SSC130: Essay
Your project must be submitted as a Word document (.docx, .doc). Your project will be individually graded by your instructor and therefore may
take up to five to seven days to grade.
Be sure that each of your files contains the following information:
Your name
Your student ID number
The exam number (found on the lesson assignment upload page)
To submit your graded project, proceed to the Graded Assignment page in this lesson. Follow the instructions provided to upload the file and
submit it for grading.
Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school!
After your assignment has been graded, feedback will be available on the Graded Assignment page within the course. It will have an option to
download the feedback from the instructor.
Objective
To successfully complete this course, you must write a research essay based on information found in your textbook, Psychology and Your Life, by
Robert S. Feldman, and three outside sources. You’ll choose one of the three topics below and write an essay of six complete paragraphs for or
against the question being asked. After presenting both sides of the debate, you’ll make three claims to support your thesis and convince the
reader why your opinion is correct.
Topics
1. Media Violence: Does media violence cause violent behavior?
2. Eyewitness Testimony: Is eyewitness testimony reliable in the court of law?
3. The Opioid Epidemic: Are doctors who overprescribe narcotic pain medication causing the opioid epidemic?
Note: You’re to select only one topic for your paper.
Process
Your essay must include the following:
1. A title page
2. Introduction paragraph and thesis statement
3. Topic background paragraph that presents both sides of the debate
4. Body consisting of three claim paragraphs and supporting evidence
5. Conclusion paragraph
6. APA style reference page
Listen
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The Title Page
The first page of your essay will be the title page. Provide the following information:
The title of your research essay
Your name and student ID
“SSC130: Essentials of Psychology”
Exam number
“Penn Foster College”
Current date
Formatting
Format your essay following American Psychological Association (APA) style using 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Set your paragraph line spacing
to 2.0, double-spacing. Use 1 inch margins. Include a header with a shortened title in ALL CAPS on the left and the page number on the right. In-
text citations and the reference page must be in APA style. On this page list websites, journals, and all other references used in preparing the
submission. Also include a cover page and in-text citations. For assistance with this project and APA in-text citations and references, please see the
Biology page in the Penn Foster Virtual Library.
Remember that grammar counts! Be sure to reread, revise and proofread your essay for polished English grammar, spelling, capitalization,
spacing, and mechanics.
Rubric
SSC130: Essentials of Psychology
Research Essay Evaluation
Name:
Student ID:
A B C F
CONTENT
• The student clearly stated his/her opinion on a chosen
topic.
• The student used at least three different sources and
listed these sources on an APA-style reference page.
• The student presented both sides of the debate.
• The student wrote three claims to support the thesis.
• The student cited evidence to support each claim.
70–64 63–58 57–50 49–0
GRAMMAR, SENTENCES, and MECHANICS
• The student used correct grammar, spelling, mechanics,
punctuation, and sentence structure.
• The student formed six complete paragraphs.
15–13 12–11 10–9 8–0
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FORMAT and LENGTH
• The student’s title page contains all the required
information (title; name and student number; course title
and number; exam number, and current date) and
includes a header with page numbers.
• The student used Times New Roman 12-point font,
double-spaced and 1-inch margins.
• The student included APA style in-text citations and a
reference page.
15–13 12–11 10–9 8–0
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