You will select one of the “Blue Zones” highlighted in the corresponding book and write an in-depth, critical analysis of the prescribed lifestyle considerations identified from that Blue Zone, citing course reading materials and other academic journal articles. Students must integrate two theories or explanations of aging and health learned throughout the semester in their discussion, and describe any additional individual, social or structural factors that may also play a role in promoting health and wellbeing in that particular “Blue Zone.”
Your paper should focus on answering the question: How do social factors promote health and well-being in late life?
Scholarly Sources
You must include 4 scholarly research articles to support your main points. Scholarly research articles appear in peer-reviewed journals. Newspaper articles, blog posts, or websites will not count toward your scholarly articles. Scholarly articles should be focused on evidence for the theory or explanation you’re citing. Sociological abstracts, JSTOR, and Google Scholar are some of the databases you may search through. To access these databases go to the library website and click see all databases. By accessing the databases through the library website you will ensure that your articles are peer-reviewed and that you do not run into any paywalls. Read the abstract of the paper to get a quick understanding of the contents. This will help you to efficiently sort through and find relevant sources. When summarizing the article in your paper, focus on the main purpose of the article and their findings.
Paper Outline
Introduction: Include a concise summary of your paper. From the introduction the reader should be aware of your main points and your thesis. Only state your main points. You do not need to give an extended explanation of each because you will do that later in your paper. The thesis statement usually comes at the end of your introduction. (1 paragraph, about a half page)
Theory or explanation #1: Give a thorough explanation of the theory or explanation you’re drawing on. Use examples from the Blue Zones chapter to describe the relevance of the theory or explanation for how the lifestyle choice and associated social factors influence health or promotes successful aging. Use topic sentences to organize your paragraphs around a main point. For example your first paragraph may focus on the theory or explanation for how the lifestyle choice influences health or successful aging. Your following paragraphs may focus on specific examples of the lifestyle choice and its impact in the blue zones chapter and supporting research articles (articles from either the course or your own review of the literature). (around 3-4 paragraphs, 1.5 to 2 pages)
Theory or explanation #2: Same as above.
Social program that may promote one of the lifestyle choices reviewed in the paper: Come up with a social program that may promote one of the lifestyle choices laid out in the Blue Zones chapter. Describe the social program clearly (what is it’s purpose, how will it be executed?). Remember from the social policy unit that social programs are wide ranging and diverse, so feel free to get creative. Provide support from research, course materials, and/or the Blue Zones chapter for the effectiveness of the social program. (1 paragraph, half page)
Conclusion: Summarize your main points and tie them together. (1 paragraph, half page)
Tips for writing an excellent paper
The most important thing you can do to produce a well-written and comprehensive paper is to write an outline before you begin writing! Organize it by section and paragraphs. Include your topic sentences and supporting evidence. This will allow you to get a sense of how your argument will flow before starting writing and prevent your paper from losing focus. It is important to know where each piece of evidence and each point fits in your paper before starting writing. This will also help you to include all of your main points within the page limit as it will keep you on track without including unecessary information. This may seem like extra work but trust me, it will make the writing process SO much easier.
Use topic sentences to organize paragraphs around a main point.
Use a thesis statement in your introduction paragraph.
Section headers/titles can be helpful in organizing your paper and maintaining focus in different sections.
Formatting
The max page limit is 6 pages. Times new roman, 1 inch margines, double spaced, 12 pt font. Include a reference list and title page (not included in the page limit). Follow APA formatting. The easiest way I’ve found to produce references is using google scholar. If you look up the article there is a cite button beneath the listing (the double quote) that will automatically produce a citation that can be copied and pasted into your reference list. Follow APA guidelines for the title page. You do not need to include an abstract.
Proofread
You absolutely must proofread your paper before submitting. Do not submit a draft without reading it over. I suggest reading it outloud to yourself to identify awkward wording and poor grammar. Part of your grade includes grammar and spelling. Poor writing distracts from your paper and makes it more difficult to understand your points. You want to make it easy for the reader (who happens to be grading your paper) to understand what you’re trying to communicate. I will not spend time reading and rereading poor writing to try to understand your point.
Avoid Plagiarism
The entire paper should be written in your own words. Do not use quotations. While not plagiarism, quotations do not serve to demonstrate your understanding of the material. All papers go through TurnItIn to be scanned for plagiarism. I will make TurnItIn results visible to the you so you can see your plagiarism score before submitting your final draft. Plagiarized papers will receive a failing grade for the offending section.
Grading
I would like to give you some further explanation for the standards for an A, B, and C paper. An “A” paper is an exceptional paper. It goes above and beyond the bare minimum, and demonstrates a profound understanding of the material covered. The author’s original thoughts about the material are clearly presented throughout. A “B” paper is an average paper. It meets all requirements and demonstrates a clear understanding of the material covered, but may not present much in the way of original ideas. If a paper does not meet the minimum requirements outlined in these instructions, it will not receive a higher grade than a C. A “C” paper is below average. A “C” paper lacks clarity and demonstrates a limited understanding of the material covered
The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest-
can be found online as a pdf- each chapter is a blue zone