WALL STREET JOURNAL  If you choose to do this I have already downloaded the five topics

1. What impact do natural resources have on economic growth? Will it be possible for a country with few natural resources to grow rapidly? Why or why not. 2. Suppose you have just been appointed to a high level position in the economic analysis unit of the State Department. The secretary of state has asked you to prepare a memo describing the key policies and economic arrangements that a specific less developed country should follow in order to achieve rapid growth and higher income levels. During your research, you discover that multiple Christian aid organizations have been working in the country to assist the local population. Briefly describe your response (2–3 paragraphs). Be sure to indicate why each factor you mention is important if a nation is going to attain a high level of economic progress. 3. Using the most recent available rankings of Economic Freedom available at http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking, indicate five of the world's economies that are the most free. Using textbook information, indicate how income levels and growth rates of freer economies compare with those that are less free.4.  Has the United States become more or less economically free during the past decade? What impact will this have on the future economic growth of the United States? 

The purpose of this writing assignment is to assess your scientific thinking skills, in particular, your use of scientific skepticism.1) Name and describe (in your own words) the Six Principles of Scientific Thinking (Lilienfeld, Chapter 1, pages 21-26), and state why you think it is important to use them when thinking about behavior.2) Find three examples of claims made in newspapers, magazines, television, or the Internet that you think should be evaluated with a principle of scientific thinking.  Describe the source and the claim made for each example. (Note: each of your examples must highlight a different principle of scientific thinking.)3) For each claim, cite and describe the principle that applies, and show how it applies.4) This paper should be approximately 3-4 pages double spaced, 1 inch margins, with 12 point font. Please upload your work as a word document.Rubric for Writing Assignment 1Content Knowledge - The Six PrinciplesAbove Proficient: All six priniciples are named and described clearly and correctly, in the student's own words.10 pointsProficient: All six priniciples are named and described mostly correctly, and/or mostly in the student's own words, and importance is explained mostly clearly.8.5 pointsBelow Proficient: Many errors in naming and/or describing the six principles, and/or mostly copying wording from text, and/or importance not explained clearly.7 points10 pointsImportance of Six PrinciplesAbove Proficient: A compelling argument is made for the importance of the six principles.10 pointsProficient: Importance of the six principles is explained in a basic way.8.5 pointsBelow Proficient: Little or no explanation of the importance of the six principle is provided, or explanation is not relevant.7 points10 pointsSources and ClaimsAbove Proficient: Appropriate examples are selected from media source, and sources and claims are described clearly and accurately.10 pointsProficient: Examples selected from media sources are mostly appropriate; sources and claims are described mostly accurately and clear with nor more than minor errors.8.5 pointsBelow Proficient: Significant problems with selection of some examples and/or description of some sources and claims.7 points10 pointsRelating claims to principlesAbove Proficient: Application of principle to claims is clear, complete, and insightful.10 pointsProficient: Principles are identified and applied with no more than minor errors.8.5 pointsBelow Proficient Significant problems identification and selection of some principles.7 points10 pointWritingAbove Proficient: Writing is clear and relevant, with no grammatical and/or spelling errors - polished and professional.10 pointsProficient: Most ideas are stated clearly and are related to the topic, with only minor grammatical and/or spelling errors.8.5 pointsBelow Proficient Many ideas require clarification and/or are off-topic or have marginal relevance to the assignment. Many grammatical and/or spelling errors throughout the paper.7 points