The purpose of this assignment is two-fold:

1. To examine different theories of mass communication
2. To analyse media (news articles, advertisements, new media) using mass communication theories.

A theoretical foundation of mass communication is essential for media literacy. There have been many theories proposed by scholars that attempt to explain the relationship between media and its audience. This assignment aims to broaden your understanding of the theoretical approach to understanding media.

To complete this assignment:

• Carefully review the theories described here. (Links to an external site.)

https://masscommtheory.com

Read Chapters 9 and 11 of your textbook, paying close attention to theories of media consumption.

The Assignment

Write a 500-600 word essay describing the media theory of your choice AND use this theory to analyze a piece of media. You can choose any theory from the list provided in the hyperlink above. You will need to do additional research on your theory. Provide at least two additional references that support your essay. These references must be from academic sources (FIU library, academic websites, journals). Please use APA citation for your references.

In your essay you should aim to complete the following:

• Describe the theory you have selected for this assignment:
  • Who created it?
  • When was it created/proposed?
  • Has it been improved/changed over time?
  • Has it been discredited?
  • Are there theories that contradict/compliment it?
• Analyze any media of your choice using the theory you have selected:
  • Your media can be one of the following:
    a newspaper article
    an advertisement
    a  social media post
    a magazine article.
  • You will need to critically analyze the piece – break it down using the theory of your choice and show the relationship between the media and its intended impact on its audience.
• How is theory demonstrated in the piece?
• Is it informative?
• Is it persuasive?
• Is there a subliminal message?
• Provide a link to the piece of media, such as:
  • Hyperlink
  • PDF
  • Document
• Provide a reference page including:
  • Provide at least two additional references that support your essay. These references must be from academic sources (FIU library, academic websites, journals). Please use APA citation for your references.

Specific skills and knowledge are essential for a social worker working with children. Understanding transference and countertransference is crucial to a healthy therapeutic relationship. Both transference and countertransference can be evident in any client–therapist relationship, but are especially important in working with children because of a common instinct among adults to protect and nurture the young. The projection or relocation of one’s feelings about one person onto another, otherwise known as transference, is a common response by children (Gil, 1991). Countertransference, a practitioner’s own emotional response to a child, is also common.

For this Discussion, review the Malawista (2004) article.

By Day 4

Post your explanation why transference and countertransference are so common when working with children. Then, identify some strategies you might use to address both transference and countertransference in your work with children.

Support your posts with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues who identified strategies different from your own by proposing alternative strategies.

Support your posts with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

 

Required Readings

Chiesa, C. (2012). Scripts in the sand: Sandplay in transactional analysis psychotherapy with children. Transactional Analysis Journal, 42(4), 285–293.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Malawista, K. L. (2004). Rescue fantasies in child therapy: countertransference/transference enactments. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21(4), 373–386.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

Working with Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia (pp. 15–17)

Note: Depending on your concentration, you may not receive a case study book until a later term. Therefore, if you did not receive a copy of Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year in your previous course, use the linked PDF provided here. If you did receive the book referenced above, you may find the cases there or use the PDF.

Ruffolo, M. C., & Allen-Meares, P. (2013). Intervention with children. In M. J. Holosko, C. N. Dulmus, & K. M. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions (pp. 41–69). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Taylor, E. R. (2009). Sandtray and solution-focused therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 18(1), 56–68.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Christogiorgos, S., & Giannakopoulos, G. (2015). Parental presence and countertransference phenomena in psychoanalytic psychotherapy of children and adolescents. Psychoanalytic Social Work, 22(1), 1-11.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Optional Resources

Gil, E. (1991). The healing power of play: Working with abused children. New York, NY: Guilford Press:

Chapter 2, “The Child Therapies: Application in Work With Abused Children (pp. 26–36) (PDF)

Chapter 3, “The Treatment of Abused Children” (pp. 37–82) (PDF)

van der Kolk, B. A. (2003). The neurobiology of childhood trauma and abuse. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 12, 293–317. Retrieved from http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/neurobiology_childhood_trauma_abuse.pdf

van der Kolk, B. A. (2005a). Child abuse & victimization. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5),374–378. Retrieved from http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/neurobiology_childhood_trauma_abuse.pdf

van der Kolk, B. A. (2005b). Developmental trauma disorder. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5), 401–408.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Use this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

 

When a policy is launched, its success is dependent on a variety of stakeholders. As the politics of decision makers, executives, staff, clients, and social workers begin to influence the implementation process, their beliefs—and subsequent actions—determine the fate of the policy.

