Purpose: There are two main purposes to this assignment. The first is to gauge y – graduate researcher

Purpose:
There are two main purposes to this assignment. The first is to gauge your knowledge of theoretical
concepts and your ability to communicate those concepts through writing. The second purpose is for you
to reflect on your personal thoughts about human development and apply a theoretical perspective to your
own life and work.
Instructions and Products:
You will write a 3-5 page (not including reference page) paper which accomplishes the two purposes
outlined above. You have some creative freedom in how you organize the paper, but it should follow an
introduction -> body -> conclusion structure. In other words: “Tell them what your going to tell them.
Tell them. Then, tell them what you told them.”
 Introduction – “Tell them what you’re going to tell them.” There should be brief overview of the
purpose of the paper and there should be a clear thesis statement. A thesis statement provides a
specific overview of the things that you will cover in the paper.
 Body – “Tell them.” – This is where you go in detail about the theoretical concepts and provide
your reflection and application. I expect you to provide an overall summary of the theory (it’s
purpose, goals, and general view towards development), as well as thorough descriptions of
2-3 key concepts from the theory.
o You have some freedom in the way that you go about organizing this. However, I would
suggest that you define the theory and theoretical concepts that stand out to you as
most significant, then reflect on why you think this theory fits your understanding of
human development, and finish with an application of the theory to your professional
goals and work. Those three core aspects should be in the body of the paper – how you
choose to organize the information is up to you.
 Conclusion – “Tell them what you told them.” – This is where you provide an overview of the
topics that you covered in the paper (following the flow of the thesis statement and the body of
the paper) and provide concluding thoughts. This may feel repetitive but can be a helpful
summary to remind your reader of the key takeaways from your paper.