Cross-Cultural Blog

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic I chose for my paper is urban literature. I have always been interested in urban literature because of the number of African American people that praise the genre. This is an interesting topic to talk about because it deals with a whole bunch of issues that is not written about in other books and if it is mentioned in other books, it is not done so explicitly as in urban fiction novels. I have no clue what I want my thesis to be. There are so many aspects and issues involved in this one subject and I have not the slightest idea of how I will narrow it down and come up with my own thesis. I am focusing towards how black women are represented in urban fiction novels. In this paper I want to explore both sides of the controversy that exist within this topic. I want to figure out the true nature of this genre and see how it has change the world of literature whether it being for the better or worst.

Continue reading "Urban Literature Reseach Proposal" »

Posted by Cristy Gonzalez, City College of New York at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

For my research project I am greatly interested in the fear of a teacher shortage that is currently looming over the educational system in the United States. This worry can be easily seen at the college level through all the federal incentives being offered to those who consider teaching - with everything from grants to volunteer educational work that leads to certification. This subject greatly interests me because I am thinking about becoming a teacher if my original goal for a major does not work out. A shortage would also limit competition, giving valuable advantages in the job market while also doing something to better serve our communities; however, if this concern does not bear fruit the surge of new teachers will put further stress on the system and many educators will be out of work.

Continue reading "The Great American Teacher Shortage" »

Posted by Bret Weeks, City College of New York at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

A topic that I feel very passionate about currently is illegal immigration in the U.S.- specifically immigration policies and bias within them. I am researching immigration policies throughout history, to see what has changed and what has not, and possibly why. Exploring the idea of the U.S. targeting certain immigrant groups as opposed to others, to me seems extremely interesting.

Some issues surrounding this topic are border policies- the controversy of securing the borders. Laws that are keeping immigrants out of the U.S. rather than making it easier for people to enter the country legally, and apply for citizenship. The rights of illegal immigrants in the U.S. (access to education, employment (the use of E-Verify and whether it be enforced)). I think my point could be proven by comparing the treatment and the experience of Mexican immigrants entering the United States illegally and people of other countries. The wall built separating Mexico and the U.S. is huge evidence and in my opinion serves as a sign of discrimination, something I also plan on discussing.
As I read about much it is costing to keep illegal immigrants out, from wall construction, to new technology that verifies ones citizen status, I came across the alternative being that the U.S. invest in Mexico in order to prevent illegal immigration.

My position on some of these issues is that many of the U.S. immigration policies/laws specifically unfairly target illegal Mexicans. These laws are shaped in a way that show they are not welcome in the country, this group of illegal immigrants are made inferior to the rest of American society.
Illegal immigration directly connects to the overall theme of ‘Immigration in the U.S.,’ it is a major concern and an ongoing debate currently in not only the United States, but worldwide.

Posted by Anna Vega, City College of New York at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic above fits into public health because health coverage is key in the overall health of a country- since it will ensure the health of those who can afford, or are offered health insurance. Also, it contributes to the control of other health issues, because it will mean that more people will be able to prevent illnesses. There is a lot of debate today about whether they United States should move into a Universal Health Care System and I think it is important to understand what the two sides of the debate are. Health care affects everyone because it can dictate whether we, or our families will be able to stay healthy in the future. A cancerous growth in someone who is insured can be found at a check up and a life can be saved. A person who cannot go see a doctor as freely will probably not find out until they are in a late stage, and not much can be done to save their lives.

Continue reading "Geography, income and ethnicity: what roles do they play in health coverage in the United States?" »

Posted by Marlen Tello, City College of New York at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

