Topic Background Essay Prompt
The first essay you will complete for our Research Project is the Topic Background Essay. In this essay, you will introduce your topic (a particular job, career, or field of business), give background information on it, and introduce a problem facing your topic. Your goal in the essay is to give us enough information about your topic that we understand why it matters and why the problem facing it matters. This will prepare us for your next essay, in which you will offer a solution to that problem.
As part of the Research Project, the Topic Background Essay should be built on research from reliable sources. This can include experiences you’ve had firsthand or opinions from people you know in the field. However, the majority of your information should come from reliable external sources: media sources, academic journals, and government agencies. Your essay should cite at least four different sources, and many will need to cite more to provide enough information. Your research should be documented using MLA citation.
Below is the general structure your essay should follow.
Introduction (1 paragraph). Introduces the topic and gives an overview of what you will tell us about it.
History (1-2 paragraphs). Gives us the origins of this field and recent developments. Questions to consider: When did this field emerge? What have been some important developments (technological, social, etc.) in its development? Is it as important now as it used to be?
Scope and impact (2 paragraphs). In one paragraph, tell us who is involved in this field, both the raw number of people and also who tends to do the work (using categories like age, education level, etc.). In the second paragraph, tell us how the field matters for the economy and society: how much money it produces, why people need the service it provides, etc.
Problem (2 paragraphs). Define a problem facing the field. Give the history, the scope of the problem (how wide its effect is), and the harms it causes to the field (e.g. harms to profitability, safety, job satisfaction, customer satisfaction, etc.).
Conclusion (1 brief paragraph). In about two sentences, sum up what you’ve told us, with an emphasis on the importance of addressing the problem you’ve identified.
