Author: chris

urces, please click on the About this Course link in the classroom.

Remember, this class is a culmination of all your classes more especially, your Criminal Justice classes.The topic you select for your thesis should be carefully considered and one that can be covered in your limited amount of time while remaining interesting to you and your audience. Although you have received classroom instruction concerning the public sector careers, do not forget about the private sector careers. Did you know that one of the department stores has two forensics labs in the United States. One is in the western states and the other is located in the northeast, and both locations process fingerprints and other forensics evidence? Did you know that one of the fast food restaurants has a huge security department that is responsible for global security and an intelligence unit that tracks terrorism worldwide? Also, did you know that every professional sports team, most Fortune 500 companies, and amusement parks have security, quick response teams, and investigation teams? In the selection of your topic for your final project , examine all possible areas of interest both in the public and private sectors. Research topics of interest in which you would love to have a career.

Based on the feedback from your instructor and peers regarding your topic, finalize the thesis that you will pursue for your research. Now you will develop a research plan that will include the following:

Thesis statement: This statement presents the problem or issue you intend to research, and it should be clear and concise.
Hypothesis: This is a statement of prediction regarding the results of the problem or issue. Briefly identify your working solution to the problem. How might your working solution solve the problem? Be sure to note that your working solution will evolve through continued research and analysis.
Measurement and analysis approach: Define the key points that you will research and explain how you will gather and analyze the data you find. Intend to incorporate information related to technology and crime statistics that apply to your issue.
Applicable resources: Identify 5 sources that you have found that are the most relevant and best support your purpose statement. List the sources and then record the main idea as notes to use as part of your research later. Identify case studies, library, Web, and other scholarly resources.
Ethical standards: What are your ethical and legal responsibilities to ensure that your final report will be of the highest ethical standards?

(((((( an argument research ))))))

Final Research Paper
“Arguing a Position”
ENG 120

Over the course of the next five to six weeks, we will be focusing on the fundamentals of writing a college-level research paper, specifically one which asks you to ultimately “argue a position.” We will discuss how to come up with a topic; we will consider how to plan your research; we will consider issues of plagiarism, how to avoid it, and how to use the MLA style of documentation; we will discuss how to find appropriate, substantial scholarly sources; we will review the fundamentals of paper content, organization, and style, particularly as they relate to this question of how to argue a position; finally, you will be handing in at least one rough draft, meeting with me individually for individual conferences, and presenting your research findings in an oral presentation. Here are some initial fundamentals…

Pages: around 8-10

Sources: at least eight separate secondary sources (and as many primary sources as necessary), one of which must be a printed book. The following website offers information on the difference between primary and secondary sources as well as useful questions to ask when evaluating a source: http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/distinguish-between-primary-and-secondary-sources. In addition, you may use no more than one unvetted source (this means no more than one Wikipedia source or blog, etc…) as part of your eight sources; an “unvetted source” is one that has not been thoroughly checked by a reliable source (i.e. an editor) to be sure that it is valid, factual, and worthy of publication. Finally, be sure that your sources are “meaty,” substantive sources (ie. 8 1-page sources will not be adequate) and that the majority come from scholarly sources; a few of your sources may come from newspapers or popular & special interest magazines, but the majority should come from professional & trade periodicals as well as scholarly journals. The following link on the SNHU website should help you to distinguish between these different types of sources: http://library.lakelandcc.edu/PDFs/research/evaluatingsources.pdf (click on: “is this scholarly or popular?”).

The topic for this final research paper will, to a large extent, be left up to yourselves to choose. The only requirement is that the general topic be about some area of popular culture, specifically on one of the following six areas: Advertising, Television, Music, Technology, Sports, Leisure (i.e. hobbies, etc…), and Movies.

Now, how should you come up with a topic? Start with a “topic,” i.e. an area of popular culture that interests you. Then narrow down that topic to a specific “subject,” i.e. a smaller subject within that area. Finally, consider what question (“issue/query”) about that subject you wish to research and, ultimately, take a side on. Note: While you might already have an opinion about your “question,” do not pick a topic where the answer is either an obvious one (i.e. “is steroid use bad for children?” or “is texting and driving dangerous?”) or one you are absolutely and ridiculously firm on (i.e. “Red Sox rock, Yankees suck”). You should begin with a viable question (not rhetorical) rather than a thesis: the research should ultimately guide you to your argument and final conclusions.

