Annotated Literature Review and Supporting Data

The topic for this assignment is on Employment as a Social Issue on Immigrants

Note: This assignment asks you to locate, read, and summarize ten sources. This takes time. Do not wait until the last minute to complete this assignment!

Using the form below, search for sources that provide data and information on the social problem ON EMPLOYMENT AS A SOCIAL ISSUE ON IMMIGRANTS.This will require you to use various sources that are relevant to the problem’s origin and evolution, as well as possible recommendations to address or solve the problem. Not all social problems can be solved, but some can be improved to achieve more positive outcomes. You will need to identify and state which of these—solution or improved outcomes—is a possibility for the social problem you have selected to explore.

Specific types of sources are important to the social sciences. The journal Social Problems is a good source for your review. Sources that are important in social science research are those presenting empirically based qualitative and quantitative data (information).

 Sources for Qualitative Data—(verbal, observational)

· Ethnographies (research conducted by social scientists using observation and personal interview)

· News accounts by nonpartisan, print, television, radio, and Internet-based journalists. Acceptable media sources include national “flagship” newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today,as well as electronic media such as National Public Radio (NPR), and Public Broadcast Networks (PBS). The hard news of local newspapers can also be cited.

· It is important to note that some of these media outlets often have a political leaning that may color how news stories are reported. It is important to be mindful not only of what is being said, but of what is NOT being said. Opinion and editorials in all newspapers should be avoided because they can be based on opinion rather than empiricism (objective research).

Sources for Quantitative Data—(numbers, percentages, statistics) 

Reports by analytical organizations provide analysis of quantitative data from surveys and administrative records relevant to a variety of social problems. Some examples:

· The Pew Research Center (survey research on social issues, political issues, economic/financial issues)

· The American Economic Institute (analysis of economic and consumer issues)

· Child Trends Foundation (child and family welfare in the United States)

· The Annie E. Casey Foundation (child and family welfare in the United States)

· The Administration for Children and Families (US Dept. of Health and Human Services)

· The Bureau of Labor Statistics (US employment and unemployment)

· The Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Office of Justice and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention (adult offending and arrests, juvenile offending, prison populations)

· The Sentencing Project (US criminal sentences/death penalty)

· The Urban Institute (social and economic issues)

· The World Health Organization (WHO) (international health)

· The Global Poverty Project (world poverty)

· Humantrafficking.org (international human trafficking)

Print media (newspaper and news magazines such as Time, The Atlantic, Harpers, and The New Yorker are sources for analysis of data drawn from the organizations listed above. News sources also publish analysis of data from the US Census, Uniform Crime Reports (FBI), and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) surveys of Americans’ attitudes on social issues. 

Finally, two think tanks—one, liberal/progressive, the other conservative—provide different perspectives on social, political, and economic issues.

· The Brookings Institution

· The Enterprise Institute 

This is not an exhaustive list. You can find other reputable sources relevant to your topic.

Once you find reputable sources, it is important to read them carefully to discover what information has been revealed through research. Further, it is important to read with a critical eye. Is the information reported in a biased fashion? Are the authors leaving out important information? Is the reasoning presented in the article sound? Once you determine whether your source is a good one, you can then use this information to inform your own thinking about the social problem you have chosen to explore. 

Use the chart below by copying, completing, and submitting it to your Week 6 weekly module (or directly in the Assignments tab) with information on  ten  sources you have identified relevant to the problem you’ve chosen.

Literature Review Form 

*Use the following codes for the “type of source” you are listing: 

LQual – library/journal article presenting qualitative data

LQuan – library/ journal article presenting quantitative data

News – title of newspaper, news magazine, radio, or television program

Web – organization’s/government agency’s Internet website.