use the current research to report on some sociological issue and then articulate what they believe we can do to improve that issue in society.What is Research?Websites do not count as research. Anything .com will not work. .gov or .edu will not count towards the minimum requirement. This paper should include academic research journal articles. A minimum of 6 scholarly articles is required for the assignment. It is not research unless it includes an Abstract, Data, Method and Results Sections. If you have further questions about this please contact the professor. InstructionsPick a sociological issue that you find interesting that we have covered this semester and complete a research paper on it. Final Paper Instructions and Rubric
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to help students learn how to develop research and
problem solving skills. In other words, students will need to use the current research to report on
some sociological issue and then articulate what they believe we can do to improve that issue in
society.
What is Research?
Websites do not count as research. Anything .com will not work. .gov or .edu will not count
towards the minimum requirement. This paper should include academic research journal articles.
A minimum of 6 scholarly articles is required for the assignment. It is not research unless it
includes an Abstract, Data, Method and Results Sections. If you have further questions about this
please contact the professor.
Instructions
Pick a sociological issue that you find interesting that we have covered this semester and
complete a research paper on it.
Students should write a four to six page paper informing the reader about a sociological issue of
your choosing. Each paper should:
1. Use Headings: (such as Introduction and Conclusion, body paragraphs should include
meaningful heading that demonstrates what is to come).
2. Begin with an introduction that outlines the main points to be address in the paper,
including what topic you chose to research, your main thesis that points out the issue and
how you think it can be solved. This should only be a paragraph. Worth 20 Points of
total
3. The first half of the paper should clearly discuss the family issue you chose in detail. You
should use the research to show why you think this is a harmful issue for our society that
needs to be addressed. In other words, you should be showing how it impacts society not
simply that it exists, for example I might do a paper on birth in America and use the
research to show how America has the worst infant mortality rates among developed
countries, high maternal mortality rates and have a C-section rate that is too high. You
should use a minimum of 3 points to demonstrate your problem of concern.
4. Accurately citing your work will be very important. The paper should include in text
citations as well as a reference page. In text citations and a reference page are
mandatory and they must match. For example, 33% of births are C-Sections (Miller,
2014) and the full reference should be on its own page. View the example for help!!!
Use APA, ASA, or MLA, No cover page is required. Worth 40 points of total
5. The second half of your paper should discuss how you believe we can resolve this issue
as a country. Simply saying that people should just do better is not a useful solution.
The focus should be on how we can change our society to be better. For example,
continuing the example I used before. I might say that homebirth should be legalized in
all states and covered by insurance. The medical system should be set up to be more
mother centered by asking mothers about their overall well-being during doctor visits.
Birthing classes need to inform women of their rights and that they have full control over
their bodies. Worth 30 points of the total
6. End with a conclusion, summarize. You must have a conclusion. Worth 20 points of the
total
7. This is not an opinion paper so please leave out the monologues about what you think
about the topic, let the research speak for itself and let logic guide the solutions you come
up with. Worth 30 points of the total
Format
Each paper should begin with the student’s name and the title of the paper. Do not use a cover
page. Each paper should be typed and double spaced; the font size should be 12, Times New
Roman; the paper should have one inch margins, and finally, pages should be numbered.
Quoting
Students normally ask how much of the paper should be direct quoting as opposed to their own
wording. The general rule is that quotes should be used only when the language is distinctive
enough to enhance the writers point or when paraphrasing would lessen the impact of the quoted
statement. Quotes should only contain those words necessary to make the writers point – don’t
over-quote. Using too many quotes suggests that the writer was merely pasting together passages
from the source without thoroughly understanding them. Since students are graded on their
understanding students may want to avoid quoting altogether. Papers that are string quoted will
receive a zero.
Flow
Each sentence in the paper should be well written and should make sense; each sentence should
be logically connected to the sentences around it, each paragraph to the paragraphs around it, and
each section to the sections around it, and all of them to the theme of the paper. In other words,
the paper should be easy to read and structured in such a manner that it guides the reader through
the logical steps of the paper’s format. One way to help guide the reader through these important
areas is divide the paper into paragraphs and to provide transition sentences or phases that inform
readers where the paper has gone and where it is going. These transitions indicate how sentences,
paragraphs, and sections logically fit together.