Examples of useful past topics/paper proposal ideas:
Topic: Sports; Subject: Children and Sports Issue/Query: Do the dangers of children playing contact sports outweigh the positives?
Topic: Music; Subject: Gangster Rap; Issue/Query: Does gangster rap reinforce or question gender and racial stereotypes?
Topic: Sports; Subject: Basketball; Issue/Query: NBA Dress Codes/Are these new dress codes simply an issue of professionalism or do they reflect unfair, racist stereotypes?
Topic: Leisure/Sports; Subject: Extreme Sports; Issue/Query: To what extent should the government regulate extreme sport activities (such as skiing Tuckerman’s Ravine or wing diving)?

This final paper will count as approximately 25% of your grade. This means that you should consider, as you write, all of the issues of organization, thorough analysis and evidence, style, and mechanics that we will have covered. Please utilize my office hours. DON’T BE A STRANGER!

Overview: Much of what happens in healthcare is about understanding the expectations of the many departments and personnel within the organization. Reimbursement drives the financial operations of healthcare organizations; each department affects the reimbursement process regarding timelines and the amount of money put into and taken out of the system. However, if departments do not follow the guidelines put into place or do not capture the necessary information, it can be detrimental to the reimbursement system.   An important role for patient financial services (PFS) personnel is to monitor the reimbursement process, analyze the reimbursement process, and suggest changes to help maximize the reimbursement. One way to make this process more efficient is by ensuring that the various departments and personnel are exposed to the necessary knowledge.  Milestone Two provides you an opportunity to engage with real-world data that you would encounter in an actual professional environment. Specifically, you will take a closer look at how reimbursement impacts other healthcare departments, and you will dive deep into utilizing data, tracking records, and ensuring compliance within individual departments.   Prompt: Submit a draft of Section II of the final project. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:  II. Departmental Impact on Reimbursement A. Describe the impact of the departments at this healthcare organization that utilize reimbursement data. What type of audit would be necessary to determine whether the reimbursement impact is reached fully by these departments? How could the impact of these departments on pay-forperformance incentives be measured?  B. Assess the activities within each department at this healthcare organization for how they may impact reimbursement.  C. Identify the responsible department for ensuring compliance with billing and coding policies. How does this affect the department’s impact on reimbursement at this healthcare organization?  Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a four- to five-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least four sources, which should be cited in APA format.

