On the whole, is there liberty and justice for all?

Primary goals

Establish your knowledge about your problem
In breadth and depth
Explain the cause or historical origin of the problem/controversy
Any solutions that have been historically tried (and failed)
Demonstrate the ability to find research
In a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
Synthesize information from multiple sources into a coherent context
Identify the keystone issues needed to solve this issue
The “dealbreaker” elements
Do not attempt to solve the problem/controversy
You will do this in the next essay

In this essay, you will provide a summary of the research that has already been done about your topic. Your goal is to provide a comprehensive summary of why this issue exists. Your essay should explain what other people have discovered about this topic already, and how they did that work (i.e., the methods they used for their research). This essay should show that you are highly knowledgeable about this topic, and show that you have explored different perspectives in a way that has let you understand this topic.

Try to avoid summarizing each source individually. Instead, identify patterns or conclusions found in your reading. If you have found different groups that argue against each other, or historical changes in the way people have viewed sub-issues related to your topic, you might use that as a way to organize your writing.

You should conclude this essay by identifying the key issues that need to be overcome in order to bring this situation to a satisfactory resolution. That is to say, are there laws that need to be repealed or created? Do stakeholders need to be convinced, who have historically not been easy to sway?

Time estimate: 10 hours to rough draft, 15 hours total

Length guideline: 1000 words minimum

2.0 Requirements:

Use the style system most appropriate for the subject you are researching (APA or MLA)
Use at least 5 sources
At least 1 of these sources must be academic/scholarly
Identify a problem or issue of controversy that you can write about in the next essay
Establish that you have basic knowledge about this topic in a few aspects
What the problem is
How big the problem is

3.0 Requirements:

Explain the historical origin of this problem
What caused the problem?
What has already been tried to solve the problem?
Use at least 6 sources
At least 3 of these sources must be academic/scholarly
Sources must represent multiple perspectives
Establish that you have basic knowledge about this topic in many aspects

4.0 Requirements:

Use at least 8 sources (you may use more)
At least 3 sources must be academic/scholarly
At least 1 source must be designed for a popular audience
At least 1 source must show the perspective of a traditionally under-represented group
Establish detailed knowledge of this topic in at least one aspect
Identify the “keystone” issues that would need to be solved
But do not solve them (this will happen in the next essay)
Explain why prior attempts to solve this problem were unsuccessful

Tips and Things to Consider:

Include an author’s note for the rough draft that explains what feedback you want
Look for a creative problem to address. A well-known problem that has been around for a long time is probably going to be very difficult to solve, so it may raise the level of difficulty for the next essay
Search for recent sources. If your sources are too old, you may
Brainstorm a few problems or issues you could write about. The first one you think of is usually not very creative