This country was built on blood, sweat, and tears, but not by the hands of citizens. When we think of an immigrant we have nothing to say but the negative aspects that they bring when they come to America legally or illegally. We don’t come to think about all the things they do that help our economy and country grow. Immigrants are important to our country because of the work power they posses, and the determination that they have that citizens just may no posses. There are so many reasons why immigrants should stay in this country and yet instead of embracing them we just find more ways of trying to push them away.
I think that all of us as a society fail to realize the importance that immigrants have to our country, and I would like to explore that. I feel like when we think about an immigrant we have nothing good to say, and think of how bad they make our economy. Yet I want to know what people don’t see in immigrants. That they are hard working people and they have families. I want to find out what positive effects do they have on our lives, society, and country. How they help us be better. What would be some drastic consequences if we lost all the immigrants that we have today.
How many jobs do we really lose when an undocumented worker works in the US? If illegal immigrants are so wrong to work, than why do people still depend on them so much, and hire them for work? Just questions to wonder about when I am researching on my paper, may also be on what are the wages of people that live around immigrants? Would they be higher? Or lower? If an illegal immigrant was to pay their taxes would that effect the economy that much greater? A question that makes me really wonder about immigrant workers is. If America today seems to be in the worst shape in years? I wonder how terrible the conditions must be where immigrants are from for them to come all the way over here to find a job?
The way I plan on researching for my paper topic is by using information that I have already found from my blog postings along with the scholarly articles that I will be gathering within the next few weeks pf my posts. I will look around I=on the internet for statistics, and numbers stating hard facts by using numbers, I plan on using the CUNY database to further my search just in case I do not find enough information for my topic, or enough quotes, citations, and proof. I may also want to look at popular articles that may be on the internet, or in the paper, or read up on other immigration blogs to get different perspectives, and emotion towards the subject. Try to find out how other people may feel about immigrants, and what they think should happen to them. With all t his information gathered I plan on having a well organized, detailed essay with in the upcoming months.
What I might find the most difficult about this research paper may be looking for scholarly sources that support this issue. I feel like I might not find what I am looking for unless I truly look, which I plan on doing. My greatest fear may be not having all my thoughts together. I also think that my downfall would come if I don’t find enough information on why immigrants are helpful to this country. As of right now I have a good idea on what I’m set out to do. I think with a little bit more work and effert I can organize myself, and work off the information I find, I can produce a well written research paper.

Posted by Jafor Ahmed, City College of New York at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The proposal for my essay is the positive and negative effects of digital medical records. I believe that this is important because this new technology will greatly affect the performance of medical facilities everywhere. I think that both sides of the argument should be explored along with the opinions of doctors supporting both sides.

There are doctors that believe that digital medical records will make them better doctors and help them make fewer mistakes. Hospitals can even save time and money by utilizing this new technology.

There are also doctors that believe that this technology is harmful to the practice. There are some older doctors that think that today’s doctors are relying too heavily on technology and cannot perform decent physical examinations without the help of some sort of new technology.

I think that this is interesting because people are always thinking that new technology will always be an improvement for the ways things were done in the past. Even I believe that digital health records will be a new way to improve medical facilities. There will always be people that prefer the old way of doing things and there might be some truth to that but only the future will be able to tell whether this new technology will truly be a new useful tool.

Posted by Frank Calderon, City College of New York at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Rationale: The topic I am working on is how the loss of sleep affects the human body. This topic deserves my extended attention because it is a topic that I am very familiar with, and know a lot about some the effects of sleep loss. Another reason is that I want to see if there are long-term effects or short-term effects (or both) to the loss of sleep. I picked this topic because sleep loss is a health related issue.
Working Thesis Statement: Sleep is a necessity of human beings. It is recommended that everyone should get about eight hours a day. Sleep is important because it gives people the energy to do what they need to do throughout their day, whether it is going to work or cleaning the house. But what if some people can’t get their recommended eight hours of sleep every day? How will this affect them, and their way of life if they can’t find a balance to their sleeping habits? Sleep depravity is a serious issue that can result in some harmful effects like loss of memory and the weakening of the immune system.

Continue reading "Research Proposal" »

Posted by Guillermo Ortiz, City College of New York at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

This topic deserves my attention because there are a lot of controversies over it in our schools and from our educators. It fits into my designated theme of Education because the library and the internet are used by students to conduct research. Part of the curriculum in school is to teach students to research information on specific topics. My vested interest in this subject is I am student and would very much like to use the resources that would makes my research most credited and has substance.
The traditional library verses the internet in the classroom is my thesis statement. It demands that I prove which one is better for the students. Which one will they benefit the most from and gain the most knowledge. What benefits will they reap and how will it help them be better prepared for their future learning. What are the pros and cons for these two databases? I will address this topic mostly to students and educators.
Unanswered questions about my topic are: What are the differences and similarities between the two. What are the controversies? Which one is better beneficial to the students in furthering their education?

