Family Policy

Family Policy Project

This is a 2 Parts assignment . In this assignment, you will be applying your sociological knowledge and critical thinking skills to imagine a policy suggestion that might improve family functioning.  This assignment builds on the trend analysis that you wrote in the second assignment. In addition to your Family Policy Suggestion, you will also write a succinct Letter to the Editor to persuade others that the problem you have identified needs to be addressed and that your proposed policy suggestion will help resolve the problem.

Part 1: Development of a Family Policy Suggestion (4 pages, not including reference list)

1. Write an introductory paragraph that includes the problem that you have identified and very briefly explains how you propose to solve it.

2. Provide evidence of this problem. (You can use information from your Trend Report as evidence, or you can provide different evidence if you think that it’s more appropriate. Be sure to cite your source.)

3. Who is affected by the problem? Provide evidence indicating which social groups are most affected. (Again here, evidence from your Trend Report or other evidence can be used. Be sure to cite your source.)

4. Why is this problem important? In your explanation, apply one of the core sociological perspectives (functionalism, conflict theory, or symbolic interactionism) to highlight how this problem is sociologically important. In support of your explanation, please cite at least one Learning Resource from our course.

5. At what level(s) do you propose resolving the problem (e.g., community, state, region, national), and why?

6. Clearly state your policy suggestion and how it should be carried out, as well as any potential barriers to the success of your proposal.

7. What do you anticipate might be the positive and negative outcomes of this policy suggestion if implemented?

8. How might the relative success/failure of the policy be evaluated after one year of implementation?

9. As part of your conclusion, write a self-reflection: Why did you choose this particular problem to address? What obstacles did you encounter while working on your policy suggestion? What additional information would you need to design your suggestion more effectively? 

Your assignment should include at least three Learning Resource from the learning resources and at least two source for the trend report information.  In addition, you may use other authoritative resources for information and insights. Be sure to use APA-style citations when relying on/quoting from your sources (including the Learning Resources from our course) and include a Reference List at the end of your assignment.

 

Part 2: Letter to the Editor (1 page, the usual recommended length for this type of letter)

Write a convincing and succinct letter (addressed to a major news outlet) to encourage readers to recognize the problem you have identified and persuade them to agree that your policy suggestion should be adopted.  Use key information from Part 1 of your Family Policy Project to inform your letter.  For the purposes of this assignment, if you need to refer to specific information, use citations as usual and include your references at the end.

Here are two helpful resources on how to write an effective letter to the editor:

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2017).  How to write an effective letter to the editor. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/writing-effective-letter-editor

WriteExpress. (2020). Write a letter to persuade an editor or the public on an issue. Retrieved from https://www.writeexpress.com/persua04.html

Here are some resources that might be helpful for identifying trends (in the U.S. unless stated otherwise):

AARP. (2019). 2018 national grandparents today survey. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/life-leisure/2019/aarp-grandparenting-study.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00289.001.pdf

Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2020). Family trends and transitions. Retrieved from https://aifs.gov.au/projects/family-trends-and-transitions (Australia)

Institute for Social Trends. (2019). World family map: Mapping social change and family outcomes. Retrieved from https://ifstudies.org/ifs-admin/resources/reports/worldfamilymap-2019-051819final.pdf

Pew Research Center. (n.d.). Family and relationships. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/family-and-relationships/ (This is the main page, which features links to their many studies regarding family in the United States.)

Social Issues Research Center. (2020). Welcome. Retrieved from http://www.sirc.org/ (United Kingdom)

Learning Resources

Amato, P. (2014). Why study families? Retrieved from

https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/past-issues/summer-2014/what-family

Crash Course. (2017). Major sociological paradigms: Crash course sociology #2. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbTt_ySTjaY

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. (2018). Family (Sociology). Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/log

Crash Course. (2017). Theories about marriage & family: Crash course sociology #37. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaeiCEro0iU

Esher Sociology. (2017, August 10). Changing family patterns: Marriage and divorce [in Great Britain]. Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPoL4sYYDi4&list=PLMDNOsVq3VQY59Pr6TeaOLMuGIrgO2Jps&index=3

Asia Society. (2020). Indian society and ways of living: Organization of social life in India. Retrieved from  https://asiasociety.org/education/indian-society-and-ways-living  

Asia Society. (2020). The value and meaning of the Korean family. Retrieved from  https://asiasociety.org/education/value-and-meaning-korean-family

Geiger, A. W., & Livingston, G. (2019, Feb. 13). 8 facts about love and marriage in America. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019

New Yorker. (2019, June 27). Esther Perel explains why wedding vows evolved with society. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oWM07jA0c

University of Pennsylvania. (2016, Dec. 7). Using policy to promote strong families. Retrieved from https://publicpolicy.wharton.upenn.edu/live/news/1

Coppola, E. C., McCall, C. E., Bailey, K., Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., & Wadsworth, S. M. (2020, Feb. 19). Understanding the challenges and meeting the needs of Military and Veteran Families https://www.ncfr.org/resources/research-and-policy-briefs/understanding-challenges-and-meeting-needs-military-and-veteran-families

Glass, J., Simon, R. W., Andersson, M. A. (2017). The parenthood “happiness penalty”: The effects of social policies in 22 countries. PRC Research Brief Report Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center https://contemporaryfamilies.org/the-parenthood-happiness-penalty-the-effects-of-social-policies-in-22-countries/

Eviction Lab. (2018). Why eviction matters. Retrieved from  https://evictionlab.org/why-eviction-matters/

National Academy of Sciences. (2019). A roadmap to reducing child poverty. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nap.edu/resource/25246/Child%20Poverty.pdf

Thomeer, M. B., & Yahirum, J. (2020, May 6). Families contribute to health inequalities during Covid-19. Retrieved from

https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/496376-families-contribute-to-health-inequalities-during-covid-19

Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. (2016, Dec. 5). Arlie Hochschild: The Second Shift. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvzE6zYk

Carlson, D. L., Petts, R. J., Pepin, J. R. (2020). Men and women agree: During the COVID-19 pandemic men are doing more at home. Retrieved from: 

https://contemporaryfamilies.org/covid-couples-division-of-labor/

FamilyProcess1. (2017, Oct. 4). Patricia Papernow, Recoupling in mid-life. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su78WZM-0ak

Miller, A., & Sassler, S. (2020, May 4). Challenges facing cohabiting couples differ from those of married couples in this crisis. Retrieved from

https://contemporaryfamilies.org/cohabiting-during-covid/

Patterson, C. J., & Goldberg, A. E. (2016, Nov.). Lesbian and gay parents and their children. Retrieved from https://www.ncfr.org/sites/default/files/

Thomas, D. (2020, April 20). As family structures change in U.S., most Americans say it makes no difference. Retrieved from

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/10/as-family-structures-change-in-u-s-a-growing-share-of-americans-say-it-makes-no-difference/

Crash Course (2017). Stages of family life: Sociology crash course #38. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWTz3KBCxfg