Paper , Order, or Assignment Requirements

Instructions – Final Research Project and Paper

Instructions – Final Research Project and Paper

30 Points

Focus on Social Solutions to a Specific Social Problem
1.Each student is to identify one social problem that is of interest to him/her and one that the student is unfamiliar. The student should then locate an agency, community center, or organization that is contributing a solution/s to that social problem.

2.Arrange a site visit OR schedule a call based interview with the leader or a senior administrator, in order to learn more about the chosen social problem and solutions being advanced. It is recommended that you make a list of organizations to reach out to so that you increase your prospects of getting an interview.

3.Prior to the site visit or call, research the organization online by reviewing their website, and any articles written about the organizations work. Research third party articles written by others outside the agency about the agency and its program and its effectiveness in the community. These third party article may range from praise to critical and may offer suggestions on the way forward. During this process, outline a list of questions to ask the administrator and staff.

4.During the site visit or call arrange for an interview with the Executive Director or an Administrator. Also, interview staff that specializes in specific programs at the agency. You can also arrange to volunteer at the agency for a deeper insight into their mission.

5.Students should not select places they have been to or normally go to (e.g., college campus, place of employment, place of worship, etc.). You should go into this project with an open mind putting aside personal bias and prejudice.

6.The content of the paper should be comprised of thoughtfully and thoroughly responding to ALL of the following headings AND sub-headings. YOU MUST COPY AND PASTE THE OUTLINE BELOW INTO THE PAPER AND RESPOND TO EACH HEADING AND SUB-HEADING.

1. Background (1 Page Minimum)
1. 1.What social problem was selected and why?
2.Name of organization, date of visit/s or call, name of whom you interviewed, etc.

Information about the organization (e.g., history, mission, etc.).
1.Communications with administrator, staff, etc. on the social problem their agency addresses, the solutions that they are advancing. What are their perception of opportunities and challenges in dealing with the issue?
2.An overview of any activities you participated in.

2. Analysis (4 Pages Minimum)

This is the central and most creative part of the paper, where the bulk of the grading will be made. It will assess your ability to apply knowledge from theory and research to the actual site visit or call interview and the specific social problems being addressed. It is critical that you relate your SITE experience or call to course materials. Apply concepts, theories, and issues discussed in class and through course readings to the mission of the organization and the social problem that it targets.
1.Analyze the Agency, the Social Problem it is trying to solve and discoveries from the Site Visit or Call from ALL Three Sociological Perspectives. Focus on the APPLICATION of the Three Sociological Perspectives to the Agency and Site specifically. This should not be a stating of theory in general, but its application in this instance. (Two Pages Minimum on this part) 1.Functionalist
2.Conflict
3.Symbolic Interactionist

2.Compare innovative solutions offered by other agencies or organizations to the ones being advanced in the agency you visited. You will need to research innovations being adapted or pioneered in other agencies and suggest how the agency you selected can benefit from such innovations. (Two Pages Minimum on this part)

3. Reflection (1 Page Minimum)
1. 1.What did you identify as the most important things that you learned about the social problem through your experiences at the organization?
2.How was your experience as a result of the site visit or call or as a volunteer affected, if at all, in terms of the way you think about the social problem and/or clients that the organization deals with?

What did you personally learn about yourself from your site visit or call or service learning participation?
1.What realistic and feasible things would you like seen done about the social problem that you learned about.

7.Adhere to the following guidelines when preparing the paper. The total length of the paper (excluding the title page, references page, HEADINGS AND SUB-HEADINGS) must be a minimum of six complete pages. The paper must be typed using double spacing, a font size of 12, and one-inch margins. Include a title page with your paper containing the following: Your name, course name, course number, professors name, and paper title.

8. References: There must be a minimum of five unique references citied and included on a reference sheet at the end of the paper. Ten references are preferable. Use APA style for citing references BOTH In-Text and in the Reference Page.

9.Limit your personal experience with the topic to no more than page. This personal experience must support the academic points that are being made in the paper.

10.Utilize the relevant Discussion Topics to get input and approval for your topic. The final paper is due at the end of Course Week 7.

11.This assignment is almost 1/3 of the course grade. Therefore, is important to be making steady progress on the paper through-out the course.