Often a social worker must step out of the comfort of his or her social service world and may find himself or herself making difficult decisions about ethical issues and/or may find himself or herself involved in implementing policies that he or she feels is against his or her social work values. How does a social worker handle the intricacies and challenges of policy implementation on both a personal and professional level?

In this Discussion, you explore policy implementation and the challenges faced by social workers during policy implementation.

By Day 3

Post your thoughts on whether social workers might try to undermine the implementation of specific policies. What ethical issues might they confront? Discuss how social workers can implement policies that they feel may be against their social work values. Discuss a specific policy’s impact that you would try to mitigate in the implementation phase. Provide an experience you have had with a policy you had difficulty implementing or a policy you are aware of that you would have serious qualms about implementing.

 

Required Readings

SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 13, “Troubleshooting the Implementation of Policies in Task 7” (pp. 460-487)

Lane, S. R., & Humphreys, N. A. (2011). Social workers in politics: A national survey of social work candidates and elected officials. Journal of Policy Practice, 10(3), 225–244. doi:10.1080/15588742.2011.582809.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Optional Resources

MSW home page
Use this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

 

What is the difference between what is known and what is believed? It may seem like an obvious question, but if you look below the surface and really investigate the difference between knowledge and belief, you may find yourself second-guessing some of your most basic assumptions. As a general definition, knowledge is something that is believed to be true and can be backed up with evidence. A belief is something that is believed to be true, but there is not adequate evidence. The difference between knowledge and belief seems pretty clear. However, how much evidence does it take to change a belief into knowledge? And, who decides what kind of evidence is reliable? Should knowledge be based on empiricism (knowledge that comes from experiencing the physical world), reason (knowledge that comes from logic), or a combination of both? Take a moment to reflect on these concepts, and then write 2–3 pages on the following: Think about someone in your life who loves you—it could be your mother, significant other, child, or even a pet. Do you know this person loves you, or do you believe this person loves you? State your argument for why you chose to categorize the idea as either knowledge or belief. Give 3 pieces of empirical evidence for the knowledge or belief, as well as 3 logical reasons. After looking through the evidence, do you still maintain your original categorization of knowledge or belief? Why?

SOC 203 Social Problems

Week 1 Quiz

 

Question 1     

What are the five key social institutions that impact society?

Economy, government, religion, education, and public health

Education, religion, government, public health, and race

Equal rights, religion, education, economy, and family

Family, religion, education, government, and the economy

 

Question 2     

According to the text, the difference between individual __________________ and a social problem depends on the societal condition reflected by the issue.

Responsibility

Capabilities

Violations

Deviance

 

 Question 3

Which step of the scientific method of studying social problems concerns how sociologists will collect data?

Mode

Methodology

Analysis

Research method

 

Question 4    

Which sociological theorist developed the concept of strain, which affected individuals’ life chances?

 

Emile Durkheim

Jane Addams

Robert Merton

George Herbert Mead

 

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT considered a defining factor of social stratification, according to the text?

Individualism

Wealth

Status

Power

 

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT considered constitutive of a social problem (rather than an individual problem)?

It is a challenge to those in power.

It violates society’s values.

It falls outside a pattern.

It could be solved through changes in society.

 

Question 7

The U.S. Census is an example of a qualitative method of analysis.

True

False

 

 

Question 8

Which social class lost much of its wealth as a result of the housing bubble and mortgage crisis?

The working poor

The 1%

The corporate CEOs

The middle class

 

Question 9

According to the text, ALL BUT ONE of the following economy workforce shifts have benefitted employers at the expense of employees:

Labor unions

Deindustrialization

Automation

Globalization

 

Question 10

What type of sociologist stresses a commitment to positively impacting society through sociology?

Academic

Applied

Public

Scientific