Writing Assignment #3: Synthesize Multiple Sources From A Library Database To Answer A Research Question

There’s no scientific evidence to support the use of alternative medicines and homeopathic remedies or treatments, yet estimates published find them the number one alternative to traditional medicine in Europe, Asia and the Americas. How do the sources help you understand the growing popularity and increased level of acceptance of alternative medicines and homeopathic remedies in the medical community and/or the criticisms against them?

There are as many reasons for their popularity and acceptance as there are criticisms. You may want to select the reason(s) for your source-based essay from the lists below:

Use at least two sources from the reading assignments to write a short, source-based essay that presents the answer(s) to the question. Include a thesis statement and supporting reason(s)–stated in topic sentences–that the sources provide. Do not just summarize the articles. Present the paraphrased material in single-source paragraphs. Paraphrase primary sources. Paraphrase or quote secondary sources. Include a short ending that restates, not repeats, the major points. Title the essay. Document the essay in MLA format.

Review the evaluative criteria in order to prepare your essay.

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Rubric

Evaluative Criteria : WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3

Some critics of alternative and homeopathic remedies and treatments believe that the results claimed by practitioners come as a result of the placebo effect. The following will help you gain a clearer understanding of the concept. Read, annotate and document the following article:

5. Harvard Medical School, “The Placebo Effect: Amazing and Real.” (Links to an external site.)
   • TO DOCUMENT A WORK ON A WEBSITE:Author’s Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial (if presented). “Title of Article.” Source, Sponsor or Publisher, Date of Publication, URL.

   Access the Points of View Reference Center database from the MCC Library homepage.BEFORE YOU READ

   • In a single sentence, state what you currently think is the controversy surrounding alternative medicine.
   • View the Result List of four records on the Points of View tab that includes this guide.

   Each topic in Points of View Reference Center™ has three main Points of View essays. While there may be many opinions on the issue, these essays are designed to provide a base from which you may engage in further analysis:

   • The Overview provides general background information on the issue.
   • The Point essay presents one opinion on the issue in a persuasive position essay.
   • The Counterpoint essay offers an alternative or opposite view of the issue

   Access the Points of View Reference Center database from the MCC Library homepage.Read/Annotate and Document the following articles:

   • “Point: Alternative Medicine is Unscientific, Unproven, and Unsafe”
     • Answer the following questions from your reading of the article:
       • What can you infer about the author’s intent from the title of the first section of the article (“Dangerously Mainstream”)? Explain.
       • What does the author’s overall attitude toward scientific research seem to be? Cite an example.
       • What kind of evidence does the author cite to support the argument that alternative therapies are risky for the consumer?
       • Which of the author’s explanations for the popularity of alternative medicine do you find most convincing? Explain.
   • “Point: The Dangers of Alternative Medicine”
     • Answer the following questions from your reading of the article:
       • Describe the author’s overall tone toward alternative medicine. Cite an example from the article

Access the Points of View Reference Center database from the MCC Library homepage.

Read/Annotate and Document the following articles:

• “Counterpoint: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Techniques Provide Innovative Health Benefits.”
  • Answer the following questions based on your reading of the article:
    • What is the author’s thesis (main argument) about CAM? Which of the author’s arguments used the most supporting evidence?
    • Outline the advantages of CAM, as argued by the author.
    • Analyze the author’s inclusion of some negative CAM outcomes. Does this inclusion strengthen or weaken the argument in favor of CAM? Why or why not?
• “Counterpoint: The Value of Alternative Medicine.”
  • Answer the following questions based on your reading of the article:
    • What is the author’s main thesis about alternative medicine?
    • Which of the benefits of alternative medicine cited by the author is most persuasive? Why?
    • What are some of the challenges facing acceptance of alternative medicine by conventional practitioners?
    • Review the Purpose and Tonevideo (Links to an external site.)
      Analyze whether the author’s purpose is to persuade or to offer an opinion. Cite details from the article to support your response.

JUDGE FACTS AND OPINIONS

Click on the sidebar article titled “Judge Fact vs. Opinion” and review.

FACTS

• Facts are statements that can be proved true or false.
• Facts tell what actually happened.
• Facts tell what is happening now.
• Facts state something that can be easily observed or verified.

OPINIONS

• Opinions are statements that cannot be proved true or false because they express a person’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings or estimates.
• Opinions express worth or value.
• Opinions tell what should or should not be thought or done.
• Opinions are based on what seems true or probable.

Based on the criteria listed above, select:

• Three fact statements from each of the Counterpoint essays on alternative medicine.
• Three opinion statements from each of the Counterpoint essays on alternative medicine.

What Is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is a medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago. It’s based on two unconventional theories:

• “Like cures like”—the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people
• “Law of minimum dose”—the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic products are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain.

Homeopathic products come from plants (such as red onion, arnica [mountain herb], poison ivy, belladonna [deadly nightshade], and stinging nettle), minerals (such as white arsenic), or animals (such as crushed whole bees). Homeopathic products are often made as sugar pellets to be placed under the tongue; they may also be in other forms, such as ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets. Treatments are “individualized” or tailored to each person—it’s common for different people with the same condition to receive different treatments.

It’s also one of the most popular alternative medicines today.

First, read, annotate and document Michael Castleman and Jeff Grossman’s “The Strange Case of Homeopathy” from the English 121/122 LibGuide (Alternative Medicines-Readings).

• Then answer the following questions based on your reading:
  • Consider Castleman’s credentials: Why are they significant in understanding his purpose for writing the article?
  • What role did Amy Lansky’s preconceived notions of alternatives (her top-down thinking) play in her initial visit to the homeopath? Considering her professional training and her responsibility as a mother, why did she seek a non-traditional treatment for her child?
  • Identify the positive and negative views of homeopathy presented in the article from both the primary and secondary sources: Why can’t medical science trust the results of studies that evaluate homeopathic remedies and practices, according to its critics? What dangers and risks do the critics discuss?

  Writing Assignment #3 Preparation

  Good Morning.

  I hope this message finds you and your families safe and sound. According to the news reports, the current stay-at-home practice seems to be working–as difficult as it may be for most of us.

  Some advice as you begin to write the next essay assignment:

  1. Please review the powerpoint. Understand the research question (particularly the “medical community” part) and which sources are required.

  2. Please review Monday’s Inbox attachment (Exemplary Academic Source-Based Writing Passages). Thesis statements, introductory paragraphs, single and multiple source paragraphs, conclusions–this assignment should show some progress. Yes. I know the last few weeks have been crazy, but there hasn’t been anything new about the writing–just the critical reading skills. Summaries of the articles rather than source-based essays will not receive very good grades–no matter how correctly written. At the same time, source-based essays with grammar and usage errors that interfere with the presentation of the source material (and that have been identified on previous papers!) will also not receive very good grades. And a combination of both (incorrectly written summaries) won’t be acceptable.
  3. Please review the powerpoints and the links on the rough draft assignment from Writing Assignment #2. Also, see Documentation Guidelines for signal phrases for multiple authors.
  4. There’s still time to Inbox specific questions (but not drafts or paragraphs) about the essay assignment.
  5. Please check the due date (and time) of the essay assignment. If you’re experiencing technical issues (no pc/lousy broadband) please let me know ahead of time–not after the due date and time.

  That’s all for now.

  Please use these resources to write the paper.