Highlighting Societal Problems Through Research Evidence


  • What topics do you enjoy researching? (For example, is there a particular societal problem that interests you?) Do you perform research in your work? What types of research have you performed?
  • Collecting national demographic data and analyzing it quantitatively helps us to see a broad picture of societal issues. Watch the video Is America Dreaming?: Understanding Social Mobility (Links to an external site.), which provides a visual depiction of the findings from Richard V. Reeves’ research project for the Brookings Institution, Saving Horatio Alger: Equality, Opportunity, and the American Dream. Answer the following prompts regarding the video:
    • What social issues are highlighted by the data evidence presented in the research?
    • What information presented in the video did you find most interesting?
    • How could the data evidence and the research as a whole be used to influence social and public policy?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required video, and properly cite any references.