Overview:
For this pre-writing assignment, students will engage with the early research and writing
steps necessary to produce a high-quality, professional blog.
Students will:
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Conduct research
Develop a thesis statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Determine how their argument (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. is
situated within the body of existing knowledge and research
Use credible sources to support their argument (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
Organize (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. their thoughts and
research into a clear structure
Engage in a critical review and feedback process designed to:
1. hone students’ abilities to engage in constructive and professional criticism
necessary in most workplace settings;
2. help peers improve and polish their work prior to submitting to a public audience;
and
help students improve, revise (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.,
and polish their own work through the process of determining what they find well or
poorly done in the work of others.
Step 1: Background Information
Your first step for this prewriting assignment is to conduct basic research on the two
countries you will be comparing.
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International Students: You will compare the healthcare system of your country
with the healthcare system of the United States.
United States Students: You will compare the healthcare system of your country
with the healthcare system of either England OR Germany.
You will research information about the countries you will be comparing, including
population, economic health, relevant world rankings (e.g., education, energy, poverty,
health costs, health rankings, etc.), and the type of healthcare system established in
each country.
How this fits into your submission:
Your research findings for this part of the pre-writing assignment will go at the top of
your submission. This section will be titled “General Information.” You will include:
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The name and population of your home country
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The type of healthcare system used in your home country
A brief description of the general stats and relevant world rankings of your home
country
The name and population of Country 2
The type of healthcare system Country 2 uses
A brief description of the general stability and relevant world rankings of Country 2
Step 2: Determine your topic focus
Next, you will determine your focus. You may end up deciding to change your focus,
which is perfectly fine. However, you need to begin researching and gathering
information, and having a focus will help you do that. Whether you want to start off
looking into all of the topics listed is up to you. However, by the time you submit this
prewriting assignment, you must have narrowed your focus down to a single topic, and
you will provide research and a thesis statement that is focused on that topic.
Topics:
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Maternal Health
Pediatric Health
Geriatric Health
How this fits into your submission:
This section will be titled “Topic Focus,” and you will include whichever topic you
ultimately choose.
Step 3: Research and Thesis (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. Development
Now that you have collected background information and have determined a topic, you
will dive into researching the healthcare systems of each of your countries, and how
each system serves (or fails to serve) the population you have chosen to focus on
(maternal, pediatric, or geriatric populations). You will develop a thesis statement (Links
to an external site.)Links to an external site. based on your research.
You must use a minimum of 6 sources in your blog in order to earn full credit for this
part of the rubric. The 6 required sources must be drawn from the resource list provided
to you through Canvas (“Resources: Approved Sources for Health Care Systems
Professional Blog”). Additionally, a minimum of 4 of your required 6 sources must be
drawn from List 1 and List 2.
For the purposes of this prewriting assignment, you will include 6 sources, 4 of which
will be annotated.
How this fits into your submission: (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site.
1. Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
As you research you will begin to develop perspective, understanding, and background
that will allow you to develop an informed and authoritative argument. From this
foundation of research, you will utilize the thesis resources you have been provided
with, and others available through the Communication for Engineers website, to develop
your thesis statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Starting with a
strong, well-informed thesis statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. will help you with the overall organization and clarity of your professional blog.
Your direction and argument may end up changing as you write your blog (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site., which means that you may need to revise your
thesis statement after you have finished writing to fit what you have created. This is
normal, and even expected. Thus, while developing a strong, clear, concise thesis
statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. now is essential to helping
guide you through the process of organizing your work and getting your ideas onto
paper, you are not beholden to your original thesis statement (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site., and should feel confident enough in your autonomy as a
writer to allow yourself to make useful, necessary, and justifiable changes.
You will include your thesis statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. toward the top of your pre-writing submission. This section will be titled “Thesis
Statement” and will be located just after the “Countries” section.
2. Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
As you research, you will begin to collect sources that fit well within the framework of
your paper. These sources should both inform and support your thesis statement and
arguments.
You are required to list 6 sources you plan to use (as outlined in the first three bullets
below), and provide annotations for at least 4 of those sources (the last bullet point).
Each annotated entry must include the following, and should be structured in the same
order as listed below:
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Name of author(s); date published; title of work; organization that published the work
(e.g., newspaper name, government organization, journal name, etc.)
Type of source (e.g., news article, academic article, government or organizational
report, etc.)
Full APA source citation (provide a complete APA style citation that is consistent
with the source type and APA guidelines for that particular source type; utilize the
resources suggested to you to properly complete this step)
Bibliographic annotation (100-150 words, required for 4 sources).
