Description
Project Instructions – Overview
Why take a course in social problems? The idea is not for you to feel despair about the myriad problems occurring in the world. The idea is for you to have a solid grasp on what is happening around us so that you can contribute to change! Why not start now? Throughout this semester, you will 1) do research on a social problem in which you are interested and come up with a list of ways that you can solve the problem, 2) choose one of those ways and write a clear plan of how you will get involved, 3) reflect on whether you felt like you made a difference or not and why or why not. You will be graded not on your success or failure to contribute to the solution, but rather on your understanding of the social aspects of the problem and the depth of your reflection on why your strategy was or was not effective.
Step One (due with Lesson 4): Write a 500- to 750-word executive summary of a social problem. Be sure to include at least three reliable sources in your summary. Next, include a list of three to five possible contributions you could make toward the solution of this social problem. These need not be grandiose, involved actions. They could involve, for example, writing a letter to an elected official, volunteering with a local organization, collecting donations for a related charitable organization, etc.
Step Two (due with Lesson 6): After receiving feedback from your professor, choose one of the contributions you suggested in Step One and write a 500-word plan on what you will do to accomplish your contribution. Your plan should include: 1) a clear step-by-step description of exactly what you are going to do, 2) what you think the outcome will be, 3) possible difficulties you may encounter, and 4) the advantages and disadvantages of attacking the problem using your strategy.
Step Three: Complete the actions you’ve outlined in your plan.
Step Four (due with Lesson 8): Write a 500-word reflection on your contribution. In your reflection, include 1) a description of what you did to contribute to the solution of the problem, 2) whether or not you felt it was effective and why or why not, 3) what else you think needs to be done to address the problem.
Step Four: Further Details
In Step Four, reflect on your experience contributing to the solving of a social problem (at least 500 words). Be sure to address the following areas:
- Briefly summarize what you did.
- Which social problem(s) did your actions affect?
- What do you think the positive effects of your actions were/will be, if any? Consider the effects on both yourself and the social problem.
- What do you think the negative effects of your actions were/will be, if any? Consider the effects on both yourself and the social problem.
- What else do you think should be done to address this problem?
- Do you think you would do this action again? Why or why not?
For Step Four, you must also submit documentation that you completed your project. Failure to provide this documentation will result in an automatic 15-point deduction. Suggested forms of documentation are as follows:
