Family Science Policy Impact Paper 5: Vulnerable Populations
This Family Science Policy Impact Paper (FSPIP) will focus on policies that affect vulnerable populations in the U.S. Your paper should be roughly 2.5 pages in length and should follow the template below.
Template to follow with subheadings.
Introduction (You must include the following headings)
“What’s the problem?” Here you will write a brief summation of the issue and how it impacts families. This should be no longer than a paragraph and should be informed by the content provided in Canvas as well as relevant outside research. APA-style citations should be included in-text to identify relevant source material.
Scope of the problem
“How big is the problem?” Here you will use the resources provided in the canvas modules and relevant outside research to describe the scope and impact of the issue on families (include statistics/number of people impacted). Particular attention should be paid to evidence of unequal or different impacts based on gender, race, SES, age, sexual orientation, family structure, or other relevant family demographics (Does this issue impact one group more than another?). This section should be at least one-half page in length and should include in-text citations for the source content.
Description of policy
“What is the policy that was implemented to fix the problem?” Using the information provided in Canvas and any relevant outside sources, you will identify (policy title) and describe a policy that aims to address the focal family issue. This section will be no more than one-half page and should include a brief description of the policy and its purpose, along with appropriate APA citations back to the relevant source material.
Evaluation of impact
“Did the policy work?” After reading information from provided sources and relevant outside source material write a brief (approx. 3/4th page) summary of the impact the identified policy (What did the policy do?) has had on the focal family issue. Citing relevant sources, using APA, you will describe how the policy has or has not impacted the family issue (the policy’s intended consequences or what it meant to do) as well as any unintended consequences (what side effects it may have had) that may have resulted from the policy’s implementation. As with the above sections, this portion should be primarily informed by research and should contain APA in-text citations for used source material.
Personal reaction
“How do I feel about it?” Having outlined the issue, relevant policy, and its impact, you will conclude your paper with a brief discussion of your own opinions on the issue and policy. You should describe your opinions considering the information included earlier in the paper and discuss how those opinions were or were not influenced by your research for this paper. As this is entirely based on opinion, there is no right or wrong answer for this section. Instead, points will be based on whether you have clearly articulated your opinion and how you arrived at it. This should be one-half page in length.
