Academic Writing Samples

Links to Other Academic Papers by Heather

Religion 253--The Apocalypse
Paper comparing Nostradamus' quatrains to Bible passages

APA Style

Example of a References page in APA Style (Microsoft Word document)

MLA Style
Example of a Works Cited page in MLA Style (Microsoft Word document)

Heather is experienced in using both APA and MLA styles of academic writing and is available for proofreading/editing entire papers as well as Bibliography pages.

 

Find Your Niche:  Join a Reality TV Show Cast
     This is the true story of seven stereotypes picked to live out their drama-filled lives in front of a television camera.  Welcome to the “Real World”, or at least MTV's version of it.  The genre of reality television has become less real and more commercialized and contrived as the years have passed.  Now in its 14th year, the “Real World” on MTV started an ever-growing marketing opportunity for television networks and companies in the form of reality television.
     Is reality television actually an accurate portrayal of people in America?  Casting for most of the current shows is suspect at best.  Directors and producers review thousands of video tapes and attend dozens of open casting calls to find their perfect cast.  Not only do the applicants need to be good-looking and have interesting personalities or life stories, they must also fit into a role or niche the producers are looking to fill to round out the cast (Androich, 25).  These roles may be designed to break a prevalent racial or social attitude, but more often they perpetuate common stereotypes.  Creating drama and conflict through casting and editing brings in big ratings and mass amounts of advertising dollars........(paper continues)  

(This paper is in MLA Style)

Inclusion and Collaborative Teaching
     Persons with disabilities are not exceptions to the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) law.  There has been, however, much debate on what “appropriate” really means when it comes to the education offered to students with disabilities.  Over the years, special education has continually changed to define what is appropriate for those students and how to make sure they are receiving the education they deserve.  Mainstreaming and now inclusion have proved to be effective teaching strategies if done correctly.
Defining Inclusion
     Inclusion, in regard to education, can be defined as allowing students with all types of disabilities to receive 100% of their schooling in the general education classroom (Gartner & Lipsky, 2002).  Mainstreaming, on the other hand, is placing the disabled student in a self-contained special education classroom for part of the day and the rest of the day in a traditional classroom setting (Idol, 2006).  It is a different option for students with disabilities and should not be confused with inclusion.....(paper continues)  

(This paper is in APA Style)

American History X and Differential Association Theory
     “He was a student of mine. Honors English. He was a great student...like you...but he hung out with scumbags. Also like you. That's why he ended up in the pen, hunh?” (McKenna, 1997)  These powerful words create a social commentary that runs throughout the movie American History X.  Controversial and yet stunningly accurate, this motion picture served as a glaringly obvious reminder that criminal behavior in adolescents can be reduced significantly if a variety of intervention programs are available to them.  Analysis of positive mentoring programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, in relation to the Differential Association Theory can provide insight into how to quell deviant behavior as explored in the movie American History X.
Differential Association Theory
     Criminologist Edwin Sutherland proposed a revised radical theory in 1947 about the origin of criminal behavior for an individual.  His Differential Association Theory asserted that criminal behavior was learned by an individual being exposed to the illegal actions of others and was independent on race or economic status (Hoffmann, 2003).  Understanding the reasoning behind a subject’s undesirable acts may be as simple examining the deviant behavior of an adolescent’s peers (Costello & Vowell, 1999).............(paper continues)

(This paper is in APA Style)

 

 


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