PELT College Writing: Casual Essay

Start here

General search tips

• Search with keywords, not sentences:
  • Full sentence: How does cost of living and housing affect rates of homelessness?
  • Major concepts: "cost of living" and homelessness
  • Be flexible about search terms. Think of synonyms and related terms you can try if your initial search strategy doesn't produce the results you want. You may need to use different terms for different databases.

Homelessness

Write an essay offering your educated theory on the main cause(s) of homelessness. Some terms to try:

• Homelessness
• Unemployment
• Affordable housing
• Housing first (approach)
• Mental illness/health
• Healthcare
• Domestic violence
• LGBT youth

Tip: Consider adding a second search term if you want to narrow your focus. Homelessness and "mental illness"

Selected articles

• Poverty and Homelessness: CQ Researcher Report
• Homelessness: Experts Differ on Root Causes (Opposing Viewpoints)
• Substance Abuse Is a Cause of Homelessness (Opposing Viewpoints)
• A Variety of Social Factors Causes Homelessness (Opposing Viewpoints)
• Lack of Affordable Housing Causes Homelessness (Opposing Viewpoints)
• Low Wages and Limited Employment Opportunities Cause Homelessness (Opposing Viewpoints)

Crime in 2020

Write an essay offering your educated theory on why crime is up in 2020.

• Crime and pandemic
• Crime rates and 2020
• Homicide
• Intimate partner violence
• Coronavirus and crime

Tip: Consider limiting to a particular type of crime, such as homicide or intimate partner violence.

Selected articles

• Crime Has Declined Overall during the Pandemic, but Shootings and Killings Are Up (NPR)
• Coronavirus Has ‘Massive’ Impact on US Crime Rates: Here Are Some of the Big Changes (Miami Herald)
• Crime Is Up: But It’s Not because People Are Criticizing the Police (Washington Post via ProQuest)