day (due to the online submission, weekends WILL BE included) and late papers will no longer be accepted after April 14th, 2015.
List of topics:
Effects of Drug Abuse on aspects of growth and     development
Eating Disorders
Adoption
Prenatal Testing
Infertility
Intelligence
Nutrition
Children’s Play
Bilingual Education
Mainstreaming/Inclusion (Special Education)
Birth Order
Gender Stereotyping
Teenage Pregnancy
Teen fads and language
Suicide
Surrogacy
Child Beauty Pageants and Other Adult-    Oriented Activities for Children
Mental Health Disorders (e.g. Depression)
Changes in Post-Secondary Education
Mating Rituals: Changes in Marriage and Dating
Young Motherhood versus Old Motherhood
Divorce
The Effects of Divorce on Children
Working Parents and Day Care
How to Live Longer and Better…
Forms of Dementia (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease)
Nursing Homes
The Hospice Movement
Funeral Ritual
Death: Part of Life or Taboo?
Speech/Language Development
Military

Grading Rubric
Your paper will be graded using the following rubric:
Paper Content:
•    Introduction:
o    Is the topic clearly defined and relevant to human growth and development?
o    Is there a concise thesis statement as to why the reader should continue reading?
•    Content of Paper:
o    Is the content the author’s own ideas and work?
o    Did the author identify main points to help support thesis statement?
o    Are there strong and appropriate examples to help the reader understand the points made?
o    Is the information relevant and accurate?
o    Does the paper offer excellent background, context and idea development?
•    Conclusion:
o    Did the author provide a BRIEF summary of the discussion?    25 Points
References & Citations
•    References:
o    Did the author use at least four (4) scholarly resources?
o    Did the author appropriately paraphrase information to avoid plagiarism?
o    Is the Turnitin similarity score under 20%?
o    Is there a reference section?
o    Does the paper use APA citations?    15 Points
Writing Style
•    Organization:
o    Is the paper well organized (i.e. paragraphs) and have fluidity to the content?
o    Does the paper follow the required style guidelines – 12-point font, double-spaced, etc.?
o    Does the content cover at least 6 pages?
•    Grammar:
o    Is the paper free of grammatical and spelling errors?    10 Points
Total Points:    50 Points