You will write a research paper and prepare a resource sheet on a topic of your choice. Your topic must correspond to a particular life cycle stage that is discussed in class, e.g., birth to three, adolescence, middle to young adulthood, late adulthood. Listed below are sample topics:
Prenatal Exposure to Heroin and Methadone: Effects on Infant Development
Perinatal Loss and Attachment Theory
Language Development During Infancy: Symbolic Gesturing as Precursor for Verbal Language
The Impact of the Foster Care System on Infant and Toddler Development
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Birth to Three
Development of Children in Same-Sex Families
The Impact of Witnessing Domestic Violence on Childhood Development
Art Therapy in Middle Childhood
The Psychological Impact of HIV/AIDS on African Orphan Children
Navigating Uncharted Territory: Exploring the Formation of Peer Relationships among Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome
Juvenile Prostitution in the United States
The Effects of War on Adolescents
Resilience in Adolescent Refugees
Spiritual Development in Adolescence
The Cutting Edge of Adolescence
Self-Injurious Behavior in Adolescence
Parental Loss and Early Adulthood Development
Occupational Transitions in Middle Adulthood
Middle Adulthood: The Sandwich Generation
Late Adulthood and Sexuality: Old People Getting It On?
Death and Dying: Hospice
Assignment Guidelines:
Your research paper must:
describe the topic area—i.e., recent trends, demographic statistics, and epidemiological data, if available—and state why this topic is important;
apply a developmental perspective and make a clear link to human behavior theory for the particular life stage being addressed;
summarize current scholarship from peer-reviewed journals and scholarly texts;
outline implications for social work practice—macro, clinical, or both—including relevant field or professional work experience (see description below); and
include a resource sheet with your paper (see details below)
The number of references for this paper is unlimited. That is, you need to have a sufficient number to substantiate the claims you make in your paper and demonstrate that you have a command of the literature. An estimated range of references for this assignment is 8 to 12.
Paper Format: 8-10 pages (not including title page, reference page or Resource sheet), double-spaced, 12-point font.
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Resource Sheet: Please prepare a resource sheet related to your research topic that contains the following four components:
Research Highlights: Bulleted information that describes key points or research findings from your paper.
Academic Resources: A list of academic resources (e.g., journal articles and books) that you would recommend to your classmates or social work practitioners.
Internet, Popular Press, and Media Resources: A list of materials such as web pages, URLs to videos or podcasts, novels, non-fiction works, and DVDs/videos.
Community-based and Professional Practice Resources: A list of organizations, agencies, or community groups that provide services to or advocate for the population described in your paper.
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