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Unit Description
Students create both a formal report that is based on the course units and share their findings in a presentation to the class. This unit will take place over the entire course. The presentation will require them to present their research conclusions and engage the group in discussion. Students choose a topic of interest to them and incorporate two of the major elements from two different units in the course. For example, a student selects “College” as a topic to examine and incorporates financial needs and types of programs as elements. The process includes a proposal of the topic with preliminary sources, a formal report, which includes a cover page, abstract, table of contents, introduction, body, recommendations, conclusion, appendices and works cited. Students use a variety of texts examined in and out of class, primary research (interviews) as well as detailed issues relevant to their own needs and interest. As part of the process, students will be placed in conference groups; these groups should remain constant throughout the semester. The goal of these groups is for students to have a group with whom they can offer ideas, and elicit assistance and feedback.

The Steps
 * 1) Choose a topic that interests you from the list at the bottom of this page.
 * 2) Choose a problem within the topic. I've included a sample with each topic. You can change the problem but not the topics.
 * 3) Choose a presentation format.
 * Audio documentary - Minumum Length: 15 min.
 * Video documentary - Minumum Length: 10 min
 * Multimedia documentary - Minumum Length: 15 min
 * 1) Find relevant information, sound bites, video clips, photos, stories, etc.
 * 2) Create a proposal for the subject you're researching - **Deliverable**
 * 3) One page description of the final product
 * 4) Preliminary list of sources
 * 5) Work Schedule (best done as a calendar - I would suggest 30boxes, or Google Calendar)
 * 6) Search the Internet for more photography, print, audio, and video archives on your topic.
 * 7) Create a timeline of significant developments in your topic. - **Deliverable**
 * 8) Use one of the following timeline creator sites to make your timeline: tiki-toki, timeglider, timetoast, timerime, xtimeliine.
 * 9) Post the link for your timeline to your homework page
 * 10) Create a Mind Map covering how your information links together - Cluster information, sound bites, etc. around the major developments identified in your timeline - **Deliverable**
 * 11) Create a Script - **Deliverable**
 * 12) Audio/Video: Write a script in which you narrate the transition from one major development to another.
 * 13) Multimedia: Write a script in which you explain the transition from one major development to another.
 * 14) Edit your informational resources and your script to form the presentation portion of your final product
 * 15) Record/present your product - **Deliverable**
 * 16) Written Accompaniment to your documentary - **Deliverable**
 * 17) Abstract - An abstract is a short summary of your completed documentary. If done well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research. (How to Write an Abstract)
 * 18) Works Cited - This will be in the form of an annotated bibliography
 * 19) Additional Helpful Information
 * 20) Timeline
 * 21) Anything else you think might be useful to your audience

What medical information should be confidential? Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records? ||  ||
 * Topic || Question || Student ||
 * Abstinence programs || Do they work? ||  ||
 * Advertising || Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc…? ||  ||
 * Africa || Why so many wars? What’s the solution? ||  ||
 * Airplane accidents || Who is responsible? Should families of victims be entitled to compensation? ||  ||
 * Airport security || Should the government use invasive pat-downs and body scans to ensure passenger safety or are there better methods? ||  ||
 * Alcohol || What should the legal drinking age be? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Animal rights || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Art || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">A few years ago, an artist was criticized for depicting the Virgin Mary with elephant dung. When is art not really art? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Athletes in high schools || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should shoe companies be able to give away free shoes and equipment to high school athletes? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Beauty contests || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Do they serve any purpose in society? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Bridges, roads, waterways || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How have the infrastructure needs of Canada changed the last 50 years? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Bullying laws || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the provincial or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Cell phones || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How have they changed us socially? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Censorship || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Cheap labor || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Companies that move factories to undeveloped nations often barely pay employees enough to live on. Is it unethical to pay cheap wages or are companies doing those workers a favour? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Child soldiers || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Why and how children are used for war ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Civil disobedience || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Is breaking the law for a cause justifiable? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Civil unions || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">If civil couples have the same rights/privileges of married people, why get married? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Climate change || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Coal || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">College athletics || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should college athletes be paid? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Cyber crime || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What are the latest ways to steal identity and money? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">DDT || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should DDT be re-approved for use in the wake of recent bedbug outbreaks across the country? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Divorce || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Exams || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Fast food || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Felons and voting || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should convicted felons have the right to vote? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Feminism || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Is feminism still relevant? How do young women view feminism? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Fitness programs || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Food || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Steroids. Anitbiotics. Sprays. Are food manufacturers killing us? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Gap year || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should teens in the Canada adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Gay marriage || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Generations || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How have working conditions changed in Canada during the last 50 years? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Grades || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get As. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many As for Americans? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Health care crisis || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Most developed nations have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the U.S., the wealthiest nation, have it? