Write a research paper using evidence to support a thesis that addresses your research question examining a current issue or event in the news from the perspective of your field of study. The audience is people who are generally educated but do not have extensive knowledge of your field or topic.

Grading

This assignment is worth 350 points (35%) of your final course grade.

Earning the maximum possible score on this assignment will require students to:

Step 1: complete all assigned components, use and cite eight sources, and answer reflection questions (earning up to 100% of the possible points)

Please note that there is no "step 2" (revise and resubmit option) for this assignment. Completion of the "initial submission" using and citingeight sources will earn you up to 100% of the possible points. TheResearch Paper Revisions and Expanded Reflection is to be submitted and graded as a separate assignment.

To see required components and associated points in the assignment rubric, please view this assignment through the Assignments area of the classroom and scroll to the bottom.

Due Dates

The deadline for submission of this assignment is the end of Week 6 (Tuesday, 11:59 PM Eastern). TheResearch Paper Revisions and Expanded Reflection is to be submitted and graded as a separate assignment.

Connection to other Course Assignments

• The Issue Exploration assignment helped you develop a topic for the Research Paper First Draft.
• The Annotated Bibliography assignment helped you identify sources and plan how to use them.
• In the Revised Research Paper and Expanded Reflection, you will incorporate feedback on this first draft and reflect on the experience of completing the research paper.
• As you complete the tasks required for this assignment, you will be working toward several of the course outcomes:
  • Use research to write a paper that will inform or persuade an audience (Course outcomes 3 and 4)
  • Form unified, coherent, and well-supported paragraphs in support of the thesis statement (Course outcome 4)
  • Select sources, use them to inform and support your writing, and document them in APA style (Course outcomes 2 and 5)
  • Demonstrate accurate grammar and mechanics in writing (Course outcome 5)
  • Participate in the process of receiving feedback and revising your writing (Course outcome 3)

Step 1: Submission (earn up to 100% of the possible points for the assignment)

Your submission should include all of the following components:

Sources

To earn the maximum possible points on this assignment, use and cite at least eight sources.

At least three of these must be from scholarly journals, and all sources should be selected based on reliability, currency, and level of information/analysis. The UMGC library will be very useful in helping you find appropriate sources. You can, but do not have to, include all of the sources from your annotated bibliography.

Note that it is possible to earn a B on this assignment by using only six sources, including three scholarly journal articles. To earn an A will require an additional two sources.

Consider the following in incorporating your sources:

• Sources are meant to help you build your argument, not to define the paper's organization. Therefore, it is usually not helpful to have an entire paragraph focused on a single source or to focus on a source in a paragraph's topic sentence.
• To weave sources into your own writing, avoid dropping quotes into your paper without an introduction or transition in your own words. An example of a transition into a quote is underlined in the following:This idea is corroborated by Snyder (2019) who explains that "community-based interventions have to be adequately funded" (p. 10).
• It may also be helpful to follow a quote with a comment on its significance to the paper's ideas.

Content and Organization

This paper is the culmination of your research project, in which you are examining a current issue or event in the news from the perspective of your field of study. Before drafting your paper, you will have chosen a topic, developed a research question, and identified several potential sources in an annotated bibliography. You should write on the same topic for this paper, unless your professor has asked you to make changes to your topic.

As you write your paper, be sure to include the following:

• an introductory paragraph that includes your thesis statement. The introduction is meant to engage your readers and orient them to the topic, and the thesis statement should clearly state your position or central claim to be supported in the body of your paper.
• any definition of terms or background information that your reader is likely to need to understand your paper
• focused body paragraphs that begin with topic sentences and use transitions as needed. This is where you will support the thesis using arguments and evidence. Use the sentence outline you developed in class to guide you.
• a concluding paragraph that reiterates the thesis, summarizes key points of the paper, and leaves the reader with the "So what?"
• an APA reference list that includes all of the sources cited in the text of the paper, in alphabetical order

Research is a key element of this paper. Take care to support your claims with research throughout the paper. Include APA in-text citations whenever you use sources, whether through quote, paraphrase, or summary.

