Research Project (Assign. 11/12)

As you know, your English 1B will culminate with an eight-page research paper. Additionally, you will create a supplemental slide presentation which will summarize your findings.

Here are the topics for your research project. Choose one of the following: 

• The Exotic Pet Trade: Though largely illegal, the exotic species trade has flourished in recent years. In it, individuals who can afford it can purchase any number of exotic species (e.g. tigers, snakes, monkeys) for use as domestic pets. This often results in dangerous outcomes, including the death or injury of the owner and/or pet. It has also had a devastating effect on our environment. For example, Florida’s Everglades is reeling from the unlawful introduction of Burmese pythons, which have wreaked havoc on its sensitive ecosystem. What is being done to curb this problem on the governmental level? And how can individuals make a difference? Explore the global implications of importing exotic species as pets.
• Educating Girls: Decades of research has revealed that the benefits of a country investing in girls’ education range from economic mobility to political empowerment to better health and well-being. While most girls in industrialized nations are educated at the same level as boys, girls in emerging nations often face an uphill battle to gain even a basic education. As a result, these girls are more vulnerable to poverty, health risks, sexual exploitation, and gender-based discrimination than their industrialized counterparts. For this project, profile two emerging nations who are tackling the challenge of educating more of their girls, as well as one nation that is actively disempowering their young female population by removing their educational opportunities. 
• Rewilding: “Rewilding” is a conservation approach that aims to restore and enhance natural ecosystems by reintroducing native species, reinstating ecological processes, and promoting a habitat’s natural dynamics. Conservationists around the world, from the United States to India, have sought to reclaim much of the natural environment that we’ve lost. But these efforts haven’t been without challenges, from local resistance to funding to bureaucracies. Rewilding can be a rewarding, but also slow, process. For this project, highlight the rewilding efforts of three countries.
• Fast Fashion: On the surface, so-called "fast fashion" seems like a win for the consumer: low-priced, but on-trend, clothing that is easily available to everyone. In a sense, fast fashion democratizes fashion by making the latest styles, hot off the catwalk or red carpet, accessible to everyday customers at reasonable prices. But it also carries with it a dark underbelly: textiles waste, environmental damage, and a high human toll—especially in the developing nations that produce it. In fact, the true effects of fast fashion are only now becoming widely known. Today, consumers have more access to information about the effects of fast fashion than ever before. And, as a result, many of them have come to the conclusion that fast fashion is simply unsustainable, for the people who make it and the environment. For this project, illustrate the human and environmental costs of fast fashion in two emerging nations.

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Part 1: The Paper

Mechanical Requirements:

• ≈2,000 words
• A minimum of six outside sources
• MLA Style, including works cited page

Your paper should include:

• A thesis outlining a clear argument about your topic
• A deep analysis of your topic, including specific examples from your research
• A thoughtful conclusion that illustrates an understanding of your topic

Part 2: The Presentation

You have two options:

Option A - Slide Presentation
Mechanical Requirements:

• Six slides, not including cover slide and works cited
• There is no word count, but keep in mind this presentation is designed to be read (as opposed to presented)
• You may use any program you like (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canvas, etc.), but submit your presentation as an attachment—no links

 Your presentation should include:

A curated summary of your research paper's findings

A style, supplemented by illustrations and multimedia, which enhances your topic 

 

Option B - Webpage
Mechanical Requirements: 

• Use Adobe Express to create a webpage summarizing your paper's findings
• No word count, but keep watch for wordiness
• Submit only a link to your webpage

Your webpage should include: A curated summary of your research paper's findings
A style, supplemented by illustrations and multimedia, which enhances your topic

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GELOS:

2. Explore and articulate their own subjective aesthetic and intellectual responses to such texts

3. Analyze and assess ideas of value, meaning, and knowledge, as produced within the humanistic disciplines

4. Research and write effective analyses of works of the human intellect and imagination

The Schedule:

• Week 13: Fri 4.19
• Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (UP TO PAGE 2)
• Week 14: Fri 4.26
• Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (UP TO PAGE 4) 
• Week 15: Fri 5.3
• Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (UP TO PAGE 6) 
• Week 18: Mon 5.20
  
• Due: SUBMIT RESEARCH PAPER TO PACKBACK AND RESEARCH PRESENTATION TO CANVAS BY MIDNIGHT