I will research my topic by using both the Internet and Library for information and studies done on this topic. I will use blog articles, newspaper articles, scholarly sources and a book. I will use statistics to back up my evidence. I already have a few articles on this subject. I will be able to interview a librarian and an educator.

Anticipated Challenges will be choosing one of them and agreeing why it is a better research tool. Finding information especially for schools with limited funding who cannot afford to have technology in their schools or even to update their library supplies.

Posted by Sandrea Gopaul-Igartua, City College of New York at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

“We walked for days, for months, thousands of miles. We slept on the ground and often had to eat leaves to survive. People shot at us. Many boys were killed. What happened to my parents? I don’t know. But now we are here, to a new life.” (A refugee from Sudan)

“The experience of becoming a refugee is awful, truly wrenching. It is impossible to convey the misery of it. It was very difficult to stay in the refugee camps were you saw so many problems, but lacked the power to improve anything. Refugee camps are the biggest source of depression. So I came to London, out of depression.” (A refugee from Swaziland)

“As long as the safety of my family is not guaranteed, I don't wish to return to home." (A refugee in Chad)

I believe these three testimonies deserve some extended attention. I lived in Africa before coming here, and I’ve seen/heard a lot of people trying to leave the continent for Europe mostly but also the United States, Canada, and other developed countries. Therefore, I understand why countries such as France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, are trying to limit/reduce the flow of immigrants. But why is immigration becoming a major problem in today’s world? What is the impact of illegal immigration in developed countries?

I will compare the way countries around the world deal with immigration (mostly Europe and the U.S.) and immigrants’ human rights. And for thoroughly doing this, I will mostly read articles written by Amnesty International, Red Cross, the United Nations, Doctors without Boarders, … and some activists organization to conduct my research. I want my audience to be everyone across the world, since immigration does not only concern the United States.

Continue reading "Research Paper Proposal: Immigration’s human rights are now a moral crisis!" »

Posted by Cindy Ngoga, City College of New York at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

I would like to write my final research paper on the lowering of standards in our education system. I decided to choose this topic after doing one of my Ning posts on an article about Seattle public schools lowering their graduation requirements. This article raised my awareness on the subject not only at a local level (in Seattle) but how this may be affecting students nationwide. Before doing a post about this article, I haven’t put as much thought into the topic, but after writing about it I realized it is a very important one.

Continue reading "The Lowering of Standards in Our Education System" »

Posted by Catherine Mika, City College of New York at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic that caught my attention when I came across it was the trafficking of drugs. I feel that this topic has so many aspects to it and so much information on it such as the history, the affects, and what are the police doing about it. Drug trafficking fits perfectly into urban life because the urban areas are basically the communities where the drugs are mostly located. I have no thesis statement just yet because I can’t decide whether I want to tackle two different areas of drugs. How are the drugs getting into these neighborhoods and why the police aren’t doing anything to stop it, or to speak about the crooked cops aiding in the drug distribution and the major effect it’s having on communities.

Continue reading "Reasearch Paper Proposal" »

Posted by at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

My question for the research paper will be: Why not give illegal immigrants who already work in the United States temporary legal status when they already obtain a job in order to support taxation?

I think it’s ridiculous that the government is looking over the fact that many illegal immigrants are obtaining jobs and forming an underground workforce and not getting taxed. If an illegal can get here illegally which is a task in itself, of course they will find a job illegally as well because that is what immigrants initially come for. It ties to immigration because it a great proposal to help the bashing of illegal immigrants and take away the target of immigrants being an economical burden and economic downfall cause. Not only that, it will give immigrants a safer more humane environment to work in since illegal immigrants work off the books and work their butts off for little pay which will also increase their wages to a reasonable minimum wage(whoever works more, spends more).
I want my audience to be everyone which is why I would put five types of views in the paper which I would write in the view of a republican advocate, an immigrant, an American for it, an American against it, and a Homeland Security representative to sum up all the point of views In this very controversial matter. I know some will be all for it and others may have a very negative look on it but I want to bring up every little detail on what it Is really about with actual voices from people by having my 5 voices be interviewed discussions .