Language Choices

• As a writer, you are free to decide how you use language, keeping the following in mind:
  • style: your language choices should result in a consistent writing style that is purposeful and aligned with your goals
  • readability: your language choices should ensure that your ideas are clear and easy to follow
• When composing your assignment, think about the conventions for academic writing, including:
  • punctuation: this includes things such as recommended use of commas, colons, and apostrophes.
  • word-level accuracy: this includes things such as capitalization, spelling, word-tense, and usage.
  • sentence-level accuracy: this includes things such as sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
• Take time to review your language choices after you've drafted your assignment. Think about your goals for the style of this writing and your own writing habits (like using "text-speak," omitting capitalization, or writing sentence fragments). Revise as necessary to accomplish your style and readability goals.
• Reading your writing aloud is a helpful technique when reviewing your language choices for style and readability.

This paper calls for an academic style, which most frequently involves third person point of view. Second person "you" is seldom used in academic writing. First person "I" is best restricted to discussions of your personal experience or involvement with the research topic or your role of as the researcher. Not all research papers will include these discussions. First person statements of opinion ("I believe," "I would say," etc.) may weaken your claims. Instead, state your position without these phrases, and provide evidence.

Length and Format

This paper should be at least 2000 words, including references.

Incorporate these elements of APA style:

• Use one-inch margins.
• Double space.
• Use a consistent, easy-to-read font between 10-point and 12-point.
• Include a title page with the title of your paper, your name, and the name of your school.

Research topic: U.S Crime

Research question: Does an open U.S. border contribute to increased crime between the U.S. and Mexico?

Thesis Statement: While various factors contribute to crime rates along the U.S.-Mexico border, evidence suggests that a more open border policy may facilitate illegal activities, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crimes, thus impacting both border security and public safety in the United States.

Topic Sentence 1: An open border policy can create opportunities for criminal organizations to exploit less regulated crossings, leading to an increase in organized crime activities like drug trafficking and smuggling operations across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Topic Sentence 2: The increase in border crossings can complicate law enforcement efforts, potentially stretching resources thin and reducing their ability to effectively manage and monitor illegal activities, impacting local communities' safety.

Topic Sentence 3: As these criminal elements cross into the U.S., the likelihood of violent crime and other related offenses may rise, contributing to public safety concerns and complicating the socio-political relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.

Annotated Bibliography

Delacroix, Jacques and Sergey Nikiforov. "If Mexicans and Americans could Cross the Border Freely."The Independent Review 14, no. 1 (Summer, 2009): 101-133.http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/if-mexicans-americans-could-cross-border-freely/docview/211211215/se-2.

This article discusses the problems that would arise if the border between the United States and Mexico were opened. Currently, two problems occur: what to do with the illegals who are entering and will enter the United States, including measures to prevent them, and what to do with the illegals who are already in the United States.The article is credible because it is written by a professor of organizational analysis and management and former director of international business studies at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. If the border between the United States and Mexico were opened, there would be advantages as well as disadvantages, such as economic, cultural, and national security impacts. If the border were opened, there would be a large wave of immigrants from Mexico to the United States because the value of money in the United States is higher than in Mexico, the educational environment is better, and most importantly, immigrants want to escape poverty. Besides that, there would be a wave of companies investing in the United States due to distorted market conditions, excessive regulation, corrupt government practices, and the existence of large politically supported monopolies that limit the scope of business activities. This article is useful for my research because it helps us better understand two important illegal immigration issues in the United States.

Legrand, T., & Leuprecht, C. (2021). Securing cross-border collaboration: transgovernmental enforcement networks, organized crime and illicit international political economy.Policy and Society,40(4), 565-586.https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2021.1975216

This journal article discusses how transnational illegal activity is rising as the world advances. By crossing the borders of other countries, criminal enterprises can make huge sums of money from trafficking in drugs, counterfeit goods, money laundering, protected wildlife, slavery, weapons, and trafficked people. This article aims to understand better the relationship between the two border countries and government policies on reducing transnational illegal businesses.The article is credible because it is written by two renowned military and political security professors, Tim Legrand and Christian Leuprecht.The US and Canadian governments have conducted two border security control experiments such as IBET/Shiprider and MYGALE. These two experiments also have limitations regarding time and politics between the two countries. In this point, we see the maturation of transnational enforcement networks to mitigate such risks as indicative of illicit economies' role in fostering new enforcement arrangements and, further, of the shift in sovereignty. Future developments will help to minimize illegal transnational businesses, improving the safety and security between the two borders.This article is useful for my research because it helps us better understand military security and government policies regarding illegal immigration across the US-Canada border.

