Crime in Homestead

Community Problem Paper

This is the first of three paper assignments that will contribute to your final grant writing assignment. One of the most important goals of writing a successful grant is making a clear and compelling argument that a problem exists and needs to be addressed. For your first paper, you are required to research a particular social problem that you plan to address in a specific community in South Florida. To make sure that you understand the problem locally, you must also do some background research that will help you understand the larger context of the problem.

Specific Requirements:

For your first paper assignment, you are to write a 2-3 page paper that:

1. Identifies a local community in South Florida;
2. Describes the population living in the community;
3. Identifies an issue/problem occurring within the community and provides evidence that of the problem’s existence;
4. Provides detail on the underlying causes of the problem and describes how stakeholders and institutions are affected by this problem. This will require academic research and/or application of theory. (e.g. systems theory, social learning theory, social exchange theory, conflict theories, social constructivism, inter organizational theory, motivational theory, feminist theory, critical race theory, critical disability theory, queer theory)

Your paper is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Please see Course Policies for policies regarding late assignments. Papers are to be double-spaced with standard 12point font (Times New Roman or Arial). You must use APA style to document sources used in your paper. Title pages (which is not required) and reference pages (required) do not count towards the page limit above.

Grading (Total of 50 points):