As GenAI tools become more prevalent, it is more important than ever to be transparent with students about your own use of GenAI, including if you use it to grade their work. Lack of transparency in use of GenAI erodes trust between instructors and students in higher education (Luo 2024). Seek two-way transparency and openly affirm your commitment to a supportive learning environment.

Students must consent to having their original work uploaded to a GenAI tool for copyright and privacy reasons. If you plan to feed student work into GenAI tools, let students know in advance and offer the opportunity to opt out.

Tell students in your syllabus why you do or don’t use GenAI tools, and if you do, how you use them in support of student success. For example, if you used GenAI to create a rubric, but commit to actually scoring each assignment yourself, make this distinction clear to students. Some instructors choose to respond to student work with video or audio recordings specifically to increase the student sense of instructor presence in their learning efforts. Remember, your capacity to provide feedback on student work and to build meaningful relationships is irreplaceable.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King

What’s the purpose?

Community engagement is a powerful tool for bringing about positive social and community change. Ideally, we will immerse ourselves in a community organization of our choice. This assignment allows you to put what you are learning in our class into action. You will find a community organization that you want to explore in-depth and share with the class. The organization can be local, state-level, national, or international. You will want to pick an organization that you could see yourself working for in the future. This assignment has two goals: one is to learn about a community organization that is of interest to you. Second, to apply course materials and reflect as if you were working for the organization.

Moodle database

For this project, you will be using a function on Moodle called “database.” You will be able to edit your entry in the database throughout the quarter. This is a way to provide information in an accessible and easy format for every student to view in a structured way. It allows you all to share your learning and interests with others, while also commenting and giving each other feedback.

Learning objectives

This project will address several course learning objectives and departmental learning objectives.

1. You will have the opportunity to describe and explain the range of interactions and release options available to individuals diagnosed with mental disorders and mental health conditions within the criminal justice system. You’ll particularly focus on diverting these individuals from the criminal justice system for treatment by exploring organizations working to help with integration.
2. You will help develop and evaluate possible solutions that lead to well-grounded conclusions to improve the criminal justice system.
3. You will have the opportunity to employ critical thinking skills through a comprehensive exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or formulating an opinion by exploring different organizations.
4. You will have the opportunity to apply a combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference in the civic life of our communities.

Steps to the assignment

You will complete this project throughout the term with different steps completed each week. Steps 1-11 are submitted in the database activity link provided at the top of our course main page. Once you choose your organization, explore its website, perform an online search for any press releases on the organization, look up any data you can find about the organization, and conduct a thorough review of the organization. You’ll be sharing what you learn about the organization in the coming weeks.

Step 1: Organization

Enter the name of the organization you will explore.

Step 2: Mission and/or Goals

Paste a copy of the organization’s mission statement into this field, if available. What are its goals?

Step 3: Rationale

Why did you choose this organization? Be specific: do not just state “because it sounded interesting.”

Step 4: Services:

What does this organization do? What services do they offer?

Step 5: Clientele

Describe the primary clients for this organization. What population are they trying to serve?

Step 6: Structure

Is this organization private or public? For profit or non-profit? To select more than one option, hold the control or command key down while you click on it.

Step 7: Location

Where is the organization located?

Step 8: Community

Do a bit of research on the community this organization is in. What is the population? Does the community need an organization like this? Are there other organizations offering similar services? Is the level of service provided by the organization adequate for the amount of need in the community?

Step 9: Effectiveness

This is the opportunity for you to examine how effective you think this organization is. Do you want to invest more time and energy into working with this organization?

Step 10: Curiosity

What thoughts do you have after researching this organization? What are you still wondering? If you could sit down with people at the organization, what would you want to ask them?

Step 11: Website

Enter the organization’s URL in the field provided and type its name in the Text field below.