 You are employed in the corporate IT department of URCovered, Inc., which is one of the largest major auto insurance companies in North America. Based on a yearlong study, your company management has identified a mobile application as an opportunity to improve customer service in the area of claim management. There are both positive and negative arguments presented by management on how the mobile application can influence customer relationships. As a result, management decided to form a dedicated committee to study the problem further. The committee has two months to complete the study and will then return and present their results to management. Based on the additional study results, management believes they will be able to make a much more informed decision that is in the best interest of both the company and its customers. As an IT business analyst, you are selected by management to perform the IT study of the mobile application. You will follow the IT company standard project process to complete the outputs supporting the initiation and discovery steps. The resulting output model will be presented to management for a GO/NO GO decision. In the event there is a GO decision, the model output will be used as input to the remaining project steps of construction, verification and validation, and closeout. In the event of a NO GO, the resulting output documents will be archived accordingly and the project will move to closeout. The following information was noted during management meetings and should be able to get you started: In the monthly management meeting, one of the agenda items was to discuss the claims management system. This system is over 5 years old now and it does a fantastic job of managing customer claims internally for case managers. The case manager is responsible for the entire workflow beginning with the initial claim request and ending with the final customer follow-ups after a claim has been completed. The system is well integrated with accessibility via the web for all people involved with the claim, including car repair shops, auto body, paint shops, etc. The web application screens are user friendly however they do require a computer to access. Based on the case manager contact with customers as well as other survey based feedback channels, it was determined that customers would prefer to use a mobile application because they don’t really use a computer any more. They found that they called their case manager instead of logging into the web application. As the discussion continued regarding the mobile application, the managers believed that it was a great idea. The discussion began to dive further into details and some managers quickly recognized that maybe a mobile application would not be good for the customer relationship. The contact with the case manager and customer was more personal. The mobile application may cause a customer to feel disconnected and lose that personal connection. Another concern was ensuring that the information provided was accurate. One claim manager provided the following example. Consider that the customer checks on the status of a claim to find that it is in a pending status. This internal status is meaningful and positive to the case manager who can properly communicate the interpretation of the pending status, whereas the customer becomes stressed because they interpret this status as meaning their claim is not approved. The management team agreed that they all were in favor of a mobile application. However, they wanted to perform further analysis to ensure that the application could keep the personal connection with the customer. The information below outlines the high-level requirements and scope of the mobile application as agreed on by the management team:  The first milestone of the course project is an introduction. The sections to include as part of the introduction are:Note that the course project intent is to introduce students to an entire systems analyst process. Each milestone is fairly significant in size if performing an actual project. For the intended learning and exposure to the course project topics, please know that . For additional details, please refer to the Final Project Document and the Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric document in the Assignment Guidelines and Rubrics section of the course.        

Assignment 2.1: The Public Needs to Know – Draft VersionDue Week 4 and worth 150 pointsSelect one (1) of the scenarios on which to focus your informative paper. Research the topic and include credible sources to support claims. Identify your purpose clearly, incorporate audience needs, establish a desired tone, and organize information and / or claims effectively.1.The director of a local domestic violence shelter has asked you (a board member and volunteer for the organization) to write an informative paper about your local organization’s program. Describe the process and benefits of the program for the community members.Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:Provide a clear thesis statement.Describe the process (decisions, steps) involved in the program.Explain the benefits of the program.Develop a coherently structured paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion.Provide three (3) relevant and credible sources to support claims. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:Associate the features of audience, purpose, and text with various genres.Recognize the elements and correct use of a thesis statement.Recognize how to organize ideas with transitional words, phrases, and sentences.Incorporate relevant, correctly documented sources to substantiate claims.Apply the writing process to develop various writing genres.Write clearly and concisely about selected topics using proper writing mechanics. Use technology and information resources to research selected issues for this course.

Your Final Paper should include a problem statement or description of the social problem you have selected, a discussion of the scope and consequences of the problem, and an assessment of society’s responses to the problem (including public policies and other less formal responses). Papers should also present a clearly reasoned alternative that is supported by scholarly research. While the following example can be modified to suit your needs, using this outline as a guide will likely result in a high quality final paper:Describe the social problem.Explain why this problem qualifies as a social problem.Indicate the sociological theory or theories that may explain this social problem.Discuss the individual and social implications of this problem. Your discussion of implications should be supported by accurate research data.Summarize what social science experts have to say about this social problem. Are their conclusions methodologically sound?Explain what we, as a society, have done about this problem, considering public policies and other less formal responses.Explain how well societal efforts to solve the social problem are working.Describe an alternative.Discuss why the alternative is, or can be, an effective response to the problem. Remember to consider negative consequences of the alternative response.Conclude with reflections and thoughts about your chosen social problem.ReferencesWriting the Final PaperThe Final Paper: TEEN PREGNANCYMust be five to seven double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Must include a title page with the following:Title of paper: TEENS PREGNANCYStudent’s nameCourse name and numberInstructor’s nameDate submittedMust begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.Must use at least five scholarly resources, including a minimum of three from the Ashford Online Library.Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style

