Assignment
Trend Report Instructions
The trend report is an excerpt from your final paper. This assignment focuses on economic well-being, which is one-third of the well-being section in your final paper. Use the grade and constructive comments that you receive on the Trend Report to guide your analysis of two other trends, which will be related to spirituality/life purpose and community well-being. The Trend Report is worth up to 30 points.
Text Book: The State of Working America by LAWRENCE MISHEL, JOSH BIVENS, ELISE GOULD and HEIDI SHIERHOLZ, 12th Edition.
Steps to complete the Trend Report:
1. Decide your stand on the American Dream. Is it alive? Dead? Depends (on what)? Make sure discussion of your trend supports your stand on the vitality of the American Dream. For example, if you say the American Dream is alive but write about a poor job market or rising poverty or increasing in wealth inequality, there is a disconnect between your stance and your evidence.
2. Select one of the broad topic areas related to Economic Well-Being. The broad topic areas are:
• Wages (not minimum wage)
• Jobs
• Wealth
• Poverty
• Health
3. Now, identify a measure of your chosen topic that you will track over time. You will have to do some research to identify a measure. The charts and tables used in State of Working Americahttp://stateofworkingamerica.org/subjects/wealth/?readermight give you some ideas of potential measures to use. News media, state and local government bureaus and divisions, or nonprofit organizations are also good sources of topics and trends. Many options may exist. For example, trends in health might be measured by cost of health insurance or incidence of a specific debilitating disease or condition (e.g. diabetes, heart attack).
4. For the measure that you have selected, write a 3 - 5 page essay (double spaced, 12 point font, not including reference list) where you
a. Describe what has happened over the past 25 years. If historical data are hard to locate, describe trends as far back as you can. Consider using a bar chart or line graph to summarize trends for presentation. Avoid presenting a large table full of numbers.
b. Evaluate reasons for the trend. Why has moved the trend line up or down?
c. Assess who has been affected by the trend. Has the effect been positive or negative? Does the effect differ by group (e.g. level of education, age, race/ethnicity, work status, etc.) Explain.
d. Argue persuasively for one or two changes in law or society that would alter the trend
e. Anticipate the arguments that your critics will have. Acknowledge the counter arguments and explain why they are incomplete or incorrect.
The Trend Report MUST include, at a minimum:
• one table or one figure/graph/chart properly formatted and referenced in your paper
• one supporting quote from State of Working America or from any other reading material used in the class during the semester
• one reference from an outside source that is relevant to the assignment.