Addressing a Problem

it should be problem/ solution essay.
it should have at least 6 references.

Research-Based Problem/Solution Essay
English 151, Spring 2017Length: 4+ pages

The Problem/Solution is the most important one in English 151. While you may never again use things like the specific documentation style required for an English course (i.e., MLA formatting), all college writing (and good thinking, for that matter) requires the following three skills:

-the ability to ask good research questions;
-the ability to make a clear, coherent argument that takes alternative views into consideration and responds to the values and beliefs of your audience;
-the ability to use research to investigate and solidly support your argument – and, perhaps more importantly, to allow you entry into the “conversation” around a particular topic.

You will gain and/or strengthen these skills in the course of writing this essay. This essay must be an argumentative essay – just like we’ve been doing all semester – that uses at least six outside sources. A minimum of four of these sources must be from published sources, which you find using the library databases, rather than simply Web sites that you could find just browsing the Web or Googling.

For this assignment, you will write an essay that takes the form of a proposal: specifically, I am asking that you describe or make known a significant problem and propose a possible solution. You could do this in a number of ways. You could propose a “funny” solution, for example. You could devise a marketing strategy (think social engineering). Or you could filter your essay through your own personal experiences with said topic (like a personal narrative).

What remains constant is that you identify a local, national, or global problem that could be solved by an organization or by the government. The problem should not be one that is personal (i.e., your dandruff problem); it needs to be a social problem, the kind that affects many people. In some cases, you might need to persuade your audience that something IS a problem before you can argue for a solution – for instance, many farmers in Idaho still don’t recognize field burning as a problem, though others think it is. Take care to select a problem that is specific enough that you can deal with it within the confines of this assignment but big enough that you can do library research on it.

In your essay, you need to describe the problem and convince your readers that the topic you have selected really is a problem. Next, you need to propose a solution for it and argue for that solution. It is usually necessary to argue for one solution (or solutions) and against another solution. In other words, your task is to convince your readers that the solution that you propose is the best one.

Your essay should take counterarguments into account. Here are some forms that a counterargument can take: some reasonable people may believe that the problem you have identified is not really a problem at all. If so, then no solution is necessary. You will need to argue that the problem you have identified really is a problem. Usually, though, most reasonable people agree that certain problems are genuine. Where they disagree is on which solution is the best one. Your paper then needs to argue that one solution is better than others.

Here are some of the qualities of an effective proposal:

A clearly defined problem.
An awareness of what your audience knows and doesn’t know about the problem and the solution.
A well-explained solution.
Evidence for why your solution will be effective.
An explanation of counterarguments against your proposed solution or the articulation of the problem.
A review of alternative solutions.
Concessions/qualifiers.
A call to action.

Research

Why do writers do research? It depends on the topic and your purpose, of course, but most often it’s for one or more of the following reasons:
Basic fact-finding. For instance, someone writing about nontraditional students might need to find out the percentage of nontraditional to traditional students currently attending college in the U.S.
To understand what has already been said about the subject. For instance, if you were writing about the Phantom wolf pack in Sun Valley, you would need to retrace the reactions to Idaho’s decision to allow wolf hunting and the reactions to those reactions.
To provide necessary background information for the reader. This could be historical information about some aspect of the topic, but it also might be cultural or geographical background. For example, researching the storied history of the New York Mets franchise will allow you to uncover the fact that the team’s colors are a mix of Dodger Blue and Giants Orange as a way to warm National League fans in NY (who just lost their two ball clubs) to the Amazins.
To gain a conceptual understanding about some aspect of the subject: if you were researching the relation of Native tribal laws to U.S. law, for example, you might need to understand the dynamics of racism in relation to law (an example of which is affirmative action).
To develop a broader view of the subject. Doing secondary research helps to give you a new perspective on your topic or question.

APA

1531 words