Posted: February 21st, 2023

SOC 460: Poverty and Public Policy

Sociology
Topic: The subject is Gentrification and Displacement and how it has contributed to poverty in the U.S.

SOC 460: Poverty and Public Policy
Final Analytical Paper
Basic Assignment:
Write a 10+ page paper (not including references) examining a poverty-related issue and related public
policies. While your topic does not have to be directly related to poverty, your paper must focus on how that
problem and related policies affect people, families, and/or communities in poverty, The paper must use sources
from outside the course but should also engage course readings, concepts, and theories as appropriate.
First, you will choose an issue/problem that you care about and/or want to learn more about. Make sure to
narrow your topic down! Consider topics that have been exacerbated by the pandemic if you want to explore a
particularly timely problem! You will research the causes, consequences, and policy responses to the problem
you choose. Toward the end of your paper, address future directions—consider what policy solutions would be
most effective at addressing the problem. Here—as elsewhere in the paper—you must back up your assertions
with evidence.
Sources: a MINIMUM of 10 scholarly sources are required. At least 5 must be peer reviewed. Note: You may
need to use non-scholarly sources as well—such as newspaper articles—for the policy analysis. That’s ok, but
they do not count toward the 10 scholarly sources. Up to three of your 10 scholarly sources may be from the
syllabus. (You may also use additional sources from the course; they just won’t count toward your 10.) We will
discuss types of sources in class.
Paper Organization:
Introduction (approximately 1-1.5 pgs.). Provide some initial background information about your topic and why
it is important and related to poverty. Then state your thesis, which should go beyond an obvious statement, and
should engage concepts and theories from class.
Causes and Consequences (about ½ of the paper, in most cases). Discuss the scholarly research behind the
problem at hand. What is the scope of the problem? What has caused it? Why should we care about it? What are
the consequences of the problem for poor people and communities? If your topic is not inherently related to
poverty, you will need to establish the connection. So, if you are looking at the criminal justice system, you
would need to show how mass incarceration, etc. is caused by and/or causes (or otherwise impacts) poverty or
people in poverty. Convince me that this issue is relevant to the class.
The Current Policy Landscape (2+ pgs.) Explain and evaluate the effectiveness of the current policies designed
to address the problem your paper examines. The strongest papers will also address the ideological
underpinnings or cultural assumptions of current policies!
Future Directions (2+ pgs.) This section can precede a conclusion or can be an extended conclusion on its own
(2 pages or so). Based on research (and including citations of that research!), what should be done to address the
problem you have been researching? What policies should be implemented—or which of our current policies
should we keep and reform or bolster?
References. All sources used must be listed in the reference list. Peer reviewed sources should be marked as
such. ASA citation guidelines are posted on Beachboard and must be used by Sociology majors. Majors from
other departments may use APA if they prefer. See resources on Beachboard

Check Price Discount

Study Notes & Homework Samples: Resources and references | Human Resource Management homework help »psy 605 asswk2