To deepen my understanding in the aspect of making illegal immigrants for taxation I still have to look more on if the proposition of a controlled legal immigration status is acceptable. I also haven’t look on how many in fact have steady jobs and are illegal which will probably be my next blog topic and also more on the cons of immigrants getting temporary legal status.

I want to approach the paper with pointing out the unethical ways America is treating the case of immigration, one might not know it at the moment or comprehend but this is a modern day slavery trade where people are being created unjust and are unequal to others in the United States because of an “illegal” status. What will our later generations say on the way we handled this? When America was rooted and constructed by immigration, we can’t deprive that.

A great source will be the Department of Homeland security because they have actual statistics on how immigration affects our economic building block and they contain measures on how taxation will support the undocumented with services and security. I will also interview common Americans on their views on illegal immigration and containing jobs and if they think they should get temporary legal status by random selection.

I plan to see if I can get an interview with some rep from Homeland security after I come up with concrete good questions to ask. I also will have to do about 5 more weeks of blogging in order to get solid in this research so to limit bias assumptions that a research paper could contain.

A challenge I will come across for certain is thinking through how to sum up all the aspects of these questions in order to narrow the research paper down a notch. I think halfway through I will narrow the question down more specifically because I still feel like it is too broad and a broad question can become overbearing.

Posted by Sharan Espinoza, City College of New York at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

“Turning immigrants into Americans is a mission
tied intimately to this country’s self-interest and identity,
if not its very soul”. (The NY Times)

The need for Congress to reform the nation’s immigration laws is the golden opportunity to activate the frozen U.S. economy through awakening incentives on all parties (illegal immigrants, businesses and government).

Since the Congress requires the Immigration & Naturalization Services (INS) be self supported and that it does not operate on taxpayer dollars but at user fee, it can be run as a corporation where a budget has to be founded for every project. So let’s work from INS.
Let’s say the INS project is to:

Continue reading "Migratory Consolidation As A Key To Propel U.S. Economy" »

Posted by Alejandra Cetrangolo, City College of New York at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

In New York City, people from all over the world gather as one not only to share their culture, but to learn from other cultures as well. However, one culture that is not always welcomed by others is the gay culture. Life in the city can be difficult, and many can argue that the gay community has it the worst, especially in the more urban areas of New York.

This topic is important to me because I feel very strongly about it. As a witness and victim of homophobia on several occasions in and outside of school, I feel like I can write about the subject matter from all points of views. Although the main idea of my topic is to study and research city and urban life for homosexuals, I can also delve deeper and discuss discrimination of other cultures as well, and compare it to that of the gay community.

In psychology class, I have learned about how the environment of an individual can alter the way the person behaves. In an urban setting, homosexuals would most likely be more wary of their surroundings, and are capable of fending for themselves if danger arises. In a more gay friendly location, homosexuals would more likely be more easy going and less cautious because there is a very little chance of encountering homophobia, and the fact that they feel accepted in the community.

I have already found a couple of sources for my research paper, two that are already on the Ning blog. These two sources talk about discrimination against gays in the workplace and how employment can be complicated for homosexuals to acquire.

This topic can connect to the theme of my group (urban life) because it deals with the living conditions of homosexuals in urban locations. I hope to inform my audience about how much of an issue this is. Fortunately, in this day and age, people are becoming more and more open minded and more accepting of gay people. Unfortunately, there are still those that discriminate towards homosexuals throughout the city everywhere and everyday. Hopefully, my research paper will be able to change the minds of those who are homophobic and make an impact on the LGBT social movement.

Posted by Thomas Lai, City College of New York at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Deportation of illegal parents is something that is affecting the lives of illegal immigrants but also the future of their legal children. Many illegal parents fear deportation, but they don’t know the laws or how to prevent deportation from happening. What they don’t know is that there are laws and lawyers that could help them. As well as many legal citizens of the United States that believe deportation is the right measure to take. These people only see that the illegal immigration population will decrease, excluding the fact that many children’s life will be damaged.

