Goal: A writing assignment has two essential objectives.
- Demonstrate depth of knowledge and understanding in a specific topic or area of the course.
- Demonstrate academic writing skills including but not limited to: acquisition, organization and communication of information at a college level.
Instructions: The student needs to select a way in which he or she will gather data (information) pertaining to a particular fire protection or detection systems issue. In the spirit of “Academic Freedom,” the student needs to select a topical focus and a mode of collecting pertinent information from experts, scholarly sources, and technical reports.
The paper needs to be submitted in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format, according to the standards of writing set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, latest edition. There needs to be at least three sources that are correctly cited in the text which correspond to the source listed on the “References” page at the end of the paper. If a personal contact is used, proper citing of that person is required. Failure to properly format the paper in APA Style will result in a loss of credit on the assignment.
The paper must be no less than five (3) pages and no longer than seven (5) in length; excluding the cover page and references page. All papers must be uploaded into the Assignment Dropbox of the Course on Canvass. Late assignments will be reduced docked points.
The paper needs to be academic in form and content. What that means is that the student is discouraged from editorializing, polemicizing, or otherwise expressing positions that cannot be supported by accepted theory or empirical evidence. Relating the professional opinions of experts is fine. The student is encouraged to relate this to his or her observations or experiences in life. But these observations and experiences must be supported by theory or evidence rather than personal interpretations.
Write a topical paper on: code development, hazardous materials regulations, Halon and environmental issues, safety with energetic materials, fire access, life safety code,