Student Writing Exercise/Activities
Young Adulthood

Physical and Cognitive Development

Research: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to bring you up-to-date on the world-wide HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Gathering Data::

Use a wide range of sources to help you understand the AIDS epidemic and its affects. Medical resources written for lay readers will be helpful along with articles in magazines and items on the internet. There are organizations that specialize in helping people with HIV/AIDS and they often have brochures and videotapes that would provide useful information for this assignment. There may be a local chapter of a key organization in your area -- check the phone book and/or the internet for addresses and phone numbers.

What do I turn in?

  1. You will turn in a 6 - 8 page paper which gives the following information:

  2. The number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States and other countries

  3. The number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States categorized by age, sex, and sexual orientation

  4. An explanation of how the virus is transmitted

  5. A list of the warning signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS

  6. Current treatments and life expectancy

  7. Social and psychological affects of HIV/AIDS

  8. Names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of organizations, both locally and nationally, that offer assistance to someone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS

Specifics of the paper:

Project: Getting in Shape

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

For this project you will devise a one year shape up program for a college student using behavior modification techniques. You may need to do some preparatory reading on behavior modification before starting this project.

Normally one of the first steps in a behavior modification program is to take baseline measures. Because this is a fictitious college student the baseline data is provided.

Designing the Program:

Baseline data: The student needs to lose 20 pounds, get regular sleep, develop healthier eating habits, and start an exercise program. The student does have access to a well stocked grocery store and a well equipped fitness facility.

Set the Goals:

Beginning with August and ending with the following July, set behavioral goals for the student. At the end of each month, what should be their targets as far as losing weight, sleep habits, eating habits, and exercise?

Set the Reinforcements:

In what way(s) should the student be rewarded at the end of each month? Should the student purchase a new CD, or buy new clothes, have a free day to cheat on the diet or skip exercise? How would you reward the student?

Keeping Track of the Progress:

How will you keep track of the student's progress? Will you have the student keep a diary, and if so, what information should be recorded? Will you have the student visit a clinic or meet the student during a workout time?

Write up Your Plan:

You should have an introduction which gives the outline of your overall plan and how you will keep track of the progress during the modification program. The body of the paper will be divided by months, beginning with August and ending with the following July. For each month give the goals for each area (weight, sleep, diet, and exercise) and the corresponding reinforcements. The conclusion should stress how much better the college student will look and feel by following this plan.

Specifics of the paper:

Research: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to bring you up-to-date on our understanding of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Gathering Data

Use a wide range of sources to help you understand the PMS and its affects. Medical resources written for lay readers will be helpful along with articles in magazines and items on the internet. Consult sources that discuss the symptoms, treatments, and even the use of PMS as a legal defense in court cases.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 6 - 8 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. When did the general public become aware of PMS?

  2. What are the symptoms of PMS?

  3. Who is most vulnerable to PMS?

  4. Does PMS make a woman crazy? How it is used as a legal defense in court cases?

  5. What are the treatments for PMS?

  6. Give arguments by those who feel PMS is a legitimate, diagnosable illness and those who say PMS is really a myth and a cop-out for women.

Specifics of the paper:

Presentation: Three Views of Intelligence

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

  1. The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, developed by Robert Sternberg

  2. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, developed by Howard Gardner

  3. Women's Ways of Knowing, developed by Mary Belenky, Blythe Clinchy, Nancy Goldberger, and Jill Tarule

Research:

Use books, journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, and the internet to find information on the theory you are to research. Be prepared to explain the theory in depth and offer views of support and criticism from other sources.

Write a Summary of Your Research:

Write a 5 - 7 page paper on your findings. Your paper should include an introduction, a summary of the main points of the theory, critique of the theory from other sources, and a concluding summary paragraph.

The paper:

 Plan Your Presentation:

Meet with the other student(s) who researched the same theory that you did. Plan for a 10 minute presentation. Decide who will give the presentation and make some notes.

Class Presentations:

Each group will take approximately 10 minutes to present a theory to the class. Handouts and visual aids will allow other students to pay attention without having to hurry with writing notes. Handouts also insure that everyone has the same notes if the instructor chooses to give test or quiz questions over your presentation.

Volunteer: An Adult Literacy Program

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Arrange to spend some time working with adults who are learning to read English. You can do this through a volunteer office at your college or university, a local library, or by calling various agencies you can find listed in a phone book until you find an adult literacy program.