Continue reading "Deportation of illegal Parents " »

Posted by Elayne Castillo, City College of New York at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

I would like to research the learning differences between members of the current parent generation, and their children as it pertains to the education system. I will show that today’s children are not learning the skills that they need in order to succeed in society outside of school. I will then show why I think this is happening. In the last pages, I will acknowledge arguments to the contrary of my thesis. Some anticipated arguments are that today’s generation is simply less focused and hardworking than generations past due to a technological overload it has experienced throughout its young life. I will disprove this. I will also argue that the current generation has the untapped ability to succeed at levels never previously anticipated, and that they may be able to close the math and science gap between America, and some of its eastern rivals.
This topic deserves my vested interest because the fate of future generations depends on the outcome of this technological, educational, and neurological debate. Many ideas on education reform are being discussed, but none of them are drastic enough to enact the change I envision. The academic community needs solid research to show them how and why the very paradigm teaching is based on needs to change. I believe that I can not only collect that research, but form a cohesive argument that could be valuable in that debate.
My working thesis is as follows: Today’s children are no longer the people our education system was designed to teach.
Many questions about my topic remain unanswered. The most prominent one is as to whether research cited by articles I’ve read that contradict my argument holds any weight. My life experiences directly contradict such research, and I intend to disprove it. I also need to discover whether my ideas have been tested in isolated circumstances, and to what effect.
I will research mostly through personal interview, and through scholarly journals. This topic is a popular one among article writers, and there will be a wealth of information available.
It will be challenging to object to an argument that has gained a lot of weight in the scholarly world. I, however, firmly believe that hundreds of intelligent people can believe in something that is completely and utterly wrong.

Posted by Russ Phelan, City College of New York at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Illegal Immigration is one the biggest topics concerning America today but one of the main issues that many people do not consider is how important it is for Americans to treat immigrants as human beings rather than criminals. The topic of whether or no it is right to provide quality education for undocumented students is an important aspect of the illegal immigration debate in this country. In some states around the country, colleges are starting to allow undocumented students attend class but the struggle for the students will still continue as the requirement of affording out of state tuition without financial aid is very difficult.

My thesis will be an introduction to my main argument that undocumented students should be treated like any other student and the strict restrictions are not necessary. It is an argument of equality for students that are feeling discriminated because they are not being allowed to learn. My argument will be supported with evidence because the topic is in my interest, knowing that I might have a better opportunity to be educated than people that are not from here, it is not fair. The United States should make it easier for illegal immigrants to achieve the American Dream and education is the first step to making that happen.

The issues/ideas that may need to be discovered more thoroughly is exactly how many undocumented students are either permitted or restricted to going to school. How will illegal immigrants being educated affect US citizens in the workplace after school has ended? Why is it important for undocumented students to be educated? These are some of the issues I am going to go more in depth because the answers to these questions can support my arguments.

I would like to find both scholarly sources and regular sources because I believe both will be influential to my argument. The scholarly source (EBSCO Host, J Stor, etc.) will provide me with experts opinions and I can put their arguments into consideration as illegal immigration is a hot topic in the United States today. I can also use regular sources such as articles from newspapers, blogs, and the mainstream media. I can use the information from these sources to consider what the majority of the population believes about this issue, whether it is right or wrong.

The most difficult task will be supporting my argument as my argument is not supported by the majority of the population. My arguments seem to support undocumented students whereas the majority of the population are US citizens, who are mainly against them having the right to go to school. My challenge will mostly likely be with finding legitimate sources that can provide evidence that can support my argument.

Posted by Paul Z, City College of New York at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Topic-Murder
This topic is important to me and it fits into my designated theme of interest because murder is a serious issue in Brooklyn, the borough in which I live, and in New York City as a whole. Every time I turn on the news or read a newspaper there is always an article or section about someone being murdered, and I would like to look into murder more deeply. There is absolutely nothing positive about someone taking another person’s life. Regardless of reason, no one should be murdered.

I would still need to research murder rates in New York City, possibly the amount of attempted murder rates as well. How has murder impacted Brooklyn? How has it impacted the entire city? What groups of people commit the most murders? What groups of people are targeted most frequently by a murderer? What are people’s incentives for murder? How many cases of murder have gone unsolved?

I will conduct my research through various sources available online and in physical form. I will use scholarly sources for a majority of my research since those are specific to their respective topics.

What will probably be the most difficult about completing the research project in general are the actual research and the interviews. Those will be the most difficult because research can take a while to complete, and the interviews because I’ve never had to give an interview before and I’m not sure what questions I have to/should ask. I also am not sure who I should interview as well.

Posted by Christopher Torres, City College of New York at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)