Course Project: Topic Exploration and Analysis

This week, as the first step of your Course Project, you select and analyze a social issue. The main goals of your analysis are to develop a problem statement, address the "heart" or "root" of the issue, describe the situation as it looks today, and explain why this social issue is important to investigate.

There are numerous social issues that prompt attention today and that directly or indirectly impact both small and large populations. These include issues as diverse as animal rights, euthanasia, the gender wage gap, intimate partner violence, access to health care, disability rights, detention of unaccompanied migrant children, and veterans rights, to name but a few.

As you consider a social issue on which to focus, keep in mind that you will be researching and writing about the social issue throughout the remainder of the course. An objective of this project is to build a well-researched foundation on which you might pursue further involvement. For that reason, you are encouraged to select an issue about which you have genuine concern and interest. Is there a social issue that has impacted you or a family member personally? Are there inequities that impact your life or the lives of others in your community? Are there global concerns that resonate strongly with you? Personal passion and connection to an issue often fuels the kind of committed action that attracts participants and achieves objectives. For this project, select an issue that you genuinely care about.

To prepare for this Assignment:

With the thoughts above in mind, select a social issue for further research.

Gather 2-4 resources about this issue from the Walden Library. You will use these resources in writing this Topic Exploration and Analysis.

Develop a problem statement (e.g., "The problem I will address in this study is...").

To complete this Assignment:

In a 2- to 3-page paper (not including the cover page and references), address the following:

The problem statement you have developed (e.g., "The problem I will address in this study is...")

What are the "symptoms" of the social issue? What does it "look like"?

What are the conflicts that exist regarding this issue? What are the interests, rights, and values of all parties involved with the social issue?

What are some potential ethical dilemmas involved with the social issue?

How has the social issue developed? What are some possible causes?

Why is the social issue important to investigate?

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week's assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.

Required Resources

Note: To access this week's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Readings

Loeb, P. R. (2010). Soul of a citizen: Living with conviction in challenging times (rev. ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.
Chapter 3, "One Step at a Time" (pp. 64-81)
Chapter 4, "The Cynical Smirk" (pp. 82-104)
Gladwell, M. (2010). Small change. The New Yorker, 86(30), 42-49.

Copyright 1998 by History Today, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of History Today, Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Group Project Resources. Seminal.

Goldberg , R. A. (2010). The challenge of change: Social movements as non-state actors. Utah Law Review, (1), 65-79. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Ling, P . (1998). Martin Luther King's half-forgotten dream. History Today, 48(4), 17-22. Copyright 1998 by History Today, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of History Today, Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Group Project Resources. Seminal.