This assignment encourages you to identify a human rights and/or social justice topic that is of interest to you and to build a policy-oriented paper. This option allows a more ‘real world’ application of concepts from class applied to a relevant policy issue. You will review existing laws, policies, and scholarship to learn more about a human rights/social justice topic, This assignment tasks you with applying concepts and approaches from social justice and human rights to the arguments, language, evidence, etc. of current US or global issues. This policy-relevant paper option tasks you with 1) identifying an existing ‘problem’ in US or global politics. And 2) offering possible solutions. The writing will be geared towards a specific policymaker/organization and be motivated by applying academic concepts and knowledge to a real-world problem.
Requirements
· Write a 10-page (double-spaced) paper to turn in by April 22nd, 2021
o Concepts, arguments, theories, etc. from class must be properly cited in MLA, APA, Harvard or similar citation method.
· Read, summarize key findings, and properly cite 7-10 policy and academic sources.
· Connect in relevant class materials including concepts, cases, readings, etc.
· The paper should answer/address the below questions.
o Who/what organizations/ bodies are your audiences for this policy memo?
o What is the policy-related problem you identify? Who is it a problem for (impacted groups)
o What existing policies, if any, have been created to solve the problem?
§ Have they been effective? How/how not?
o What conclusions have you drawn from the information gathered?
o What are the inadequacies and/or biases of the sources you used?
o What is a policy solution you have to the identified problem?
o What evidence could support this policy solution as being an effective one?
o What would you need to get your solution enacted?
