Each student shall research a social problem and policy
initiative and write a paper describing the nature and severity of the social
problem as well as the goals and effects of the social policy implemented to
address the problem. This assignment requires that you utilize current
information and scholarly research about a social problem that is recognized as
being national in scope and about federal or state social policy legislation.
Your policy paper will be drafted and submitted in three
parts. Each part will be graded for completion and returned with feedback,
which should be incorporated into revisions for the final submission of your
paper.
Part I (10 points)—Social Problem Definition & Analysis
Due 11:59pm 06/02/15
Part II (10 points)—Policy Description Due 11:59pm 06/23/15
Part III (10 points)—Critique Due 11:59pm 07/14/15
Final Paper (70 points)—Revised Parts I, II, & III Due
11:59pm 07/28/15
Your final paper should be approximately 8-10 pages in
length and conform to APA reference style. A helpful tutorial for APA style can
be found at http://www.apastyle.org/.
References should primarily consist of journal articles, government reports,
and books or book chapters. Avoid using popular media and websites, such as Wikipedia.
A paper that does not include parenthetical citations and a reference page will
be regarded as plagiarized and penalized accordingly.
Points will be deducted (see grading rubric) for spelling
mistakes, typos, poor grammar, punctuation errors, etc. As discussed in the
syllabus, I reserve the right to require students to rewrite their papers, if
they possess significant errors.
Your final paper should include the following content:
Introduction
Briefly state what your paper will cover.
Social Problem Definition & Analysis
Describe the importance and/or severity of the social
problem you have chosen to examine. Address such questions as:
§What specifically is the social problem?1
§Why is it a problem?
§
How serious is the problem? How is the
severity of the problem measured?§What are the characteristics of the target population?
§
How does this problem impact the
Jacksonville community?
Policy Description
Describe how the federal and/or state government has
addressed the problem. Address such questions as:
- §What is the most significant or important legislation
addressing the problem? - §What are the goals of the legislation?
- §What programs, benefits, services, etc. are provided as
a result of the legislation? - §To whom are these benefits, services, etc. provided?
- §How are the programs, benefits, services, etc.
administered and financed? - §How does this policy impact social services agencies,
staff, and clients in the
Jacksonville community?
Critique
Evaluate the effectiveness and
efficiency of the policy. Address such questions as:
- §Have the effects of the policy and its programs been
evaluated empirically? - §According to research, how has the policy affected the
social problem and/or
target population? How do these effects
differ from popular opinion?
- §Has the policy been effective? Is it efficient? Why or
why not? - §What are the policy’s strengths and weaknesses?
Summary
Review your major points to conclude
your paper.
