Description
HEA 211
RESEARCH PAPER
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to explore the issue of HIV/AIDS among a certain population group (e.g., men who have sex with men, drug users, heterosexual men, African-American women, Hispanic bisexual men, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds etc), to examine HIV/AIDS prevention efforts among this group, and to compare HIV/AIDS among this group in the US with HIV/AIDS among this group from another country.
Examples of titles for your paper include “HIV/AIDS among transgender women in the US and Thailand” or “HIV/AIDS among African-American women in the US and women in Nigeria” or “HIV/AIDS among gay men over 40 in the US and gay man over 40 in the UK.” Just pick a population group and a comparison country. Make sure when choosing a population group and a comparison country that you will be able to find enough peer-review journal articles on your group and your comparison country. I suggest doing a thorough search of the college library electronic databases before finalizing which population group and which country you are going to write about.
Identifying a topic: Please do not just copy the topics in the sample papers. If you would like feedback on your topic, please email me the title of your topic together with a list of all the peer-review journal articles that you have found for the issue for the US as well as the comparison country. Each reference on your list needs to be written out in full using the APA style. Do not send me abstracts, attachments or copies of articles or links to articles. Make sure you have an equal number of articles for both countries and that you have enough information to address each component of this assignment. Again, please make sure you research your topic carefully before running it by me for approval. Coming up with a suitable topic takes time. You need to find a topic that interests you, that is appropriate, and one where there are plenty of peer-review articles on this topic for you to fully address all aspects of this assignment. If you email me a topic or list of topics off the top of your head without doing your homework and not providing a full bibliography using APA style on this topic, it will be ignored. See attached handout “Professional Writing 101” for how to compile a bibliography correctly. Your proposed topic that you email me for feedback should look like this: Example of a Topic HEA 211 and 511.docx
To do: Write a paper that addresses all of the following components:
1) Identify the extent of the problem and explain why it interests you personally.
2) As a future health educator (or other human service professional), why is it important for you to know about this problem.
3) What are the causes of this problem (include your own personal opinion as well) among this group.
4) Describe mainstream attitudes in society about this problem and specifically toward this group and state whether you think they are justified.
5) Compare HIV/AIDS between this population group and a similar population group in another country. Make sure you choose a country and not a continent. Africa is a continent so please do not choose Africa. You need to identify a country in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is a region. It is not a country. Make sure you focus on one country and not write about several countries or a region.
6) Locate one organization in the US and one in this other country that deals with HIV/AIDS prevention with this group. Describe the goals of each organization, types of services, problems and any other information you may think relevant. Give your opinion about how the two organizations compare against each other. Make sure the organization focuses specifically on HIV/AIDS education with this group and not a general HIV/AIDS organization or the CDC.
7) If someone asked if you could recommend a website, movie/documentary, and a book about HIV/AIDS among this group, what would you tell them. Write a brief blurb about each one, identifying the name, author/source, what it deals with specifically and what things this person would find interesting about each. You must write about all three (website, movie/documentary and book). It goes without saying that you need to write about a book other than your textbook! And please make sure you choose a website, movie/documentary, and book that is specific to your chosen population group. For example, don’t choose a movie such as “Philadelphia” or a website such as the CDC or a book such as “Facts about HIV/AIDS” if your topic is HIV/AIDS among adolescents in the US and Nigeria. Your resources need to specifically relate to your chosen population group (e.g., adolescents).
8) Summarize the main ways HIV/AIDS prevention among this population group is being addressed in the US and in the other country you have selected. You need to devote equal attention to the US and the other country.
9) Identify one educational approach that has been developed to address this issue. Here you need to be specific. No generalizations or broad recommendations. You need to show your knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts targeting this population group. Look at studies that have been conducted on this topic.
10) As a future health educator (or other professional you wish to become), state what contribution you could make in everyday life to addressing HIV/AIDS prevention among this population group on a national and international level. Again, be specific and identify some concrete things you can do.
Things to bear in mind:
1) Make sure that you find peer-reviewed journal articles through the Lehman College library website. I do not want to see articles from a google search or use of wikipedia. Your articles need to come directly from professional scientific journals which are available to you on the college library website. For information about how to access full-text journal articles or how to contact a Lehman College librarian for help, please click on the ACADEMIC RESOURCES and LIBRARY RESOURCES buttons on the left.
2) Your paper needs to be written in a professional manner. That means you need to have a title for your paper on the first page followed by your name. Your paper should be formatted properly as instructed above. Make sure you number each page. Please make sure that you properly cite all your sources in your paper and provide a bibliography at the end. Make sure you follow the APA style. I do not want to see any quotes. You need to put everything in your own words and you need to cite all your sources. I have also attached handouts on APA style. You risk losing valuable points if you do not follow the APA style properly. Make sure you click on the ACADEMIC RESOURCES button on the left for information about writing papers.
3) Your paper should be double-spaced, using Times New Roman, 12 pt font. You paper should be 5-7 pages long (excluding cover page and bibliography). An abstract or table of contents is not necessary for the purposes of this assignment but if you wish to include them that is fine, but you are still expected to write 5-7 pages excluding the abstract or table of contents. If you wish to write more than 5-7 pages, that is fine as long as you remember it is quality that counts. Please choose your words carefully and thoughtfully and consider each paper as an opportunity to improve your writing skills. Use 1″ margins. There are to be no big gaps between paragraphs. Please do not attempt to make the paper seem longer than it is through crafty formatting. Each paragraph should be joined to the next paragraph. Begin each paragraph by indenting it 0.3″.
4) You can use a variety of resources to complete this paper. You must use a minimum of 5 professional journal articles. Examples of journal articles are New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the International AIDS Society, AIDS Education & Prevention Journal etc. The more of these professional journal articles you use, the better. These articles must have been published within the last 5 years. Full-text articles can be accessed directly by going to the Lehman library website. Click on the LIBRARY RESOURCES button o the left. Please do not try to find articles through Google or Yahoo etc. I will be able to tell by the types of journals you select. If you wish to earn a good grade, I strongly recommend that you use more than the minimum number of journal articles and write more than the minimum number of pages. But remember it is quality that counts.
5) Please make sure you read the grading rubric that is attached before you submit your assignment. It is intended to help you identify which areas of your assignment are good and which areas are weak. You can see how well you have completed this assignment before you submit your work. I want you to get into the habit of assessing your own performance before you submit your work rather than waiting for someone else to give you a grade and feedback. When you finally get your grade and feedback, there should be no surprises. Above you will see that I have attached several sample papers from students who took this course before. These papers are extremely thorough and well written. These sample papers should give you a good sense of how to do this assignment and what you need to do if you are striving for excellence.
6) Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a zero grade. Please click on the ACADEMIC RESOURCES button on the left for information and policies about plagiarism.
7) Please write your paper in a Microsoft word file and save your file as “(Your last name)ResearchPaper”. For example: SmithResearchPaper.
When you are ready to submit your assignment, click on the heading above titled “RESEARCH PAPER (80 points)”. Then scroll down the screen to the section that says “Assignment Submission”. Do NOT click on “Write Submission.” Rather you need to find your file and upload it. Click on the “Browse My computer” button to find your file. Upload the file and then press “Submit” at the bottom of the screen.