Journal Article Reflection Paper

Violence against women is a human rights and social justice issue that calls for social policy interventions. Nevertheless, contesting violence against women has been disproportionately addressed throughout the world. To examine how and why these variations in response efforts exist in different environmental contexts, policy researchers have studied the factors most likely to lead to government interventions and social policy changes to combat this social problem. Notably, policy research has aided in identifying how social policy development is often initiated. It also has explored the impact of individuals’ engagement in social action. For this Journal Article Reflection paper, you will reflect on the variables that can influence social welfare policy development, examine the policy research process, and consider how cultural ideologies and social movements can alter policy interventions. You will begin by reading the peer-reviewed academic journal article, “The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005”, along with chapters 3–5 in the text. You will then summarize the main findings of this research article in two double-spaced pages and reflect on what you read in two pages double-spaced pages. Your paper should be a total of four full pages of content (excluding title and reference page). In your reflection paper, you should: Apply some of the related social policy concepts you have learned about in the text, describing how the journal article connects to the course. Point out the methodological and theoretical strengths and/or weaknesses you can identify in the research article using terms and ideas related to policy analysis from your textbook and the journal article. Describe and explain how research methods can be used to investigate social policies in general and policies related to violence against women, in particular. Focus on how this article relates to your understanding of social policy research and the conceptual foundations of social welfare policy. Evaluate how demographic categories, like gender, are associated with social policy development. Outline the ways organizations and groups can play a role in implementing advocacy efforts that influence social policies. You will create one discussion question and place this question at the end of page four in your reflection paper. Your discussion question can be general in nature, for example, a basic question about a topic in the article that stood out to you. Or, you can ask a question that connects the article's subject to current events or something else you have read about in this course or another Human Services-related course. Students will receive feedback in the comments section. The feedback will be based on the grading rubric for this assignment.