How does your assigned theory help you better understand social policy? (I encourage you to select a particular policy that is of interest to you with regards to your social problem interests, and write your response in regard to that.) How does the theory that you were assigned complement, contradict, and/or reinforce your understanding of policy?

Assignment Question

How a Bill Becomes a Law Assignment Overview In this section, we learn about the U.S. government, its three branches, political ideologies, and how policies and laws are created. Knowing this background information will help you better understand the complexities of the government’s role in creating policy and identifying ways that, as a social worker, you can actively participate in and influence the policy process. Furthermore, a better understanding may also help you connect macro policies with implications for clients and the communities we serve on a micro-level. Grades for this assignment are based on the hyperlinked discussion rubric. Watch this 7-minute ‘Crash Course’ PBS video on “How a Bill Becomes a Law” While watching, take a few notes on what you deem most important as well as any questions that arise. Second, write a one-sentence (max) summary of the episode. Then, define these terms in your own words: Bill, law, legislative process, override, death of a bill, and vetogates. Submit your response to this assignment. References Lane, S., Palley, E. & Shdaimah, C. (2020) Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World. NY: Sage Press.

Chapter 2: How policy is created and influenced (pp. 21-46). Pritzker, S. & Garza, G. (2017). Promoting election-related policy practice among social work students. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(4), 434-447. Second part of the post The purpose of this forum is to individually and critically engage in dialogue regarding the various theoretical perspectives discussed in Chapter 3 in your Lane, Palley, and Shdaimah textbook. In this discussion, half of you are randomly assigned to one of the theoretical perspectives discussed in Chapter 3. It is your job to create an initial post following the prompts below. The other half of you need to select two initial posts and critique them (following the prompts below). Remember, this is never an attack on the person but rather, use this discussion forum to facilitate an intellectual discussion of the theoretical frameworks we use in social work when analyzing policies. \ You will be graded based on the rubric found in Discussion Rubric. How does your assigned theory help you better understand social policy? (I encourage you to select a particular policy that is of interest to you with regards to your social problem interests, and write your response in regard to that.) How does the theory that you were assigned complement, contradict, and/or reinforce your understanding of policy? To what extent is your assigned theory compatible with social work values?

References Lane, S., Palley, E. & Shdaimah, C. (2020) Social Policy in a Changing World. NY: Sage Press. Chapter 3: Practical theories for understanding and analyzing policy (pp. 47 – 61) [MUST BE PURCHASED] Holosko, M. and Au, E. (1996). Social and public policy analysis: A niche for social work practice. Journal of Health and Social Policy, 73(3), 65-73. (Review from Week 1): Zastrow, C. (2000). The sociology of social problems in Social problems: issues and solutions. (pp. 2-6) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (Review from Week 1): University of Minnesota Libraries: What is a social problem? https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/1-1-what-is-a-social-problem/