For the Unit 6 Assignment, imagine that you are the director of a childcare center and are planning for the “Week of the Young Child,” an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. As the director, you are planning a mini-conference on children’s early literacy for caregivers, teachers, and parents.As part of your task, you need to create a newsletter or PowerPoint presentation that describes the topics that will be covered in the workshop. Your newsletter or presentation should be focused towards gaining attendance to the workshops you are planning below:In , you will give a developmentally appropriate example of a creative drama based on a popular story book that you would use in a classroom or center setting.In , you apply your knowledge about the developmentally appropriate principles, language development, and investigative play critical to creating a learning center for children in the preschool age group.In , you will give a developmentally appropriate example of a read aloud activity based on a popular story book that you would use in a classroom or center setting for kindergarteners. In this workshop, please share the five guidelines for selecting books to read aloud to a group of kindergarteners and how to apply those guidelines to a popular storybook. ( The storybook of your choice should be identified in your newsletter or PowerPoint presentation.)Read The Power of Planning; Developing Effective Read-Alouds for guidelines on selecting a storybook for this Assignment.Shedd, M. and Duke, N. (Nov 2008). The Power of Planning; Developing Effective Read-Alouds. Retrieved fromYou should use one of the templates that has been provided for you and use APA guidelines.Power Point Guidelines: Use the template provided in Doc Sharing. You should share bulleted points on your slide with short statements about the content shared in the “Click to Add Notes” section. The bulk of your content should be found in the “Click to Add Notes” section. You should have a title slide, an introduction, a conclusion, and a reference slide. You need 12 slides for this assignment. You should be organized and identify the topics and workshops in your headings.Newsletter/Brochure Guidelines: Use the  template provided in Doc Sharing. You should use complete sentences, as well as headings that identify the topics and workshops written about in each section. You should have a title with a byline with your name listed as the author. You should have an introduction, a conclusion, and a reference section. You need double columns in a three to four page newsletter format. Your writing should be organized, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful. Your work should display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics while demonstrating the ability to apply critical thinking skills to illustrate sound reasoning. Be sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style. There should be no plagiarism. Clip art or images should be added to the presentation after you have the content that is needed for the assignment. Please do not sacrifice content for images. Images should enhance the information that you have shared in your presentation. Use the rubric as your guide to ensure that you include all the required contents. You should include references at the end of your newsletter or PowerPoint.

To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s link in the left navigation.For your Final Project, you may write a paper or create a PowerPoint presentation.To complete this projectChoose one of the following topics:For example, a student writing a paper about the topic African Americans might choose the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Power Movement as two of their events. In that case, the paper would provide a description of the two movements. It would explain what each one revealed about the role of African Americans in broader American society in, respectively, the 1920s and the late 1960s, explain how and why the roles of African Americans in the 1920s differed from their roles in the late 1960s, and explain how events in the 1920s may have contributed to developments in the later decade. The Final Project:If you choose to create a PowerPoint presentation, you should use visual elements to contribute to your explanation of the topic. PowerPoint presentations should avoid plagiarism and have proper APA citations for all source material either in the note section at the bottom of each slide, or on the last slide of the show indicating sources for each slide. The final slide must be a correctly formatted reference list containing all of your sources. You may use non-scholarly sources for your images, but not for the text of the presentation. Make sure to pay attention to color and style.Before submitting your Final Project, you may want to view the and/or visit the Ashford Writing Center (AWC) for feedback.Do you have questions? Check out the page.Carefully review the for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment. Written assignments (essays, journals, presentations) are due on the specified days in the course. Written assignments will be subject to a late penalty of up to 10% per day up to three days late. If written assignments are submitted after 72 hours past the due date, instructors can give a penalty up to and including a grade of 0 for the assignment.

