This assignment encourages you to identify a human rights and/or social justice topic that is of interest to you and to build a policy-oriented paper. This option allows a more ‘real world’ application of concepts from class applied to a relevant policy issue. You will review existing laws, policies, and scholarship to learn more about a human rights/social justice topic, This assignment tasks you with applying concepts and approaches from social justice and human rights to the arguments, language, evidence, etc. of current US or global issues. This policy-relevant paper option tasks you with 1) identifying an existing ‘problem’ in US or global politics. And 2) offering possible solutions. The writing will be geared towards a specific policymaker/organization and be motivated by applying academic concepts and knowledge to a real-world problem.
Requirements
· Read, summarize key findings, and properly cite 7-10 policy and academic sources.
· Connect in relevant class materials including concepts, cases, readings, etc.
· The paper should answer/address the below questions.
o Who/what organizations/ bodies are your audiences for this policy memo?
o What is the policy-related problem you identify? Who is it a problem for (impacted groups)
o What existing policies, if any, have been created to solve the problem?
§ Have they been effective? How/how not?
o What conclusions have you drawn from the information gathered?
o What are the inadequacies and/or biases of the sources you used?
o What is a policy solution you have to the identified problem?
o What evidence could support this policy solution as being an effective one?
o What would you need to get your solution enacted?
Recommended paper structure: Policy
Introduction to the Problem
Make clear who/what organization
you are sending this policy plan to.
Description and significance of the problem you are examining.
Could bring in some concepts from class here as to why the issue is significant in terms of social justice and human rights
Evidence of the scope of the issue and problem.
Policy Review
Discuss and review what standing policies (in the US and/or Global depending on your issue) exist. What is their scope? This is where you bring in some of the 7-10 sources.
What were the main themes? Main findings? Where there overlaps in how this policy problem has been handled in the past?
Weaknesses of existing policies
What was overlooked? Are relevant aspects of the problem not being addressed? Make sure to reiterate here why it is important to have a new/different policy solution here.
Recommendation for a Policy Solution
After reading up on the topic, what solution do you argue would help solve the problem?
How did the underlying factors contributing to the problem connect into your proposed solution?
Find at least 1 type of evidence that helps support your support your policy solution as a potentially effective one These could include:
· an interview you find with an expert in the area, victims, survivors, and others who work in this area
· data and numbers from UN reports, US reports, and other authoritative sources
· case and history information e.g. a historic background on your topic.
Counterarguments Against your Policy
Solution
What could groups, government actors, and others possibly find to criticize about your proposed solution?
Rebuttal: How could you respond to critics of your solution.
Implementation
What resources, coordination, and other factors would be needed to implement your proposed policy solution?
What time frame or cost could you estimate for the implementation (based on the other policies you reviewed)