Campbell, Howard. (2005). Drug trafficking stories: Everyday forms of Narco-folklore on the U.S.-Mexico border.The International Journal of Drug Policy,16(5), 326-333.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2005.06.003

This article is about the war on drugs on the US-Mexico border. It is assumed that these would be dangerous and scary things for the people, but on the contrary, ethnographic findings from the US-Mexico border indicate that drug trafficking has become such a widespread activity that it has spawned its subculture, including music and folklore.This article is credible because it was written by a professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Texas. He is the author of the popular book "Drug War Zone: Frontline Dispatches from the Streets of El Paso and Jurez".One reason drug trafficking is so prevalent on the border is that the area is one of the poorest in the United States. El Paso is the poorest large city in the United States, and its population consistently lags behind the national average in income, employment, and education. Drug trafficking is a practical and quick way for poor people to supplement their income. This article has provided several examples of drug trafficking on the border between the two countries. Whether told by men or women, the prevalence of these stories and the way they are retold in border communities suggests that for border residents, drug trafficking is either a tacitly tolerated activity or a mundane everyday phenomenon that, while not fully accepted, is not considered a completely deviant or unusual way of life.This article is useful for my research because it talks about the evils that are happening on the US-Mexico border such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, etc.

Sanchez, Gabriella, & Zhang, Sheldon X. (2020). In Their Own Words: Children and the Facilitation of Migrant Journeys on the U.S.-Mexico Border.Victims & Offenders,15(3), 370-389.https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1721388

This article reports on a study of 18-year-old children living on the US-Mexico border who help migrants enter the United States illegally. Based on data collected by these children, we argue that increased patrols and tightening of the border have created income-generating activities for people living along the US-Mexico border.The article is credible because it is written by Gabriella E. Sanchez, an anthropologist, and Sheldon X. Zhang, a Professor of Sociology at San Diego State University. They are interested in understanding the issues occurring at the US border and immigrants. Ciudad Jurez, a city on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border, is often described as one of the most dangerous cities in the world and a hotbed of transnational organized crime. Children here are often from poor households, making them targets for organized crime. Human trafficking is also a serious problem. We need to take action and laws to reduce the exploitation of children as victims of transnational criminal organizations. The presence of children in this market is not simply a manifestation of the proliferation of organized crime groups in Mexico (specifically DTOs) but rather an indicator of the increasing levels of inequality and marginalization they face that arise from the promulgation of neoliberal economic practices in the country - a trend that converges with the decline in access to legal, safe, and dignified pathways worldwide.This article is useful for my research because it addresses the problem of the exploitation of minors by organizations for illegal activities such as smuggling people into the United States and drug trafficking.

Reference:

Delacroix, Jacques and Sergey Nikiforov. "If Mexicans and Americans could Cross the Border Freely."The Independent Review 14, no. 1 (Summer, 2009): 101-133.http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/if-mexicans-americans-could-cross-border-freely/docview/211211215/se-2.

Legrand, T., & Leuprecht, C. (2021). Securing cross-border collaboration: transgovernmental enforcement networks, organized crime and illicit international political economy.Policy and Society,40(4), 565-586.https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2021.1975216

Sanchez, Gabriella, & Zhang, Sheldon X. (2020). In Their Own Words: Children and the Facilitation of Migrant Journeys on the U.S.-Mexico Border.Victims & Offenders,15(3), 370-389.https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1721388

Campbell, Howard. (2005). Drug trafficking stories: Everyday forms of Narco-folklore on the U.S.-Mexico border.The International Journal of Drug Policy,16(5), 326-333.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2005.06.003

Campbell, Howard. (2008). Female Drug Smugglers on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Gender, Crime, and Empowerment.Anthropological Quarterly,81(1), 233-267.https://doi.org/10.1353/anq.2008.0004

Adair, Rebekah, Kang, Tamara, Eno Louden, Jennifer, & Hutchins, Elizabeth P. (2023). The role of mental illness in women's pathways to crime living in a U.S.-Mxico border region.Psychology, Crime & Law,ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-24.https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2023.2213383

Mollick, Andr Varella, Cabral, Ren, & Saucedo, Eduardo. (2022). Correction to: Border crossings from Mexico to the U.S. and the role of border homicides.Crime, Law, and Social Change,78(1), 23-23.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-022-10041-2

DUBE, ARINDRAJIT, DUBE, OEINDRILA, & GARCA-PONCE, OMAR. (2013). Cross-Border Spillover: U.S. Gun Laws and Violence in Mexico.The American Political Science Review,107(3), 397-417.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055413000178