Final Paper Requirements

Hello Class,
I wanted to get you this before the weekend in case you have research time to get started, rather than waiting until Monday. I suggest that you get out your planners and break it down into three parts:
1. Research
2. Reference page/ APA in text citations
3. The writing

The first two can be done (at least rough draft) when you don't feel ready to write and helps you organize your brain about what you want to "hit". Researching articles and writing in the same day tends to send you off on wild tangents.

Reading articles and highlighting areas of interest (a couple of sentences, not the whole thing) and writing yourself a note in the margin so you YOU remember what the point was will go a long way when you have at least 10 journal articles staring you in the face and you have to pull it all together into something coherent when you sit down to write.

If you have another method that works for you- by all means- go for it! I just wanted to give you helpful hints (and what helps me...).

See you on Monday!

Dr. Holmes

Human Behavior and the Social Environment Final Paper

**If you received a “C” or lower on any of your previous writing assignments, you must have a rough draft turned in no later than Monday December 1 (in class) with a receipt/ note or certificate from either the Hundley Center, an outside tutor (with their contact information) or a printout from a program like Smart Thinking (www.smartthinking.com).** This is not negotiable. There will be no re-writes offered on this paper.

Final Drafts of papers turned in by Monday, December 1 (in Class) will receive two extra credit points towards their final grade.

FINAL CUTOFF: December 15, 2008 NOON. Must be in hard copy form, in my office. No emailed papers. No exceptions. You have time to plan, so plan.

Page length: Minimum 8 pages, MAXIMUM 10 pages. Explore the professional literature on one of the following topics and show adequate support in this research paper.

Locate a minimum of (10) scholarly articles from professional journals (this excludes magazines, newspapers, web sites- but feel free to start there to see where THEY got their information) that discuss the genetic disorder or issue you have chosen. If you use non- academic sources, still cite them if you use them- just stay away from this as much as possible. You DO NOT want a paper supported by websites.

If you have trouble locating professional journals see the reference librarian in the Union University library. You may find may abstracts online, but Union doesn’t have it in full text- do an online REQUEST for it.

Your supporting journal articles should cover the following areas:

Biological issues related to the topic chosen
Cognitive issues related to the topic chosen
Psychological or Emotional topic related to the issue chosen
Spiritual issues related to the topic chosen

Use APA style to reference the articles you chose as well as in-text citations in the body of your paper. Careless APA errors will no longer be accepted. At the close of this course you will have had ample time to acquaint yourself with APA rules, the correct use of grammar, punctuation, spelling and coherent and logically arranged thoughts. Blatant disregard for APA will result in a failing grade on this paper. I have spent significant time on your papers throughout the course of the semester (written feedback), have offered personal time to assist you in bettering your skills, given class lectures on the topic and have offered resources to help you in this direction.

At this point, it is your choice as student who is preparing for a professional career to reflect your ability to follow directions, and take the time to ensure that you are turning in a paper worthy of the grade that you desire.

Papers must be typed, double spaced, use 12 point font (times New Roman preferred).


Paper is worth 65 points.



Paper Ideas:
• Homosexuality: Are there genetic markers in a region on the X chromosome?
• Do Cord Blood Stem Cells Really Work?
• Autism
• Breast Cancer
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Cleft Palate
• Klinefelter’s
• Turners
• Obesity
• Spina Bifida
• Sickle Cell
• Trisomy 21/ Down’s Syndrome


Other ideas are fine, just check with me first- you don’t want to be chasing rare issues as you want to prepare yourself for (reality) practice as a professional. Plus, the more rare the topic, the more difficult it is to support your ideas with research. Also too broad “Heart Disease” or “Cancer” will be overwhelming.