Final Draft: 7+ pages, not including the works-cited page. Your topic must, in some form, address a specific way the built environment, the design of a space (virtual or physical), or the design of an inter-connected built system in the U.S. impacts society.
Topic selection Criteria: 1. It must address a specific way the built environment, the design of a space (virtual or physical), or the design of an interconnected built system (systemic design) in the U.S. impacts society
2. It must be relevant and a current topic of academic debate (ie not a historical review)
3. It must address, in at least some way, a Social Issue . It should not be on a valence issue.
NOTE: A social issue or problem is an issue that has been recognized by society as a problem that is preventing society from functioning at an optimal level. It is important to understand that not all things that occur in society are raised to the level of social problems. Four factors seem to characterize a social issue or problem: The public must recognize the situation as a problem; the situation is against the general values accepted by the society (or by large sections of the society); a large segment of the population recognizes the problem as a valid concern; the problem can be rectified or alleviated through the joint action of citizens and/or community resources.
NOTE: A valence issue is a social problem that people uniformly interpret the same way. These types of issues generally generate a widespread consensus and provoke little resistance from the public. An example of a valence issue would be child abuse, which is condemned across several societies to a large enough degree that some social scientists might speak of them as though they are universal, for the sake of illustration. Your paper should not be on a valence issue.
You must clearly articulate a specific argument. You must choose to write an Evaluation, Proposal, Definition, or Rebuttal/Response argument.
It should be clear in your paper what type of argument you are making.
You must use reliable sources. It is your responsibility to evaluate a source’s reliability.
You must use a quantitative literacy source and incorporate numeric data into your paper. You must include two original graphic representations of that data in your paper that is properly formatted according to MLA