As part of the academic rigor in this course, you will be expected to write a page paper (page count not including cover page, references, etc) The purpose of the paper is for you to be able to explore a topic of interest to you from a sociological perspective. To do so, you must accomplish the following:* Clearly state your thesis/research question and how it is significant to the study of society* Select a minimum of 12 peer reviewed articles and 3 other sources which will permit you to explore and evaluate sociological research and perspectives on your thesis/question –       – discussion of each article should include noting how the article addresses/answers your research question; the article’s main research question/thesis; primary theoretical perspective used; sample size and composition; methodology  and analysis used; brief summary of findings       – the best discussion will be formatted by themes comparing and contrasting articles (i.e. phrasing of question, methodology used, measurement of variables, size and composition of sample, findings, etc.)* Be sure key concepts in your paper are defined (conceptual and operational definitions) and cited using sources such as past sociology texts and peer-reviewed articles* Employ appropriate use of APA format in-text citations and references1. The paper begins with a clear thesis statement that is well articulated in the first or second paragraph2. The paper draws appropriately 12 peer-reviewed articles and 3 other sources to support the thesis statement presented. This means that if you could have used findings from a paper listed to make your point more clearly and you do not do so, you will be penalized.3. The paper is well structured and synthesizes the material appropriately. Rather than summarize each of the readings referenced, the paper identifies common themes or divergent findings that must be taken into account in making a logical argument in support of the thesis statement.4. The concluding paragraph summarizes the focus of the paper and identifies the implications for the study of society.5. Well written, proper grammar, proper referencing, spelling, and punctuationWriting: Your written assignments will be graded not only for content but for logic, clarity, and mechanics. Remember to proofread your work carefully. When assignments are returned, take note of any corrections or recommendations, and incorporate these into later writings.1. Papers should have clear introductory and concluding paragraphs.2. Avoid moral evaluations.3. Avoid claims that you cannot back up. Only state something as a fact if you have supporting evidence, or you can cite someone reputable who does, or it is something trulyself-evident (e.g., a misstep while crossing the street can result in injury).4. Use the thesaurus sparingly. So-called synonyms are rarely truly synonymous, and youshould never use a thesaurus in an attempt to create the impression that your vocabularyis larger than it actually is.5. Use in-text citations of the format (Gibson, 2004) or (Gibson, 2004, p. 12) and then provide full bibliographic information at the end of the paper.6. Quote written sources sparingly, but strategically.7. Avoid vacuous statements. An example: “Theorists such as Blau illuminate the social world by theorizing phenomena contained therein.”  Papers should be typed, include a title page, page numbers, and a reference page. You should double-space your papers, use 1” margins, and 11pt. Arial or Times New Roman font. You should carefully check your papers for spelling and grammar. You should use sub-headings throughout the paper.  You will use in-text citations in the American Psychology Association (APA) style. You may find more information at

Three workks (masterpieces) from  REALISM – POST WWll any artist?Final Exam Prompt   In 3-5 double-spaced pages (1” margins, Times New Roman font), please address the following in formal writing: Imagine you are organizing a community exhibition of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Your goal is to sum up and clearly explain the period styles and context of art during those time periods.You can select only ONE artwork from each style, with a total of THREE masterpieces for the entire exhibition (note you may include a model of a building, should you want to include architecture). You can’t cover everything! Which three best sum up the transformations from Realism to post-WWII art? Explain your choice to your reader, being sure to inform him or her about the basic facts of the historical period, the artwork, and how it exemplifies the characteristics of the period style. No introduction or conclusion paragraph is necessary.Just start with your first choice. Good luck! This is a classic art history final exam question, time-tested by tradition. No late work will be accepted. Final Exam Rubric Feedback will be limited to letter grades and this explanatory rubric.  – All three works are explained in clear academic prose. The explanations accurately characterize the chosen works, period styles, and historical contexts. There are little to no spelling or grammar errors, and the voice remains formal.– Writing is clear, with some mechanical errors. The explanations are free of major inaccuracies, but one part of the response may be incomplete or inaccurate. There may be some spelling or grammar errors, and the voice remains formal. – Writing is clear, with some mechanical errors. The explanations are generically accurate, but limited to Wikipedia-style encyclopedia generalities. There are errors across the explanations. Significant spelling or grammar errors may be present, and the voice may lapse into informal, blog-like conversational prose. – Writing may or may not be clear, with some mechanical errors. The explanations are mostly inaccurate, with some redeeming qualities showing a genuine struggle with course content. Significant spelling or grammar errors may be present, and the voice may lapse into informal, “blog-like” conversational prose. F – Essay is illogical, uninformed, or incomplete. It may also be the case that the writing is impossible to understand.