Step 1: Select one of the of the life cycle video topics (i.e. T-shirt, plastic bottle, electronics) you watched earlier this week to research further for your short paper life cycle topic. See Module 1 Conversation: Life Cycles for links to the videos.

OR

Choose a different product or service of interest to you.

Step 2: 2-3 page (plus title page and reference page) APA style paper (7th edition) that summarizes and expands upon the life cycle topic you selected. Use at least 4 first level headings, including the conclusion heading. Your paper may be longer than 3 pages if you wish.

• Describe the major activities in each of the five life cycle stages (material extraction, material processing, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life) for the product you chose in enough detail for a new reader to understand. For example, if you chose the life cycle of a t-shirt, you will discuss the entire life cycle of the product including whether the product gets reused, recycled or thrown into a landfill after the use phase.
• Describe the consequences for the environment and for people.
• Describe methods to reduce waste in the product life cycle.

Step 3: Provide a reference page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources required) as well as in-text citations for each source.

The first requiredsource may be the scholarly, peer reviewed journal article that you summarized earlier this week. A second excellent scholarly source is your textbook or another peer-reviewed journal article that covers a different aspect of the product lifecycle. Another good option is to find a review article in a scholarly journal. Scholarly review articles are often very helpful when you are learning about a new topic because the review article summarizes scholarly work up until the publication date.

You are welcome to cite the video you watched(See Purdue Owl for information on how to cite a video Link to Purdue Owl).(Links to an external site.)However, the video is NOT considered a scholarly source and therefore will NOT be counted a one of the 2 required scholarly sources.

Additional Assignment Tips:

Example first level headings (minimum of 4 required) for your paper are as follows:

Paper Title

Your introduction should be about 1 paragraph. The first level heading for you introduction is your paper title, not the word "Introduction."

Life Cycle Stages

Emissions or Toxic Chemicals Released

Consequencesfor the People and the Environment

Methods to Reduce Waste

Conclusion

Introduction Help:

For all your papers, the introduction should summarize the main topic (the life cycle of the product you chose). Often, an introduction acts as a short table of contents that guides the reader through the major items that will be discussed in the paper. For short papers, like this one,one paragraph is plenty for an introduction.

You can't write a good introduction until you know what the body of the paper says. Consider writing the introductory section(s) after you have completed the rest of the paper, rather than before.

Be sure to end the paragraph with a clear statement that helps you transition to the main body of the paper.