USL 410 SrvcLrning:DiverseCommtyIssues

Research Paper Proposal

Description and Requirements

You will be asked to write a critical research paper (7-10 pages) examining a social justice issue as it relates to the population which you have been serving this semester. You will spend a significant portion of the paper proposing possible solutions or ways that your organization could augment or enhance their current programming to alleviate the effects of these social justice issues. These suggestions should be backed by academic sources.

In your research paper, you will need to include examples from your service, other personal experiences, and cite at least 4 sources from peer-reviewed journals, books, or other academically credible sources to support your paper’s thesis.

Of course, you will be expected to adhere to standard English rules concerning grammar, mechanics, and structure; the paper should also be formatted using APA or MLA style, and other given conventions found in the Research Paper description in the “Assignments” section of Blackboard.

To complete your Research Paper Proposal, answer the following questions:

1. In at least 200 words, name the social justice issue(s) that you will be examining, and describe at least two ways this social injustice affects the population you are serving on a regular basis.

It may help to think about class exercises, activities, and readings we have done to date. You do not have to answer each of these bullet points directly, but they may help generate some ideas for your response:

· What are some common “barriers to success” that your service population experiences?

· How might everyday activities or tasks be different for someone from your service population versus that of someone who does not face that social injustice?

· In what ways might people from your service population be enabled and/or constrained in their ability to lead full, successful, healthy lives? (“Successful” here is self-defined by each individual.)

2. In at least 100 words (word count is calculated by adding up responses to both A and B):

A. Name and describe some ways that your service organization is seeking to address the social justice issue you named above. (e.g., if it’s a program, name the program and describe how it works. How does it attempt to alleviate the barriers to success you described above?)

B. In what ways is your organization successful at addressing this social justice issue? In what ways may your organization not be successful ? Why?

3. 100 words, address both questions:

A. What are some of the assets that members of this community possess? (Hint: If you don’t know, try asking.)

B. Brainstorm: How will you incorporate the input and suggestions of the community into your description of the issues and eventual solution?