1: Critical Thinking Paper on Issue or Problem OR: Annotated Bibliography

Module 8: Portfolio Project

Grade:

Portfolio Project (300 Points)

Important! Read First

Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission.

Option #1: Critical Thinking Paper on Issue or Problem

Select an issue or problem that you wish to investigate critically. Formulate a question or thesis on the issue so that your research has a clear and cogent direction.

Use Paul and Elder’s (2012) intellectual standards to find a topic or problem that is clear, relevant, significant, and precise.

Now, write a paper that addresses the problem or issue via scholarly sources.

Your paper should include the following:

Title page: include your name, date, title of essay, and class

Introduction: provide a two-paragraph introduction that frames the issue or problem carefully

Engagement with issue or problem using scholarly sources and the intellectual standards proposed by Paul and Elder (2012): What is the issue? Why is it significant? Why is this issue relevant to you (and/or your community)? What have you learned about the depth and breadth of the issue or problem from scholarly sources? How do the scholarly sources aid you in fair-mindedness and logic?

Conclusion: Reflect on your issue or problem and how the sources informed your thinking. What have you learned? How can you apply the intellectual standards and elements of reason to this issue or problem to come to creative solutions? What critical questions remain?

References

Journal Submission. Each module lecture contains a section with journal prompts that focus on reflection and application of the module content. Use the Journal Template to record your answers for each module’s prompt(s). Include these entries at the end of your Final Portfolio.

Details

Cite all claims and ideas using scholarly sources. While it is acceptable to write in the first person, be sure to cite your sources to support your inferences.

Your paper should engage a minimum of six scholarly sources that are not required or recommended readings for this course. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.

Your paper should be eight to ten pages in length and formatted according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing & APA.

Papers should be double-spaced, 12-point font.

Keep in mind the following milestones throughout the course designed to assist you in crafting your Final Portfolio

Week 1: Submit Portfolio Topic (worth 25 points)

Week 4: Submit Revised Portfolio Topic and Preliminary Outline (worth 25 points)

Refer to the Final Portfolio Project grading rubric found in the Module 8 folder to understand how your project will be graded.

Option #2: Annotated Bibliography

Select an issue or problem that you wish to investigate critically. Formulate a question or thesis on the issue so that your research has a clear and cogent direction.

Use Paul and Elder’s (2012) intellectual standards to find a topic or problem that is clear, relevant, significant, and precise.

Now, construct an annotated bibliography that addresses the problem or issue through scholarly sources. See this example for a good overview of how an annotated bibliography should be

constructed.

Your annotated bibliography should include the following:

Title page: include your name, date, title of annotated bibliography, and class

Introduction: provide a two-paragraph introduction that frames the issue or problem carefully

Annotations: Summarize the main point or arguments of each scholarly source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? Each annotation should be roughly one or two paragraphs in length.

Conclusion: Reflect on your issue or problem and how the sources informed your thinking. What have you learned? How can you apply the intellectual standards and elements of reason to this issue or problem to come to creative solutions?

References

Journal Submission. Each module lecture contains a section with journal prompts that focus on reflection and application of the module content. Use the Journal Template to record your answers for each module’s prompt(s). Include these entries at the end of your Final Portfolio.

Details

Cite all claims and ideas using scholarly sources. While it is acceptable to write in the first person, be sure to cite your sources to support your inferences.

Your annotated bibliography should include a minimum of 15 scholarly sources that are not required or recommended readings for this course. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.

Your paper annotated bibliography should be eight to ten pages in length and formatted according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing & APA.

Papers should be double-spaced, 12-point font.

Refer to the Revision Checklist for an overview of items to consider as you add final polish to your draft.

Keep in mind the following milestones throughout the course designed to assist you in crafting your Final Portfolio

Week 1: Submit Portfolio Topic (worth 25 points)

Week 4: Submit Revised Portfolio Topic and Preliminary Outline (worth 25 points)

Refer to the Final Portfolio Project grading rubric found in the Module 8 folder to understand how your project will be graded.