Social
Issue Research & Action Project
For this project, you must select a
social issue that is important to you.
You will then need to learn (1) about that social issue, (2) locate and
research a person or people who are doing something to solve that problem in
Tucson or Arizona, (3) locate and research a person or people who are doing
something to solve that problem in your home country or in another country
outside the United States, (4) write both expository and persuasive texts (one
in the form of a mini-research paper) about your issue and about people working
to solve this issue, (5) create multimedia presentations [such as display case
presentations, photo essays, radio stories, reports or essays, exhibits,
digital stories or ??? – you tell us what creative ideas you have], and (6)
create and implement or become
involved in a social action project here in Tucson related to the issue you
have selected.
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Here
is a basic checklist to help you understand the work we will be doing this
semester:
____ (1) Select a social issue
of importance to you as your focus for this project.
____ (2) Research people who
are doing something about this issue in:
_____ (a) Tucson
_____ (b) your home country or in other parts
of the world
_____ (3) Write a
mini-research paper/expository essay about your topic and/or about people
working to solve this problem
_____ (4) Write a persuasive
essay, article, or speech about your topic
_____ (5) Create a spoken-word
poem, photo essay, movie, drawing, play, or other “artistic” representation of
your issue and of social change agents related to your issue
_____ (6) Identify a clear
purpose for sharing and a specific audience to share your work with – consider
this purpose and audience carefully before you move on to #7
_____ (6) Create multimedia
presentations to share your writing and other artistic work in creative,
engaging ways with your selected audience(s) and for your defined purpose
(these might be in the form of exhibits, displays, lectures with PowerPoints,
radio stories, digital stories, photo essays, ???)
_____ (7) Get involved in an
action project related to your social issue (either one that already exists
here in Tucson or one that you create/set-up)
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This project will be a great way to learn more about
writing and research, while also developing your visual literacy and technology
skills, your presentation skills, your creativity, your collaboration and
communication skills, and much, much more.
Also, it is a chance to connect with your community – here in Tucson and
around the world. Give this your full
attention and effort and make those social action quotes you’ve studied come to
life! This is your chance to show your
agency, your voice, your action. This is
your chance to be a social change agent, a social activist and hero!
