5-2 Final Project Part I Submission: Preparing for the Letter of Intent

SOC 213 Final Project Part I Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The first part (Part I) of the final project for this course is preparing for the letter of intent.

The field of sociology presents a unique perspective to viewing the world’s social problems. Social problems tend to be viewed solely as individual constructs and responsibilities, but sociologists take a deeper dive into the complex set of variables driving the development of these problems using various theoretical perspectives. As these problems surface in individual lives, the workplace, and communities, a sociological perspective is valuable for providing a framework for deeper investigation of variables and limiting personal biases when analyzing problems.

In this project, you will play the part of a sociologist who has been requested by your national community to craft a letter of intent to the potential funder, the Department of Health and Human Services. The project will be divided into two parts. In the first part, you will prepare to write the letter of intent by conducting research on the social problem and thinking about how to limit your personal biases when later analyzing the social issue. In the second part of the project, the letter of intent, you will analyze the problem from a sociological perspective, outlining the influential variables and the local and global impacts of the problem, and finally suggest a potential solution.

This project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. The Part I milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Three. The final submission for Part I is due in Module Five.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Analyze contemporary social problems on local and global scales by applying key theoretical perspectives  Analyze social variables and determinants for their influence in the development of contemporary social problems on a local and global scale  Suggest potential solutions that are aligned with best practices for addressing the negative impacts of social issues  Illustrate how the use of sociological theory limits personal and societal biases in analyzing social problems

Part I Before you can write the letter of intent, you must first identify social variables influencing the problem and previously attempted solutions. Also, before you can analyze the problem, you must first think about your biases and how you can limit these biases using sociological theory when analyzing the social issue.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction: Explain the contemporary social problem that you selected, and explain why you chose this specific social problem.

II. Research: In order to further understand the social problem, you will conduct some research on its influences, impacts, and attempted solutions. A. Identify social variables and determinants that have influenced the development of the social problem and explain their influence. Support your

explanations with resources. B. Explain how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary depending on whether the social

problem is local or global. In other words, are the previously identified social variables and determinants influencing the social problem the same or different as the social variables and determinants influencing the social problem in another country? Provide specific examples.

C. Describe attempted solutions to the identified social problem that failed, and explain why the attempted solutions might have been unsuccessful, supporting with resources.

D. Describe the attempted solutions that were successful in addressing the identified social problem, or a similar social problem, and identify best practices based on these successful solutions. Be sure to support with resources.

III. Approach: In this section, you will sift through your personal biases, with the aim of limiting such biases in your later analysis. A. Describe how people generally tend to talk about this social problem and how these approaches are problematic, supporting with resources.

What stereotypes, biases, and assumptions are at play? B. Reflect on your own biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect your analysis of the issue. Everyone has certain

preconceived notions about social issues. What are yours, and how might they influence your analysis? C. Explain how you will use sociological theory to limit your biases when you analyze the social problem. How can the theory help you limit your

biases? Provide a specific example.

Milestones Milestone One: Identify a Social Problem: Introduction In Module Two, you will submit a one- to two-paragraph draft of the Introduction, in which you will choose a social problem and explain why you chose this specific social problem. Your introduction should address all critical elements as listed in Section I above, and the following questions: How does your social problem relate to your local community? How does this social problem impact the global community? This milestone is graded with the Part I Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Draft of Research Approach In Module Three, you will submit a one- to two-page draft of the Research and Approach sections, addressing all critical elements from Sections II and III above. You will use your research to help determine the social variables that have come together to create and sustain your social problem. You should use these variables to brainstorm some potential solutions. As a social researcher, you must also investigate your own biases. Think about why this social problem matters to you or how it impacts you. What stereotypes or assumptions do you have regarding this social problem? How did you learn about these stereotypes or biases?

After investigating how your own biases may impact your research, you will select a sociological theory to help you analyze the problem from a theoretical, structured, and unbiased point of view. Use this theoretical lens to help explain your problem. This milestone is graded with the Part I Milestone Two Rubric.

Final Submission: Preparing for the Letter of Intent In Module Five, you will submit your preparation for the letter of intent. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded using the Final Product Part I Rubric.

Final Product Part I Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your preparation for the letter of intent must be 2 to 3 pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and must be written in APA format in Microsoft Word. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least three scholarly references in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Introduction Meets “Proficient” criteria, and

explanation is especially detailed

Explains the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen

Explains the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not explain the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen

5

Research: Variables and Determinants

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into the influence of social variables and determinants on creating social problems

Identifies social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem and explains their influence, supporting with resources

Identifies social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem and explains their influence, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy, or lacks support

Does not identify social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem

15

Research: Variables and Determinants

Global

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into the global impact of social variables on determinants

Explains how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary, depending on if the problem is local or global, providing specific examples

Explains how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary depending on if the problem is local or global, but explanation has gaps in detail, accuracy, or lacks examples

Does not explain how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary locally and globally

15

Research: Attempted Solutions

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into failed attempts at solutions

Describes attempted solutions to the problem that failed and explains why the solutions were unsuccessful, supporting with resources

Describes attempted solutions to the problem that failed and why the solutions were unsuccessful, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support

Does not describe attempted solutions to the problem that failed

15

Research: Best Practices

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identified best practices demonstrate keen insight into creating successful solutions

Describes attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful and identifies best practices, supporting with resources

Describes attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful and identifies best practices, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support

Does not describe attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful

15

Approach: Stereotypes

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into why stereotypes are problematic

Describes how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic, supporting with resources

Describes how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support

Does not describe how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic

10

Approach: Your Analysis

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and reflection demonstrates keen insight into the impact of personal bias on analysis

Reflects on personal biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect the analysis of the issue

Reflects on personal biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect the analysis of the issue, but response is cursory or illogical

Does not reflect on personal biases and assumptions around the issue

10

Approach: Limit Biases

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into the use of sociological theory to limit personal biases

Explains how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem, providing a specific example

Explains how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem, but does not provide an example, or explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not explain how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem

10

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

5

Total 100%