HELP!
If you need help, I am available to discuss your ideas. I do not read drafts through email so do
not send them to me. I will go over drafts during office hours. I am always available by phone
and/or email to talk.
Due Dates:
Review the syllabus
1
Children Impacted by Divorce
Introduction
In 2009, 55% of marriages in the United States of America ended in divorce (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2012). It is widely known that divorce is a life altering event. Even though divorce is a
decision often made by the adults in the relationship, the impact it has on the children is not often
taken into consideration. Children often take a tremendous bearing due to a divorce. The
emotional, behavioral, social, health, and academic status of children from divorced parents are
affected (Amato, 2010). The present paper will demonstrate how divorce impacts a child’s
behavior, health, and academic life and how all three factors can impact society if not addressed.
Lastly, this paper will display the importance of educating about cohabitation, incorporating
family life education in grade school, and using pre-marital therapy can help reduce divorce, and,
in return, it would reduce the consequences on society.
Behavioral
Divorce plays a role in altering a child’s behavioral and often it can be a second hand
effect from other areas that have been impacted. Children may display conduct problems,
hyperactivity, and peer problems due the mother’s depression symptoms (Jurma, 2015). The way
mothers handle their emotional status through the divorce can impact the child’s behavioral
output. The transition within the family status such as single-mother or step-father can increase
behavioral problems (as cited in Weaver, & Schofield, 2015). Research has shown that divorce
impacts the children’s behavioral output. These children may ted to act out to attain the attention
they desire and may begin to develop a habit. That habit can carry into adulthood in form of
crime. If the conduct problems are not addressed or corrected, then that can impact society by
increasing the crime rate.
2
Health
Family income is likely to decline after a divorce and parents with limited resources
generally experience greater stress and have less energy to devote to their children and the
children are more likely to have mental health difficulties (as cite in Weaver, & Schofield, 2015).
Depression may also arise due to a divorce as parents are more likely to provide less sensitive
care to their children (as cite in Weaver, & Schofield, 2015). As finances often take a hit in a
divorce, that can play a direct impact in the child’s health status given that the parents may not
be able to provide higher level of care. Developmental support such as cognitive and social
stimulation can decline given that the parents are distracted and distressed due to the divorce (as
cite in Weaver, & Schofield, 2015). The lack of support that children received from divorce
parents can lead to child abuse or neglect. For example, if parents are unable to provide proper
level of care impacting the child’s health status then the child can be brought up to authorities as
a neglected child. That would then begin to increase the number of children in the system and
possibly become a burden on the government. Not only would it create neglected children but
due to an untreated health related problem, the child may grow up to be unable to assimilate and
contribute to society.
Academic
The academic standing may begin to decline for children whose parents have been
divorced. According to Arkes (2015), children may fall behind academically and they may be
placed in lower level classes, which impact their ability to catch up due to the differences
between them and their peers. Divorce can change a family’s economic status by bringing a
family into poverty. Due to this change in economic status children are at higher risk for school
dropout (as cited in Strohschein, 2012). Children whose parents are divorced display a decline in
3
standardized test scores, a less likelihood of high school graduation and less likelihood in
furthering their education in adulthood (as cited in Sun, & Li, 2009). Divorce can impact the
children and their future, which, in return, affects society. Children not obtaining high school
diploma means that there are lower chances of college educated adults. That impacts society’s
level of communication, financial stability as a society, and crime rates.
Reducing of Divorce
In order to avoid the impact that divorce has on children which affects society we need to
find efforts to help reduce divorce. When marriages face hardships, it is essential to seek help
from a professional such as marriage and couple therapy. Understanding that therapy is not
always financially attainable for everyone, there are different ways of reducing divorce in a more
economical way. It is important that prior to a marriage, couples need to be educated about
relationship and what will come from marriage. Bringing insight and knowledge prior to the
commitment of marriage is vital in reducing divorce. I believe educating couples about
cohabitation and how it increases the risk of divorce is a great way to reduce divorce. Secondly,
we need to target young adults in high school and provide family life education so they bring
some knowledge into a relationship as they get older. Lastly, pre-marital counseling is important
to help couples learn about each other and adapt skills that can develop a successful marriage.
