2 pages in 2 hours and than next 2 pages in 2-3 hours.
You must prepare in advance an Optional Reading Report (ORR) and Discussion Question (DQ). The ORR and DQ should not be more than two single-space pages.
The ORR is the first component of this assignment. It must be based upon an Optional Reading of your choice that is selected from the syllabus (not a Required Reading). Eligible optional readings appear on the syllabus without an asterisk. The ORR must be based on a journal article or book chapter from the professional literature. It cannot be based on a newspaper article (such as the New York Times) or any article from a popular magazine. You need not read more than 20 pages for this assignment. You may be asked to provide a five-minute summary of your ORR in class.
The ORR should provide a brief summary and critical analysis of the article or chapter that you have read. Be sure to employ the following format. Number each part of your report exactly as follows (that is, number your answers, respectively, as I, II, III, IV, V and VI):
I. Your name and section of T6603
II. Title and full citation for the Optional Reading you selected.
III. Brief summary of the main theses and/or findings of the reading.
IV. Your assessment of the main strengths of the reading. Do not reiterate here any of your answers to number III above.
V. Your assessment of the main weaknesses, deficits or oversights of the reading.
VI. Your specific suggestions and recommendations to the author(s) about ways to make the reading more useful for social work professionals.
The ORR for #1: (2 pages)
Mass Incarceration: Race, Poverty, Discrimination and Inequality
– Social and geographic patterns
– Reciprocal and interactive effects
– Race, poverty, discrimination and inequality
– Families, schools, peers and communities
ARTICLE:
(2007) E.R. Cabaniss, J.M. Frabutt, M.H. Kendrick and M.B. Arbuckle, “Reducing disproportionate minority contact in the juvenile justice system: Promising practices”, Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, pp. 393-401.
The ORR #2 (2 pages)
Mass Incarceration: Reentry, Reintegration and After Care
– Reentry
– Reintegration
– Community corrections
– Challenges and innovations
ARTICLE
(2010) L.S. Abrams and S.M. Snyder, “Youth offender reentry: Models for intervention and directions for future inquiry”, Children and Youth Services Review, 32, pp. 1787-1795.
The DQ is the second component of this assignment. It must be based upon any one of the Required Readings for the same class session. Employ the following format and number each part of your DQ exactly as follows.
VII. Title and full citation for the reading that you selected.
VIII. Based upon the Required Reading that you selected, pose a single brief question (not two or more questions!) that you think will be of interest to the class. It should cogently highlight an issue, ambiguity, controversy, oversight or neglected consideration pertinent to the selected reading.
Part 2:
The DQ cannot be based upon an article or editorial from a newspaper or popular magazine. If and when your DQ is selected for class discussion it likely will be for one or more of the following reasons: (1) you have identified an issue that is likely to be of particular interest and/or concern to fellow classmates; (2) your DQ highlights a problem, inconsistency or error on the part of the presumptive “expert(s)” who authored the reading; (3) your DQ sheds new light or perspective on the topic at hand; (4) your DQ is of particular relevance for social work practice.
Especially strong Discussion Questions are likely to exhibit at least several of the following characteristics:
Pertains clearly and directly to the particular Required Reading that was selected.
Clarity of presentation.
Utility for improving comprehension or application of the selected reading.
Relevance for social work.
No “Aunt Fanny” Discussion Questions.
DQ #1
*(2013) National Research Council, Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach. Committee on Assessing Juvenile Justice Reform. Richard J. Bonnie, Robert L. Johnson, Betty M. Chemers and Julie A. Schuck (eds.) Committee on Law and Justice, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Read “Explaining racial disparities”, pp. 223-234 only.
DQ#2
*(2011) S.J. Listwan, F.T. Cullen and E.J. Latessa, “How to prevent prisoner reentry programs from failing: Insights from evidence-based corrections”. Pp. 303-313 in Edward J. Latessa and Alexander M. Holsinger (eds.), Correctional Contexts: Contemporary and Classical Readings. (4th ed.), NY: Oxford University Press.