The primary purpose of the critical thinking essay (CTE) is to help you connect neuroscience to a larger social issue in which you are interested.
This assignment relates directly to UNG’s mission to “develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society.” It implements Course Objective 6 from the syllabus: “Upon completion of this course the student will be able to … [d]demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of the brain to explore larger societal issues (e.g., stem cells, sexual orientation, obesity, and drug addictions).”
For this assignment, you will be writing an argumentative essay in which you will explore a social issue that relates to or is impacted by neuroscience.
In this essay you will
•describe the social issue,
•review the relevant neuroscience and the relevant policy and/or ethical issues,
•analyze and evaluate various perspectives and points of view,
•synthesize this information, and •take a position on the issue.
Executive Summary-
The executive summary is an executive’s digest or summary of the full body of a report. It is not a substitute for the introduction, nor is it meant to be combined with an introduction. An executive summary is similar to an abstract in that they both contain a brief overview of a report or paper; however, there are some critical differences. First, they are written for different audiences. An abstract is generally used in academic settings and is written for peers of the author (i.e., other academics or scientists). An executive summary is generally used is business, government, and non-profit organizations and is written for a non academic audience (e.g., business executives, policy makers, or the general public), usually someone who makes funding, personnel, or policy decisions and needs information quickly and efficiently.
Second, they have different purposes. After reading an abstract, the audience should enough information to help them decide whether the article is relevant or interesting enough to read in full.
By contrast, after reading the summary, your audience should understand the main points you are making and your evidence for those points without having to read every part of your report in full. Third, because it needs to provide more information than an abstract, an executive summary is typically longers.
Your executive summary should provide the reader with a condensed version of the key information in the paper, including •the problem being addressed, •why the problem is important, your conclusions and actionable recommendations, •the essential or most significant information to support those conclusions and an explanation of why the information supports your conclusions or recommendations.