Cohabitation
Society believes that cohabitation is the step taken prior to marriage to see if couples can
live together. Research disproves this myth by showing that cohabitation prior to marriage is a
risk factor for divorce (as cite in Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman 2009). Educating young adults
about the truth about cohabitation can help reduce pre-marital cohabitation, which, in return,
would help reduce divorce. Shedding the light on this topic and the truth about it is finically
4
capable. We can teach children about cohabitation in high school by intergrading it in family life
education. We can also help reach the community by advocating for marriages and running
campaigns on reducing divorce by teaching about cohabitation.
Family Life Education
Another way to reduce divorce is by offering family life education in grade school.
According to Stahmann (2000), family life education programs are available in high school and
colleges as well as some community adult education programs. These programs are designed to
educate individuals about relationships and marriages (Stahmann, 2000). This should be a class
offered through high school just like sex educational classes. Providing young adults with
information they need to gain knowledge about relationships and marriage, can help reduce
divorce. This method is economical because the class would be included as part of the high
school requirements rather than trying to require adult couples do therapy prior to their marriage.
Pre-marital counseling
Pre-marital counseling can be defined as the process intended to enhance and enrich
relationships prior to marriage, with the goal to reduce divorce and increase marriage satisfaction
(Stahmann, 2000). Pre-marital counseling is often recommended for partners prior to committing
themselves to each other. Pre-martial counseling aims to bring insight to the couple about each
other, their families, and imparts skills needed to sustain a successful marriage (Joseph, &
Subhashini, 2012). Pre-marital counseling should be recommended at the time couples inquire
about marriage. Not everyone can afford to pay for counseling, therefore there should be a
program that allow does group counseling. Just like maternity classes, pre-martial counseling
should adopted a similar format to be able to reach a greater number of the population by making
it economical.
5
Conclusion
Research has demonstrated the impact that divorce has on children. Children’s behavior,
health, and academic standing take a toll when parents are divorced. Most importantly, divorce
has a secondary effect on society. Children form an important part of society, and if their lives
are altered because of divorce, society pays for that consequences. It is vital that measures are
taken prior to marriage to help reduce divorce. Divorce can be reduced by reducing cohabitation,
education young adults about family life, and lastly, encouraging pre-marital therapy. All three
factors can help reduce divorce, which, in return, helps avoid negative consequences on society.
6
References
Amato, P. R. (2010). Research on divorce: Continuing trends and new developments. Journal of
Marriage & Family, 72(3), 650-666. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00723.x
Arkes, J. (2015). The temporal effects of divorces and separations on children’s academic
achievement and problem behavior. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 56(1), 25-42.
doi:10.1080/10502556.2014.972204
Joseph, & Subhashini, (2012). Pre-marital counselling: Functions of sustaining marital
life. Rajagiri Journal of Social Development, 4(1), 5-10.
Jurma, A. M. (2015). Impact of divorce and mother’s psychological well-being on children’s
emotional, behavioral, and social competences. Revista De Cercetare Si Interventie
Sociala, 4869-82.
Meggiolaro, S., & Ongaro, F. (2014). Family contexts and adolescents’ emotional status. Journal
of Youth Studies, 17(10), 1306-1329. doi:10.1080/13676261.2014.918246
Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). The Pre-Engagement Cohabitation
Effect: A Replication and Extension of Previous Findings. Journal of Family
Psychology, 23(1), 107-111.
Stahmann, R. F. (2000). Premarital counselling: a focus for family therapy. Journal of Family
Therapy, 22(1), 104.
Strohschein, L. (2012). Parental divorce and child mental health: Accounting for predisruption
differences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(6), 489-502.
doi:10.1080/10502556.2012.682903
Sun, Y., & Li, Y. (2009). Postdivorce family stability and changes in adolescents’ academic
performance. Journal of Family Issues, 30(11), 1527-1555.
7
U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Births, deaths, marriages, and divorces.
Weaver, J. M., & Schofield, T. J. (2015). Mediation and moderation of divorce effects on
children’s behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(1), 39-48.
doi:10.1037/fam0000043