Step 12: Envisioning Yourself (completed in a journal on Moodle)

Envision yourself working for this organization. What position would interest you? What types of skills, degrees, or specialized knowledge would you need or would help you obtain this job? What would help you continue to be successful in the organization? What tools would you need to have in your toolbelt?

Step 13: Burnout and Vicarious Trauma (completed as a discussion board on Moodle)

Working in this field can lead to burnout and vicarious trauma, which happens when we work with people who experience trauma and we begin to take on their pain and trauma. In the forum, you will talk about strategies to avoid and minimize vicarious trauma and burnout. What are things you do now to keep emotionally healthy? What do you think you would have to do in the future if you were working in this area? How would you prioritize self-care? What connections could you form to help protect your mental health?

Criteria for success

This assignment includes several parts due at different points in the term. I will provide comments on each part as it is submitted and an individual grade on that component. Your overall grade for this project will be entered as complete or incomplete, based on your successful submission of each project component.

Please choose one of the following options. Be sure to reply to another person’s answer after you post your Reflection. Please cite your sources in line and at the end of your initial post for full credit.

Option 1: The social location of science

You might notice throughout Chapter 2 that we have added links for many of the social scientists that we reference in the chapter. You might also notice that some important people don’t have linked information. For this option, please find a video, blog, author website, slideshow, or other web material that describes the social scientist, their social location, and their contribution to sociology. Ideally, what you find should be short (about 5 minutes/5 pages) but of high quality. In your post, please share this link with your classmates and describe the following (in 150 to 200 words):

• Who is the social scientist?
• What are their social identities or social locations?
• What is their major contribution to the field of social problems?
• Within your answer, define at least one sociological word or concept. These terms are likely to refer to sociology, social theory, or research methods.

Option 2: Theory in practice

Find a news article or video that describes a current social problem. Focus on how the author describes WHY the social problem exists. Do you see any of the theories in this chapter being applied to explain the social problem?

Option 3: Theory and politics

Some people think that Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory encourage division. Others say that Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory are essential to understand existing injustice. What do you think? Be sure to describe the theory in your answer.

Option 4: Describe the data

For this exercise find a chart or graph that describes changes in trends, patterns, or demographics. You can use the sources from the world, from class, or from the book.

Please insert a picture or link to the chart or graph in your discussion post. For your picture or link to the chart or graph, please answer the following questions:

• What does this chart or graph describe?
• Who collected the data?
• What research method or methods did they use?
• How could this data be used to support opposite sides of the same argument?
• Within your answer, define at least one sociological word or concept. These terms are likely to refer to sociology, social theory, or research methods.

Option 5: Participatory action research

Based on the video Participatory Action Research with Shiran Haasan [Streaming Video] (viewing time 4:45):

1. What is participatory action research?
2. What are the benefits of this type of research? Who holds the “power” in this type of research?
3. When do we see the effects of participatory action research?
4. What are some ways that elements of this type of research are transferable to other settings? What examples does Shirah Haasan give?
5. Within your answer, define at least one sociological word or concept. These terms are likely to refer to sociology, social theory, or research methods.

Option 6: Indigenous frameworks

Review any of the following sources:

• Archaeology and genomics together with Indigenous knowledge revise the human-horse story in the American West [Website]
• No 42, Standing for Unči Maka (Grandmother Earth) and All Life: An Introduction to Lakota Traditional Science: Principles and Protocols and the Birth of a New Era of Scientific Collaboration [Website]
• Colorado Experience: Native Horses [Streaming Video] (Viewing time: 26:40)

1. What is unique about the Indigenous framework?
2. How can this framework help us understand social problems differently?
3. What are the benefits of weaving mainstream and Indigenous frameworks of science?

Criteria for success

This assignment is worth 15 points, including your initial illustration and post (150-200 words), and your response to another student. Please define and apply at least one sociological term or concept from Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 in your answer.

To receive full points, post a reply to another person’s answer (100-150 words). What made you think? What made you curious to know more? What did you resonate with? Your reply will say something more than “great answer” or “good job!”

