Social problems research paper

This final paper
assignment will analyze a social problem of your choosing, and evaluate an
organized response to that problem. The assignment represents one of the major
goals of the course: critical evaluation of a social issue with an
evidence-based approach.
First, select the ‘problem’ you’d like to analyze,
and an existing policy or organized response designed to resolve it. The
response could be an existing law, a corporate/university policy, a media
campaign or social movement. You should not select a proposed policy/law
that does not yet exist, or propose your own solution.
Next, compile a list of at least 6 potentially useful
references. Please use the ASA citation format, described
at the end of the document. The references should contain at least two
references from each of three categories: news articles, research reports, and
academic studies.
The paper
should address these central questions:
• What is
the social problem? Who claims it is a problem, and why?
• How well
does existing empirical evidence support these claims?
• What
does the evidence tell us about who is affected by the issue? What are the
issue’s causes and/or consequences?
Remember, the goal is not to make your own argument
that the issue you selected is a social problem. The paper
should identify and evaluate prominent claims about the issue being a problem.
In
general, the clearest papers focus on a narrow set of points with strong
evidence. Papers that try to include as much information as possible can easily
seem disorganized. Begin with an introductory paragraph, and include a thesis
statement.
What is the response to this problem?
What
changes does the response require? Who is enacting this response, and what is
their reasoning behind it? What is its goal? You may discuss multiple responses
that are significantly related in some way, but your paper will likely be
stronger if it focuses on only one.
What are the effects of this response?
Most of
the second paper should describe the impact of the response, and evaluate how
well it does or does not work. Does the response improve the negative
consequences of the social problem? What limitations are there? Does it make
other social problems worse? This evaluation should be based on strong and
clear evidence.
Submission
All
portions of the assignment should be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman
font, and with one-inch margins on all sides. Please submit the essay online.

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