Op-Ed: Multi-Solution Approach to Tackling Police Brutality in America

Op-Ed: An op-ed is an opinion piece where you take a position and communicate it to a wide
audience. Op-Eds should be around 600 words, although this depends on the particular
newspaper. You should read op-ed articles in The New York Times, the Washington Post, as well
as on op-ed sites on the Internet, such as www(dot)opednews(dot)com to get a feel for what an op-ed is
like.
While “Anything can be an Op-Ed,” for this assignment, you are to write an opinion essay
related to your fact sheet.
i will attach the syllabus, the fact sheet and sample op-ed the professor gave us, please read those carefully before you start writing.

COURSE DESCRIPTION Social Welfare Programs & Policies I is a required course of the professional foundation year in the MSW program, and prepares students for concentrated study in a specific policy area undertaken in the advanced concentration year. Woven through the course are four theoretical frameworks that underlie social work education at NYU Silver – critical race theory, standpoint theory, social justice, and intersectionality – and how these frameworks can be used to understand the development and practice of public policy. The course also focuses on the interplay between values, and political and economic structures, and how these affect social welfare policy development, and create or limit access and availability to social welfare services and benefits. Students will learn about the major social policies and programs that affect people’s well-being or quality of life and various aspects of social service delivery; understand the ways in which direct social work practice enacts social policies and is shaped by them; and develop beginning expertise in understanding social policy content, policy actions of agencies, professional associations, and political bodies, and the skills needed to influence social policy. The course will help students to acquire the following values, competencies, skills, and practice behaviors: Values 1. Promote an understanding of racial equity and social justice, and how social services are shaped by dominant cultural values and norms, political structures, economic factors and by historical trends. 2. Promote an understanding of the purpose, organization and social control functions of social welfare agencies and how these organizations are influenced by political, regulatory and funding actions and by policy. 3. To enhance understanding of specific social issues e.g. poverty, mental illness, child welfare as complex phenomenon, various theories for explaining why these occur, societal trends influencing causal explanations and institutional structures contributing to the persistence of these issues in a nation of affluence. 4. To enhance an understanding of the process of policy development, enactment, implementation, and for engaging in advocacy and political action to promote social justice. 2 Knowledge 1. Knowledge of the four theoretical frameworks listed above, and interpreting and applying these frameworks as reflected in policy and practice 2. Knowledge of the relationship between the American social welfare system in relationship to the values, political ideologies, economic factors and historical trends that have shaped contemporary American policies and programs 3. Knowledge of the organizational auspice of social agencies (governmental, voluntary, for-profit) and of how funding and regulatory bodies impact on the availability, provision and delivery of health and human services and an understanding of the social control function of social welfare. 4. Knowledge of the basic social welfare policies in selected areas such as poverty, food assistance and welfare; housing and community development; work and employment; child welfare; health and mental health; family care and aging. 5. Knowledge of the historical trends that influenced the development of the social work profession, the historic mission of social work and current dilemmas relative to historic mission and contemporary professional trends. 6. Knowledge of actions to promote policy development and social change. Skills 1. Beginning skills is assessing agency policy and practice and their impact on client, communities, and in advocacy of change. 2. Beginning skills in understanding the policy development process and its impact on social welfare programs on local, state, and national levels. 3. Beginning skills in utilizing a variety of research data gathering techniques (e.g. Literature reviews, policy analysis, interviews) to assess policy proposals. 4. Beginning skills in understanding approaches to political and social actions (e.g. establishing an action agenda, identifying possible collaborators, and establishing strategies). Behaviors 1. As students engage in providing social work services they will be cognizant of the impact of policy on the services they provide. 2. Students will seek to become aware of, and involved in, the advocacy activities that occur through the profession, at agencies, or in the community. 3. Students will become cognizant of how social work services are shaped by policy. Competencies The course will help students to acquire the following competencies: 1. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services (2.1.8). Social work practitioners understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know the history and current structures of social policies and services; the role of policy in service delivery; and the role of practice in policy development. Social workers have knowledge of the basic social welfare policies in areas such as 3 poverty, food assistance and welfare; housing and community development; work and employment; child welfare; health and mental health; family care and aging. 2. Respond to contexts that shape practice (2.1.9). Social workers are informed, resourceful, and proactive in responding to evolving organizational, community, and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers recognize that the context of practice is dynamic, and use of knowledge and skill to respond proactively. Social workers understand the dynamic processes of advocacy, policy development, bill tracking, legislation, regulation writing, implementation, and evaluating through research-informed policy analysis. 3. Advance human rights and social and economic justice (2.1.5). Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the global interconnection of oppression and are knowledgeable about theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work incorporates social justice practices in organizations, institutes, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice. Social workers combine knowledge of human needs with human rights and social justice principles to prepare for and engage in policy practice roles that advance social and economic justice. 4. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments (2.1.3). Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. They use critical thinking augmented by creativity and curiosity. Critical thinking also requires the synthesis and communication of relevant information. Social workers think critically about the manner in which social policies serve to reinforce oppression and marginalize people and communities, or provide support and opportunities for people and communities. 5. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly (2.1.1). Social workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its core values. They know the profession's history. Social workers commit themselves to the profession's enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth. Social workers know the history of social welfare and the role of the profession in advocacy and policy making. They identify as a professional social worker with competence in research-informed policy analysis and policy practice. COURSE MATERIALS Required Book Segal, E. A. (2015). Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs: A Values Perspective (4th ed). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Required Readings All other required journal articles and book chapters will be available via NYU Classes; books will be on reserve in the library or the library has an electronic copy. 4 Students are required to get most current policy issues, debates and/or updates from the media, including news and policy discussions and/or by following important social policy blogs. See NYU Classes for links to news and media. Students are encouraged to use web-based resources and learn from policy organizations (aka “think tanks”) and their work. For additional readings, there are a large amount of texts and classic readings students can choose. See the Appendix for the information. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING Assignments/Requirements Points Due Date Weekly Assignments/Participation 10 on-going Short Paper 15 sign-up for date Policy Project Fact-Sheet 15 9/28 Op-ed 15 11/2 Brief 35 12/21 Presentation 10 sign-up for date Total Points 100 1. Weekly Assignments & Participation: You are required to read all readings prior to coming to class. Students are also encouraged to read any additional reading, particularly those which apply to areas of interest or practice. The instructor encourages participation by every student. The criteria for good class participation include being attentive in class and participating in class discussions in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Class participation should reflect timely and thoughtful completion of assigned readings and tasks as well as respect for the ideas and opinions of your classmates. Class participation will be assessed as part of the evaluation of student learning in the course. 2. Short Paper: The purpose of the Short Paper assignment is to help students learn to critically evaluate and present social policy readings. The short paper should be a maximum of 4 double spaced pages, and is due on the day we cover that topic in class. The short paper should include two sections: Summary. This includes at the introductory level being able to succinctly summarize the important ideas and at a more advanced level to assess the merits and logic of those ideas. This is a difficult skill, but a very useful and important one, that we hope you will hone over the course of the semester. Step back and think about what are the key ideas that emerge from the reading(s). If there is more than one assigned reading, or more than one chapters, think about and describe what you learned from all of them collectively first (in a paragraph), and then highlight the unique contributions of each one, respectively. Focus on the big picture – not each and every detail. Limit the entire summary to no more than 2 - 2 ½ pages. Critique. Think critically about the ideas in the reading(s) as opposed to how you feel about what the authors say, the style or structure of their writing, and whether it is “interesting.” Is the thinking 5 in the reading(s) logical and reasonable? Why or why not? What are the strengths of the arguments? Where do you see flaws, weaknesses or aspects that are not convincing? What would be a better way to think about the issue or topic? What is lacking or overlooked? What are your own innovative and well-reasoned ideas about the issue or topic at hand? If there is more than one reading, either evaluate the readings as a whole or critique each one individually. Not every reading should be expected to cover everything…. that’s the reason why multiple readings are assigned to address various facets of a given topic. If you chose to critique the reading as a whole, compare and contrast the authors’ ideas… how are they similar or different? You do not have to answer all of the questions in this paragraph. These are designed to help you think about how to constructively and thoughtfully interact with the ideas the author(s) present. Focus in on 1 or at most 2 ideas. This part of the paper should not exceed 1 ½ - 2 pages. 3. Fact Sheet: A fact sheet is a brief document, no more than 2 pages long, that presents succinctly a policy problem and suggests a solution. The audience for this, and other deliverables, is a policymaker, who may be an elected official, a senior administrator in a state or county agency, a staffer to an elected member, or some other individual in the private sector with significant decision-making authority. It is important that you identify a problem, to which you can propose solutions. Do not analyze an existing policy — your task is to identify a problem, see if it has a policy solution, and advance that policy solution in your deliverable. The fact sheet should include two sections: The problem. To identify the problem and then propose solutions, you need to consider: what is the nature of the situation or condition? How are the terms being defined? What is the scale and distribution of the condition? What social values are being threatened by the existence of the problem? How widely is the condition recognized? Who defines the condition as a problem? What is the cause of the problem? Are race, gender and immigration status the concern? Keep this in mind: the policymaker who read your fact sheet should be able to make a clear case for or against your identified problem. You might manage the problem by narrowing down to specific location or population. The solutions. To propose solutions, you might be benefited from knowing: Is there a policy responding to the problem? How are the existing policies doing? What other nations/states/cities do? What is the need of groups of people being concerned? What are pros and cons of an existing or alternative policy? You don’t need to provide such information in the writing; but the information will help you propose solutions. Keep this in mind: the policymaker would be interested in solutions that are clear, specific, and tangible. 