Calculate and list your word count at the top of the page. Do not include the prompt in your word count.

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  • Sufficiently descriptive, analytical, and reflective.  
  • A minimum of 600 words and a maximum of 750 words. Calculate and list your word count at the top of the page. Do not include the prompt in your word count.

This week’s PROMPT on power and privilege is:

So far this semester you have been reading about contemporary social problems (education inequality, poverty, income inequality, food insecurity, housing inequality, etc.) facing our nation as a whole as well as the communities in which you are doing your 157SL service. This week you read an article on “the American Dream” https://www.americanheritage.com/american-dream  and participated in an in-class workshop on the topic of poverty and social (im)mobility. This material, in particular, challenges a common argument about the poor in the United States, namely:

“People would not be poor if only they would try harder, i.e. people are poor because of their own immorality, irresponsibility, bad personal choices, and/or personal failings. Because poverty is a result of personal failing, government is not obligated to intervene or help those who are poor.”

For this journal entry, do the following:

  1. First, without yet taking a position, analyze what about the above argument could be appealing to some members of the American public and/or elected officials. Likewise, what about the above argument could be problematic for our society? Refer to 157SL materials (readings, documentaries, etc.) to help you critically analyze this argument, but don’t quote. Rather, put everything in your own words.

class material to refer to : 1 https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/19/how-the-housing-crisis-segregates-the-bay-area/

2 https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/02/the-costs-of-inequality-a-goal-of-justice-a-reality-of-unfairness/

3.  https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-Color-of-Justice-Racial-and-Ethnic-Disparity-in-State-Prisons.pdf

  1. Second, in your role as an educated member of society (your education in 157SL now makes you more informed on this topic than the average person), take a position and compose a direct response to the argument quoted above. Make use of 157SL materials (readings, documentaries) to explain and support your position, but be sure to put everything in your own words (no quotations). You can take any position you want to; however, regardless of what your position is, you will be graded on the quality of your argument, including how effectively you explain and support your position using 157SL materials

Discuss a specific policy’s impact that you would try to mitigate in the implementation phase. Provide an experience you have had with a policy you had difficulty implementing or a policy you are aware of that you would have serious qualms about implementing.

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When a policy is launched, its success is dependent on a variety of stakeholders. As the politics of decision makers, executives, staff, clients, and social workers begin to influence the implementation process, their beliefs—and subsequent actions—determine the fate of the policy.

Often a social worker must step out of the comfort of his or her social service world and may find himself or herself making difficult decisions about ethical issues and/or may find himself or herself involved in implementing policies that he or she feels is against his or her social work values. How does a social worker handle the intricacies and challenges of policy implementation on both a personal and professional level?

In this Discussion, you explore policy implementation and the challenges faced by social workers during policy implementation.

By Day 3

Post your thoughts on whether social workers might try to undermine the implementation of specific policies. What ethical issues might they confront? Discuss how social workers can implement policies that they feel may be against their social work values. Discuss a specific policy’s impact that you would try to mitigate in the implementation phase. Provide an experience you have had with a policy you had difficulty implementing or a policy you are aware of that you would have serious qualms about implementing.

 

Required Readings

SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 13, “Troubleshooting the Implementation of Policies in Task 7” (pp. 460-487)

Lane, S. R., & Humphreys, N. A. (2011). Social workers in politics: A national survey of social work candidates and elected officials. Journal of Policy Practice, 10(3), 225–244. doi:10.1080/15588742.2011.582809.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Optional Resources

MSW home page
Use this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

 

What are some of the special considerations for having friendships with persons who are differently abled? What is your own experience of friendships with persons who are differently abled? 

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Author Peggy Hutchison writes: “…extensive obstacles to friendship  exist in families, communities, and services. As a result of these  obstacles, people interviewed in this study reported knowing about very  few real friendships which exist between people in their communities  with handicaps and other citizens. This finding that the majority of  people with handicaps still have few or no non-disabled friends is  consistent with other findings” (Hutchison, 1990).

After viewing  the film, Rory O’Shea Was Here, and evaluating Hutchinson’s idea (both  in the film and in your experience), please answer the following in a  post of at least 350 words. You must refer to the movie and relate the two articles to the movie as you answer the questions below:

  • In what ways might it be possible for persons who are differently  abled to enjoy deep and meaningful friendships compared with those  outside of the community? What are the challenges?
  • What are some of the special considerations for having friendships with persons who are differently abled?
  • What is your own experience of friendships with persons who are differently abled?

Hutchison, P. (1990). “A qualitative study of the friendships of people with disabilities.” (Links to an external site.) Ontario: Ontario Research Council on Leisure.  [PDF, File Size 54.5 KB] Retrieved  from http://docplayer.net/41736962-A-qualitative-study-of-the-friendships-of-people-with-disabilities.html

Film: Rory O’Shea Was Here. This can be viewed though ITunes, Youtube, Google Play, or Amazon.

Describes the kinds of populations that this measure has been used with 3. Identifies its validity and reliability in measuring the construct that you are exploring in your study

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Instructions:

Look back at your chart for Article Critique 2, and at any additional research you have done in preparation for your paper. Select TWO measures that have been used to measure one of the constructs you are looking at in your Research Proposal.

Perform some internet searches to see if you can find the paper that first introduced the measure and some articles that use the measure (resources like scholar.google.com can be really helpful in locating citations that you can then get access to via the Morgan State Library).

After reading a minimum of 3 articles that use EACH measure, write a post that:

1. Describes the measure

2. Describes the kinds of populations that this measure has been used with

3. Identifies its validity and reliability in measuring the construct that you are exploring in your study

4. Lists a couple strengths of the measure, and critiques its usefulness for your study

5. Then identify which measure you are planning to use for your study as a result of your review

Make sure to cite in text where appropriate and list the references at the end of the post. (Make sure all three articles that you looked at for each measure are listed in the references).