Prepare: As you prepare to  write your response to this discussion assignment, you may want to review the following resources as these will help you in developing a topic:

• Developing a Topic (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• Integrating Research (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. It is also recommended that you review these tutorials from the Ashford University Library:

• Database Search Tips (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. You may also want to review the Sample Final Paper GEN 499_Final (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., so that you can start preparing your rough draft that is due in Week 4.

Reflect: When considering a research topic, consider an interesting topic that is worth further research. For instance, having a strong opinion on a specific topic may deter you from thinking more critically, and therefore the research might end up being one-sided. It is a good idea to pick a topic in which you can provide a good argument for both sides of the societal issue.

Write: For this discussion, address the following prompts:

• Identify a global societal issue from the following list that you would consider researching further for your Week 5 Final Paper:

o Aging population

o Critical Thinking Skills for the 21st Century

o Gender Inequality

o Global Climate Change

o Global Water Shortage

o Marginalization and Minorities

o Refugee Crises

o Children’s Rights

o Social Media Censorship

• Describe effective methods you used in identifying and narrowing down to just one of the topics to further research for your Final Paper.

• Explain three ways you can critically analyze sources to determine if they are scholarly.

• Summarize information from at least two scholarly journal articles from the Ashford University Library that will support your claims for your chosen topic.

• Explain why scholarly sources should be used to support your writing on the selected topic.

• Download and attach a PDF copy of one of the peer-reviewed scholarly articles that you found from the Ashford University Library to your answer using the “Attach” function located below your response.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length, which should include a thorough response to each prompt. You are required to provide in-text citations of applicable required reading materials and/or any other outside sources you use to support your claims. Provide full reference entries of all sources cited at the end of your response. Please use correct APA format when writing in-text citations