Assignments
*** For your Pecha Kucha presentations, you are looking for 'people of color who have contributed to American social welfare.' Note that while we do have Encyclopedia of Social Work as an e-book, it doesn't include a biography section. Please refer to the print book which is in CRC library in TETC. Let me know if you need help accessing the print copy. You may also find this website helpful NASW Pioneers .***
Policy SOWK 605 & 305: Policy Analysis Paper
Each student will read professional articles, newspaper commentaries, and news magazines/stories to become familiar with current public policy. The policy chosen can be a national, state, or local social policy. Be sure that you are choosing a policy, not a program. Once a policy has been identified, it must be approved by the instructor before handing in the outline.
The papers will consist of a policy analysis of the current policy using the ‘Framework’ described in chapter two of the Karger and Stoesz text (pp. 28-32). All sections of this assignment should be written in APA.
1. Outline
The outline consists of two parts, which includes the outline and rationale for the selected policy.
Outline: The outline should follow the policy analysis framework in Chapter 2 of Karger and Stoesz (2010) and the sections of the framework should serve as the headings. Bullet points are appropriate for the outline. The outline must include at least three references, of which at least two must be peer-reviewed articles.
Rationale: In the rationale section, answer the following questions: What is your interest in this social problem/policy? How might your interest impact your analysis of the topic? How is this social problem/policy relevant to social work?
Paper must be a minimum of three full pages, not including the title and reference page.
2. Draft
Using the submitted and graded outline as starting point, each student will develop their outline into a full draft. The draft will focus on the first four sections of the framework (History, Problems that Necessitate the Policy, Policy Description, Policy Analysis). The draft must be written in complete sentences and contain five references (at least three peer-reviewed journal articles and the textbook). The draft should be a minimum of five full pages.
3. Final Paper
The final paper of 8-12 pages (not including the title and reference pages) is a complete product written as if for publication in a social work journal, following the entire policy analysis framework (History, Problems that Necessitate the Policy, Policy Description, Policy Analysis, and Viability of Policy Reform (new section)). The final paper will have a minimum of seven sources (at least four must be peer-reviewed journal articles and one is the textbook). The final paper must be submitted to Turnitin to assess for plagiarism.
Introduction
This guide is created primarily for the students in Dr. Allessia Owens's SOWK 305/605 Social Welfare Policy course.
Make sure to review the Policy Analysis Resources. You will need to search multiple databases to write a comprehensive research paper.
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