Also, as good scientists, we cite our sources. Please remember to use parentheses in your text, like (Puttman 2024:3), AND add the complete citation at the end of your post.

To review the rubric used to grade your discussion posts, click the three dot menu in the upper right corner of the screen.

Purpose

This assignment gives students a chance to reflect on the information provided in the text, the class activity, and the film on intergenerational poverty. This should result in improved awareness of the impact of privilege and poverty on individuals.

Tasks

Please complete a 2-3 page response paper based on the questions below, including references to information from Chapter 5 of the text. This chapter assignment should be typed, double-spaced in a 12-point font. This assignment will be worth 20 points and needs to be uploaded before noon on Monday, November 4th. See rubric below for grading guidance. You do not need to include formal references.

1. Discuss your own identity in terms of culture, gender, and/or difference. How might your particular background influence your human service work? What might be some of the issues that will be challenging to deal with based on your own background? What can you do to help cope with these challenges? You can include information from the privilege walk activity if you wish.
2. Using examples from the film on intergenerational poverty and Chapter 5 of the text, what are some of the main issues that create and sustain generational poverty? Describe at least three interventions that you feel human service agencies could provide to help break the cycle of poverty.

Criteria for success

This assignment will be graded according to the following rubric:

Element	Well Developed	Somewhat Developed	Some Evidence of Element	Element Missing
Discussion of own your identity	4	3	2	0
Discussion of how your identity might impact your work	4	3	2	0
Clear discussion of causes of generational poverty, referring to information from the movie	4	3	2	0
Three poverty interventions discussed in detail	4	3	2	0
Writing is clear with correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure	4	3	2	0

Purpose

The goals of this weekly wonder are:

1. To make connections between your own definition of “family” and the various ways that “family” can be defined in the United States.
2. Demonstrate understanding of the difference between family form and family function.

Tasks

1. Describe how your definition of family is expanding or changing as the class begins. Say what has contributed to the expansion or shifting of your understanding of “family.”

1. Be specific; reference class conversations, lectures, slides, or other resources.

2. Discuss how your understanding of family form and family function contributes to your understanding of families.
3. Reflect on this topic. By “reflect” I mean that I want you to examine your own thinking in relation to this topic. Consider one of the following questions to help you reflect.

1. What helps you or gets in the way of your understanding of defining family?
2. How do your own social identities (e.g. your first language, your race, your ethnicity, your sex, your gender, your religion, your sexuality, etc.) influence your understanding of defining “family”?
3. How do your own experiences or observations relate to your understanding of the definition of “family”?

Criteria for success

• Your work is organized and includes both an introductory slide or paragraph as well as a concluding slide or paragraph.
• Your work reflects an emerging understanding of the topic.
• Your work includes examples.
• It is readable.
• Uses a Sans Serif 12 pt. Font for accessibility. Here’s a list of sans serif fonts [Website]. Arial, Verdana and Calibri are popular examples.
• Double space; no extra space between paragraphs (APA style).
• Length:
• Paper: 2 pages preferred (about 400 words); no more than 3 pages.
• Slideshow: Use this format if you would like to express your ideas with bulleted lists and/or images. Preferred length is 10-12 slides (about 300 words); no more than 14 slides.
• Art, music, video, poetry all accepted with a short (about 1 page) analysis that tells me how your expression shows what you have learned.
• Cite source(s), or evidence (using your preferred format: APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) If you are not familiar with any citation style, use APA [Website].
• Tip: Reread your Questionnaire One responses. They will help you with this assignment.

Resources

• Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens Chapter One: Social Constructions [Website]

• Social Construction [Streaming Video] (Viewing time: 11:08)
• Social Construction of Difference [Streaming Video] (Viewing time: 10:08)
• Where does the Nuclear Family Come From? [Streaming Video] (Viewing time: 8:43)
• U.S. Census Glossary of Terms [Website]