A policy brief is a paper that identifies a problem and presents a recommendation for a policy that would effectively address the problem. It is a persuasive paper. You are making an argument, based on social science research evidence, for why a particular policy should be implemented. Since we are examining social inequality in this course, you will identify a real social problem in your community. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can examine the social science research on the topic. You also need to identify your audience: Who is best situation to effectively adopt your policy recommendations? Is it a local city council? A state legislator? U.S. House or Senate? A school board? In other words, are you proposing a local, state or federal level policy? Be sure to address your policy brief to someone who can help the proposed policies be implemented.
Your policy brief should include the following sections:
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(3pts)Address your policy brief to a particular individual (based on the above audience discussion). Provide their name, title and professional address. So, for example, you might address the brief like this:
To: Congressman Bill Foster,
11th Congressional District of Illinois, U.S. House of Representatives,
195 Springfield Avenue STE 102, Joliet, IL 60435
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(3pts) Title: A good title quickly communicates the contents of the brief in a memorable way. Entice the reader to keep reading!
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(9pts)Executive Summary: One concise paragraph that highlights the identified problem and the proposed policy action.
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(20pts)Problem Description: 1-2 pages that identify the problem and argues for the importance of addressing it. Include in this section at least 1 chart/graph or visual aid. And remember to cite all sources used within the text or the chart/graph, etc. The problem you identify must be related to something we have discussed or read in our course.
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(20pts)Policy Options: 3-4 pages identifying 3 potential policy options for addressing the problem. Be sure to identify the benefits and challenges of each option. These can be modifications of existing approaches or you can propose a completely new approach. Be sure to argue the pros and cons of each option.
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(15pts)Policy Recommendation: Choose one of the presented options and argue for why this is the approach to pursue. Remember, to be persuasive and use evidence to support your argument. (1-2 pages)
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(10pts) Sources: Provide a list of sources, properly formatted in APA, MLA, or ASA format. You should include a minimum of 3 sources from legitimate sources (i.e., not Wikipedia or random websites). These sources may be from legitimate news organizations, research centers or scholarly academic sources) We will discuss good sources in class. You may use relevant readings and materials presented in our course or identify your own sources.
The assignment is worth up to 100 points or 20 percent of your course grade. The Assignment will be graded based on the point breakdown above and on the following criteria:
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How well you followed the instructions for each section
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How clear and concise your writing is
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How well evidence is presented and used to support your policy recommendation
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How clear and useful your chart/graph/visual aid is
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Appropriate citation and properly formatted Sources section
Remember, the key to a good policy brief is clear, concise writing. You need to clearly state your argument and use evidence to back it up.
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