1. Summarize the central idea (argument/thesis) of the source
2. Briefly explain the qualifications of the source (author(s), organization, etc.) to
speak as an authority on the topic
3. Describe what the resource is (e.g., if the resource is the CIA World Factbook,
describe what that is, how/why it exists, what it is used for, etc.; if the resource is
a report, explain what the report covers, why it was made, what audience it is
intended for, etc.) and how the resource is useful to your work
SAMPLE
Pre-writing Assignment: A Tale of Two Healthcare Systems
Country 1: Tampania
Population: 3,091,399
Health Care System: Varies depending on class: Out of pocket; Single payer;
Employer subsidized
Overview: Tampania, which includes the territories of Saint Petraburgsia and
Aguaclara, is a stable and growing country with a steady economy, a strong job market,
and strong investment in infrastructure. The unemployment rate of Tampania was 3%
as of November 2018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Its job availability, robust arts
scene, diverse population, varied food options, and preservation of historic districts,
helped make Tampania the 75th out of 125 best places to live (US News, 2018).
Unfortunately, the Tampania area is also home to some of the lowest ranked schools
internationally (especially in the southern portion of the Saint Petraburgsia territory).
Despite a seemingly low unemployment rate, poverty is more pervasive throughout
Tampania and its territories than the surrounding average, with 26% of children (Tampa
Bay Times, 2016) and 20% of the total population living below the poverty level (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2017). A similarly large section of the population is food insecure, with
over 25% of children (more than 250,000) and 14% of adults (more than 700,000)
suffering from hunger (WMNF, 2017).
Country 2: Saint Madeupedness
Population: 382,492,552
Health Care System: Single-payer
Overview: Saint Madeupedness is a stable country with a robust economy, low cost of
living, a 1.7% unemployment rate, and, with a 100% green public transit system, 97%
solar energy, and 92% of car owners owing electric cars (Green Energy International,
2018), boasts the lowest fossil fuel dependence in the world. The near-universal
integration of green energy throughout the country has positively correlated with a
significant increase in public health, with rates of respiratory disease, cancer
prevalence, cognitive decline, birth defects, and skin conditions dropping drastically
over the past decade (World Health Organization, 2018). Saint Madeupedness has
topped the lists of “Best Places to Live,” “Happiest Country on Earth,” and “Healthiest
Cities in the World” for the past 6 years straight.
Topic Focus: Maternal health
Thesis Statement:
While both Tampania and Saint Madeupedness have a lot to offer their citizens, Saint
Madeupedness’ universal healthcare system offers superior access to and quality of
maternal health services to all classes of citizens, which directly correlates to
significantly lower rates of complications and related maternal and infant mortality.
Additionally, while environmental health is not currently considered a health system
metric, I argue that Saint Madeupedness’ dedication to providing a cleaner and healthier
environment to all citizens enhances public health and may factor into the country’s
outstanding maternal health outcomes.
Annotated Bibliography: (Sample for organization/structure purposes only)
Source 1 (with annotation):
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Philip Landrigan, Richard Ruller, Nereus Acosta, Olusoji Adeyi, Robert Arnold,
Niladri Basu, et al.; October 2017; The Lancet Commission on pollution and health;
The Lancet
Academic journal article
Landrigan, P., Richard, R., Nereus, A., Olusoii, A., Arnold, A., Basu, N., et al. (2017).
The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. The Lancet, 391(10119), 462-512,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32345-0 (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site.
Annotation: [Annotation must summarize the central theme of the source, what
authority the source has on the topic, and offer a description of what the source is,
and how it provides support for your argument. 100-150 words.]
Source 2 (no annotation):
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Clare Foran and Ted Barrett; January 10, 2019; McConnell blocks Senate
Demoncrats’ move to reopen government; CNN
News article
Foran, C. & Barrett, T. (January 10, 2019). McConnell blocks Senate Democrats’
move to reopen government. CNN. Retrieved
from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/politics/senate-blocks-vote-congressshutdown/index.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Rubric
G&T #GEA1 1.1 Prewriting
G&T #GEA1 1.1 Prewriting
Criteria
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeBackground Information
and Topic Choice
For marks in this section, students must fully complete Part 1 and Part 2
of the assignment. This includes: Appropriate country choices; name and
population of both countries; healthcare systems in both countries;
relevant world ranking for both countries; and topic choice.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThesis Statement
For marks in this section, a 1-2 sentence thesis statement must be
included.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnnotated Bibliography
For marks in this section, students must include all required information
for 6 sources, 4 of which must be annotated. Required information
includes: author name; publication date; title; publishing organization;
type of source; and full APA citation. A bibliographic annotation must be
included for of the 4 sources.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAppropriate Formatting
For marks in this section, students must format the document according
to the layout and example provided.
Total Points: 10.0
Ratings
2.0 pts
Complete
All required
information is
present.
3.0 pts
Complete
A 1-2 sentence
thesis statement
is included.
4.0 pts
Full Marks
1.0 pts
Complete
The document is
formatted
according to the
layout and example
provided.
0.0 pts
Incomplete
Some or all of the
required informati
is missing.
0.0 pts
Incomplete
A 1-2 sentence thesi
statement is not
included, or more tha
sentences are include
0.0 pts
No Marks
0.0 pts
Incomplete
The document is
NOT formatted
according to the
layout and examp
provided.
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