4. Op-Ed: An op-ed is an opinion piece where you take a position and communicate it to a wide audience. Op-Eds should be around 600 words, although this depends on the particular newspaper. You should read op-ed articles in The New York Times, the Washington Post, as well as on op-ed sites on the Internet, such as www.opednews.com to get a feel for what an op-ed is like. While “Anything can be an Op-Ed,” for this assignment, you are to write an opinion essay related to your fact sheet. 5. Policy Brief: A policy brief is a 4-5 page elaboration of the problem and solutions highlighted in your fact sheet. It is important for you to write your briefs as an answer to the question, “What 6 do you want me to do?” Do not begin your brief with a review of the literature. Busy policymakers do not have the time to read a lengthy Background section, and are probably well acquainted with the problem you have discovered, so you will want to focus much of your attention on the solutions you are proposing. The efficient thing for you to do is to develop your fact sheet into your policy brief. Examples for Policy Brief, Op-Ed and Fact Sheet, including the NYU Silver design template, which you are required to use, are available at NYU Classes. When scoring is used, following the table below is suggested: Point Total Letter Grade Point Total Letter Grade 100 - 95 A 84 - 80 B 94 - 90 A- 79 - 70 B- 89 - 85 B+ 69 - 60 C Grades below a C are calculated as an ‘F’ for graduate students. Policy on late assignments and incomplete grades Late Assignments: Students are expected to complete all course assignments on time. Acceptance of late assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. Incomplete Grades: Students who are unable to complete all of the assignments for a course by the time the course has ended must request an incomplete grade from the instructor by submitting a Request for Incomplete Grade form. The form is contained in Appendix J of the MSW Student Manual on your Google Drive. The instructor is under no obligation to grant a request for an incomplete grade. If the instructor grants the request for an incomplete, the student will receive a grade of IP (Incomplete Pass) or IF (Incomplete Fail) as determined by the instructor. If the student does not submit a request for an incomplete or if the instructor denies the request, the student will receive a grade of N (no credit) or F (Fail) as determined by the instructor. Under no circumstances will the instructor delay the submission of grades to accommodate a late assignment from a student. It is the obligation of the student who has received a grade of IP or IF for a course to fulfill the requirements agreed to in the Request for Incomplete Grade form. Once the requirements are fulfilled, the instructor will issue a change of grade for the student. Students who do not fulfill the agreed upon requirements of the incomplete grade will have their grades automatically convert at the end of one semester in the following manner: an IP will convert to an N (No credit) and an IF will convert to an F (Fail). OTHER COURSE POLICIES Expectations Regarding Professionalism and Attendance NYU Silver is a professional school, and students are required to maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times. This includes demeanor, modes of interaction with peers and instructors, and participation in class activities. Unless you notify me otherwise, I will expect you to attend all classes. It is your responsibility to make up for missed material. To make up for missed classes, you may be required to do additional work. 7 Course Evaluations You will be asked to complete a formal online evaluation of the course at semester’s end, consistent with the policy of the NYU Silver School of Social Work, and feedback is encouraged throughout the semester. Faculty Adherences and Special Accommodations All instructors adhere to University and School policies regarding accommodations for students with disabilities, religious holidays, incomplete grades, and plagiarism. Students requesting reasonable classroom and/or field placement accommodations due to disability must register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities. You can start the process by clicking the New Student Registration button on the Moses Center website’s landing page. Students requiring services are strongly encouraged to register prior to the upcoming semester or as early as possible during the semester to ensure timely implementation of approved accommodations. Disability Specialists are available at the Moses Center for consultation upon request. Use of Electronic Devices In order to be mindful of, and be present with, each other, smartphone use is prohibited in class. Laptops may only be used for notetaking, and only with the prior permission of the instructor. Students with an approved accommodation from the Moses Center are exempt from these rules. Policy on Audio and Video Recording of Classes Audio and video recording of classes is prohibited without written consent of the instructor. Instructors may but are not required to seek the permission of other members of the class before providing consent. Permission to record will be at the sole discretion of the instructor except in cases in which recording is an approved accommodation from the Moses Center, for which permission to record shall be determined as part of an interactive process between the instructor, the student, and the Moses Center. When the instructor's permission is granted, students must sign the Audio and Video Recording Agreement form, which indicates their agreement to abide by the principles delineated on the form. Violation of the principles having to do with audio and video recording of class sessions may result in disciplinary action. Policy on Technology Use Students are expected to be present and actively engaged in class instead of being with their laptop or phone. It is not allowed to use laptops, iPads and phones or any other electronic tools in the class unless a student need a special accommodation. Please contact professor if you must be available via cell phone for critical reasons. Use of electronic tools will impact the participation grade.