The final assignment is a 10-12 page paper identifying and discussing a social problem, due at the end of the last week of the term. This paper is designed to increase students skill in conceptualizing a social problem/need and interventions that address it, using the human behavior and the social environment framework. The paper defines and describes a social problem or the need of a specific population and discusses the manifestations and impact, causes and contributing factors, and responses to the problem/need, including analysis at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Students will utilize online databases to search for peer-reviewed articles, with a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed references. The paper will address five key areas:

Definition of the topic and description of the population of interest; discussion of what is known/hypothesized about the impact of the problem/need

Two major social theories (from course content) used to understand the causes and effects

Identification of historical contexts and forces that have shaped current policies and/or programs that address the issue

Analysis of the effectiveness of current interventions, drawing on theory and empirical literature

What are your recommendations for social work intervention?

Final paper rubric

(Possible points = 30)

Definition of the topic and impact of the problem/need (6)

Detailed discussion of problemwho is affected, extent of problem, relevant factors

Major theories about causes and effects (6)

Detailed discussion of theoretical frameworks used to explain the problem

Identification of forces that have shaped current policies (5)

Detailed discussion of historical and policy contexts

Analyzing and evaluating current intervention models (5)

Detailed discussion of current interventionssuccesses, flaws

Discussion of appropriate social work response to the issue (4)

Your recommendations based on problem definition, theories, context, and successes of current interventions

Format, writing quality (4)

APA formattingtitle page, page numbers/headers, reference page, in-text citations; clear, concise writing; meets assignment requirements (length, citations, etc.)