Four times during the term, you will be asked to respond to a question, do some research, and post in a separate thread your findings and sources. These will be assigned in ‘off’ weeks (where you do not have a quiz due, so end of weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9). You can see the topics and due dates in the course calendar on the course website. The topics represent important topics for anyone in the field of social welfare: 1) How public tax revenue is spent (and how much supports public assistance programs); 2) What causes homelessness (a loaded question, to be sure); 3) Social welfare, children, and transitions into adulthood; 4) Understanding Social Security and what elders are facing with an aging population and pressure to reduce benefits and ‘reform’ the system. I will post some readings, but that’s just a sample—you will want to do your own research, but you will want to ensure you are using sources from those knowledgeable and credible, working in the field.

So there are two parts to these assignments: a discussion thread, and a separate response you will submit as the discussion closes. In other words, your response should ideally be based on your own research, and what you’ve learned from others’ research in discussion threads. The discussion threads will be graded based on your effort and engagement, and the response on your ability to summarize your thoughts—in a maximum of two pages, double-spaced. You can use the discussion to learn and share ideas–this is not a competition, but more of a collaboration. But you will do your own work on the submission.

The discussion portion is worth 5 points, and the response 15 (a submission link in Canvas).

80 points possible, four assignments, each worth 20 points (5 for participating in class-based discussion, 15 for submitting your work that responds to the prompt/question.