(Instructions and rubric are uploaded in case this is too jumbled, but ignore deadlines and references to seeing instructor) Practitioners and advocates of the alternative therapy meditation sometimes make clear claims about the effectiveness of their methods. Choose this area and investigate one specific therapeutic claim. In the final draft of your paper you will produce an argument for (or against) accepting this specific claim based on your evaluation of scientific literature. I am not looking for a scientific literature review or report. I expect you to judge whether or not the specific therapy in question is given your accurate understanding and application of relevant course material. Find sources of scientific claims in the scientific literature, and cite references according to MLA or APA citation standards. You may start your research with Google but your research must include using scientific databases such as pubmed or www.sciencedirect.com or PLOS Medicine. You can access some full articles from peer-reviewed journals via Sac State’s Library OneSearch page: library.csus.edu. The Paper project has two stages you must complete by specific deadlines, details follow: (1) Submit your Prospectus for approval to me via chat. The deadline for Stage 1 is noon on 28 nov by 8pm. Example for Stage 1, the Prospectus: 1. Suppose you choose Homeopathy (meditation for mine) as your research area (you can’t, this is only an example). Read about what Homeopathy is and what it does, according to practitioners and advocates. Once you are sure you understand what these people assert, frame a claim describing one of its alleged therapeutic benefits. 2. Here is a claim thas some homeopaths make, with a few more sentences added for clarification: “A homeopathic preparation of Tarentula cubensis (Cuban spider) reduces systemic fever and lesions of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) infected cattle better than standard, non-homeopathic medications. FMD is a contagious viral disease of ruminant animals (e.g., cattle). The homeopathic preparation consists of an entire spider ground up and diluted with either distilled water, alcohol, or powdered lactose repeatedly until the desired potency is reached, usually 6x to 30x (the greater the dilution, the more potent the effect) 3. Source: You will need to consider more than one journal and more than one article, but here is a reference to one relevant study from a peer-reviewed journal: Lotfollahzadeh S, Alizadeh MR, Mohri M, Mokhber Dezfouli MR. “The therapeutic effect of Tarentula cubensis extract (Theranekron®) in foot-and-mouth disease in cattle: A randomised trial in an endemic setting.” Homeopathy. 2012, 101(3):159-64. <http://www.researchgate.net/publication/229434482> (2) Submit the “Final Draft” of paper via upload The deadline for Stage 2 is 30 nov by noon. Paper is argumentative in that you must present cogent reasons for your evaluation. Papers are not reports or reviews of what anyone else has said. You need to answer the questions (below) clearly and avoid long introductions, summaries or commentary, absolutely. Never pose questions that you do not answer, state your ideas succinctly and in declarative sentences. Proofread your work for overall coherence. Ask yourself whether each sentence supports your main point and edit it out if it does not. Consider at least three separate peer-reviewed journal references. Always cite your sources but do not quote them. Cite journal references only and format these references just like those found in other journal articles. Do not quote or use these as formal references – only primary sources are acceptable. In the sciences, a primary source is a published report by scientists (not reporters) of original findings or ideas which appear in the form of research articles in peer-reviewed journals with sections describing background, methods and results. Note: A formal research-based argumentative paper such as this one is a TEST of your abilities to sort through data and apply the concepts presented in the course. I expect you to find relevant evidence and produce coherent, incisive reasons for any conclusions about issues raised in your paper.