SOCI 212 Social Problems
American Public University System
Assignment Three: Final Paper (Due Week 8)
Overview
This final paper will be the culmination of what we have accomplished in our first and second writing assignments. Now that we have identified and clarified the nature of our chosen social problem and examined two key organizations that address this social problem we will now give a more in depth discussion about the scope of the social problem a major theoretical idea that can be applied to the social problem and our own analysis of how this social problem might be better solved. A crucial part of this paper will be in identifying one of the major theoretical perspectives we have covered this session. The three major ones include the functionalist conflict and symbolic interaction approaches. However as our texts point out there are other theoretical viewpoints we may also adopt if we choose. The key will be in thoroughly reading and understanding these theoretical viewpoints and finding the most effective one for understanding our chosen social problem of study.
Instructions
Complete a 5-7 page final paper that analyzes the future impact of this social problem you have mentioned in the second writing assignment. In this assignment you will cover:
The assignment should include a title page abstract and/or table of contents body of paper and also works cited page.This assignment should follow the APA format. In addition to our text you will significantly incorporate research from at least 5 meaningful up-to-date resources two of which must be from reputable peer-reviewed academic journals. Please check the Course Materials for more information on this homework assignment (worth 20% of total grade).
Due on by midnight the Sunday of Week 8 submit using link in Sakai.
The paper should be typed double-spaced 1 margins arial or times new roman 11 pt font and saved as .doc .rtf or .pdf in the format: lastname_SOCI212_HW3.doc
LATE POLICY:
Unless otherwise noted all assignments are due by the end of each week Sunday. If you anticipate that an assignment will be late you must contact me immediately. Penalties will be assessed based on the reason for the late work and the timeliness of notice. Late work will not be penalized if the reason falls under the following categories: documented long-lasting technical problems that are out of the students control documented family emergencies and documented extended illnesses.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes:
Homework Three will evaluate your ability to do the following:
Course Objectives:
Course Objective One
Identify specific social problems and their cause-effect patterns.
Course Objective Two
Identify current research methods that are utilized for the investigation of social problems.
Course Objective Three
Compare and contrast current and suggested policies programs and/or treatments in terms of their effectiveness for alleviating the negative consequences of social problems.
Course Objective Four
Apply class concepts to support opinions about social problems.
Course Objective Five
Illustrate how the sociological process enables us to identify various social concerns.
Course Objective Six
Explain the role of culture in identifying social issues as problems.
Course Objective Seven
Apply sociological theories to explain the occurrence and scope of these problems.
Learning Outcomes:
Grading Rubric:
CATEGORY
Outstanding
AboveAverage
Average
BelowAverage
Unacceptable
Description of the social problems
Provided detailed description of the chosen social problem through the use of historical data (5 points)
Needed some elaboration on the description of the chosen social problem through more detailed use of historical data (4 pts)
Needs significantly more detail about the chosen social problem through the use of historical data (3pts)
Description of the social problem lacks detail overall. (2pts)
No description of the social problem included (0-1.5 pts)
Sociological Concepts Identified
Clearly identified 4 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (5 pts)
Clearly identified 3 relevant sociological concepts from the readings one not clearly identified. (4 pts)
Clearly identified 2 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (3pts)
Clearly identified 1 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (2 pts)
Did not clearly identify any sociological concepts (0-1.5 pts)
Sociological Concepts Defined
Clearly defined 4 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (5 pts)
Clearly defined 3 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s); 1 not clearly defined. (4 pts)
Clearly defined 2 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (3 pts)
Clearly defined 1 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (2 pts)
Did not include text definitions of sociological concepts (0-1.5 pts)
Analysis
Clearly applied a relevant sociological theory to analysis of the chosen social problem. (5 pts)
Applied a relevant sociological theory to analysis of the chosen social problem but lacks minor detail. (4 pts)
Applied a relevant sociological theory to analysis of the chosen social problem but lacks significant detail. (3 pts)
The paper attempts to apply a relevant sociological theory to analysis of the chosen social problem but connection between theory and chosen social problem is not clear (3 pts)
Did not apply sociological theory to a chosen social problem. (0-1.5 pts)
APA Formatted Citations
Included APA formatted in-text citations and full references for ALL paraphrased and quoted work from other sources. (3 pts)
Minor errors in APA formatting of citations. (2.4 pts)
Multiple errors in APA formatting of citations. (2.1 pt)
Missing some citations and errors in APA formatting. (1.8 pts)
No citations included. (0-1 pts)
Grammar & Spelling
Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (2 pts)
Author makes a couple errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.6 pts)
Author makes a few errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.4 pt)
Author makes multiple errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.2 pts)
Authors makes so many errors in grammar and spelling that the intent of the paper cannot be understood. (0-1 pts)