Write About Your Experience:

This paper will be written in stages. It is designed to help you process your thoughts about your experience.

  1. Before the Experience: Describe what you think the adults and the environment will be like. Obviously you are just guessing, but how do you imagine the location, the supervisors, the materials, and the adults to be.

  2. After the Experience: Describe the physical environment in which you volunteered. Was it a pleasant place to be? Describe the adult(s) you worked with. How did the adult(s) respond to you? Do you feel like what you did was worth your time?

  3. Your Impressions: Did you enjoy yourself? Do you think you will ever try something like this again? Would you encourage others to do this? Is there anything the agency or the supervisors could have done to make your experience better?

The paper:

Survey: Gender Discrimination on Your Campus

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Preparation:

Create and type out a series of interview questions designed to find out if students think gender discrimination of any kind exists on your campus. Four or five questions should be adequate. The questions should be open-ended and require more than just a 'yes' or 'no' answer.

Gather Data:

Give your interview to 5 female and 5 male college students on your campus. It will be important to find people who have been on campus long enough to notice gender discrimination.

Analyze the Data:

  1. What examples of gender discrimination were mentioned?

  2. Did your participants seem to think that gender discrimination was a major problem on your campus?

  3. Did you notice any differences in the responses of the females when compared to the males in your study?

  4. What other interesting observations did you make?

Write up Your Report:

  1. Introduction: Introduce the topic of gender discrimination.

  2. Participants: Give the age and sex of the ten participants.

  3. Methodology: Explain the interview and how you administered it.

  4. Results: Give answers to the questions listed under Analyze Your Data.

  5. Conclusions: What did you learn about the perception of gender discrimination on your campus? Include any other observations you made while conducting this research and/or analyzing the data.

Specifics of the paper:

Psychosocial Development

Survey: Young Adult Attitudes

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Preparation:

Create and type out a series of interview questions designed to find out what young adults (ages 18 - 35 year old) think about the following topics: characteristics of a good friend, acceptable and unacceptable flirting and dating behaviors, promiscuity, marriage, and adultery. Keep your interview to ten questions or less. The questions should be open-ended and require more than just a 'yes or no' answer.

Gather Data:

Give your interview to 4 females and 4 males between the ages of 18 and 24 years old, and 4 females and 4 males between the ages of 25 and 35 years old.

Analyze the Data:

  1. What were the most common attitudes expressed about each one of the topics?

  2. Did you notice any differences in the responses of the younger group when compared to the older group?

  3. Did you notice any differences in the responses of the females when compared to the males in your study?

  4. What other interesting observations did you notice?

Write up Your Report:

  1. Introduction: Introduce the topic of role models.

  2. Participants: Give the age and sex of the ten participants.

  3. Methodology: Explain the interview and how you administered it.

  4. Results: Give answers to the questions listed under Analyze Your Data.

  5. Conclusions: Summarize what you learned about the attitudes of young adults on these topics.

Specifics of the paper:

Research: The Path to a Good Marriage

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to (1) acquaint you with the most recent data on the characteristics of a good marriage and (2) compare the scientific literature to popular literature.

Gathering Data

For this project you will need two sets of materials. For the scientific research you should search for the term marriage in the most recent volumes of Psychological Abstracts or the electronic version called PsychLit. You can also use academic books for the scientific data. For the review of popular literature you should search the most recent volumes of the Readers'Guide for magazine articles. You can also search for newspaper articles and popular self-help books.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 7 - 9 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. Introduce the topic of marriage. Give reasons why the reader should be concerned about the shrinking number of happy, successful marriages.

  2. According to the scientific community (psychologists and other social scientists), what variables contribute to a successful marriage?

  3. According to the popular literature (magazines, newspapers, and self-help books), what variables contribute to a successful marriage?

  4. Are the authors of the popular literature and the research articles saying similar things? At what points to they seem to agree and disagree?

  5. For the conclusion summarize the variables that contribute to a happy, successful marriage.

Specifics of the paper:

Research: Infertility

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to bring you up-to-date on our understanding of the various ways of helping infertile couples become parents.

Gathering Data:

Use a wide range of sources to help you understand the various ways of assisting in pregnancy and their affects. Medical resources written for lay readers will be helpful along with articles in magazines and items on the internet.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 7 - 9 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. What are the most common causes of infertility?

  2. How frequent is this condition?

  3. Describe the options available to an infertile couple who want to become parents.

  4. Give the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

  5. Conclude with a summary of your findings.

Specifics of the paper:

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