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Holocaust || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should denial of the Holocaust be illegal? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Immigration || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should illegal immigrants be made legal citizens? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Infidelity || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In some countries, it is illegal to cheat on a spouse. Should we prosecute cheaters? Is a law that’s not enforced really a law? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Internet and children || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Internet regulation || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the internet? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Journalism || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Juvenile offenders || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Lead poisoning || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should we stop importing Chinese-manufactured toys? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Literacy || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Are Canadians “literate?” ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Malpractice || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How can we balance the need to lower the cost of malpractice insurance with the fact that physician malpractice is one of the leading causes of death? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Marijuana legalization || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the federal government legalize the use of marijuana? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Media || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Does the media, both print and broadcast, report fairly? Does it ever cross the line between reporting the news and creating the news? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Military || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the government have mandatory military conscriptions? For whom? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Mining || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What safety measures made the recent Canadian mining accident a non-casualty event, while recent U.S. mining accidents have been fatal? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Models || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should there be a minimum weight limit? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Moms || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should stay-at-home moms get a salary from the government? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Muslim Americans || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What is life for them like in the U.S. after September 11, 2001? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Noise pollution || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Nonverbal communication || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Obesity and weight loss || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Oil companies || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Do oil companies make big bucks while the rest of us pay over $3 a gallon? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Organ sale || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should we legalize the sale of human organs? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Overpopulation || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What would happen globally if the demand for natural resources is greater than the supply? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Paparazzi || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What, if any, limitations should be applied to the paparazzi? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Parents || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should parents be held responsible when their children break laws? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pornography || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Parental filters on the Internet. Does censorship actually increase curiosity and use of pornography? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Prescription medicines || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should there be a national database to track controlled substances (i.e., oxycodone) or should it be a state issue? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Privacy || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the government be allowed to wire tap without permission?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Public figures || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Racial bias in media || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Does news coverage favor whites? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Religion || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Is there one true religion? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Road rage || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Why do normally patient people become impatient behind the wheel? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">School lunches || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">School uniforms || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pros and cons of school uniforms. ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sex offenders || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Once they leave prison, are laws about where they may live and be employed unfair? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Single sex schools || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Smoking bans || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should the federal government pass a nationwide indoor smoking ban? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Social anxiety || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Spanking || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should it be outlawed? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sports parents || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Statutory rape || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Steroids || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should they be legalized? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Suicide bombers || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">What kind of person becomes a suicide bomber? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Terrorism || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Can terrorism ever be justified? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Tough love || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Does parental “tough love” really work? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Toys || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Do certain children’s toys create social or emotional problems? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Vaccines || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should parents avoid vaccinating their children? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wage gap || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Women still earn only 75 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why. ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wages || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">There’s a minimum wage, but should there also be a maximum wage/salary a person can earn? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wind energy || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Is wind energy really that cheap? Is it effective? Is it practical? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Women in the clergy || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Should women be priests, pastors, ministers, and rabbis? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Workaholics || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Do Americans work too hard? Does working more actually reduce productivity? Is a 40-hour work week too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time? ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhythm Games || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">HOw do they affect the players? ||  ||