Research informs a great deal of how society functions. It provides theories that shape how we view social norms, cultural practices, and develop policies that regulate society. Yet, it can also be used to justify oppressive systems, and contribute to the harm of marginalized members of society. For the purpose of this activity, you will discover what the research states about your family’s culture, norms, and belief systems. Using the Family Identity Chart you created in a previous assignment, you will write an essay with the following components.
1. Pick three circles from your Family Identity Chart (these can be the three you used previously in that assignment), and you collect information on how research describes those family identity markers.
a. For example, if you chose single-parent family identity marker, how does research describe single-parent families. Are they the majority of family structures or are they a minority family structure? Are they economically prosperous or are they economically inhibited?
2. You will use 5-7 sources to develop an argument for why this research is applicable to your lived experience, or whether it fails to capture your lived experience and why.
3. In 4-6 pages you will present your argument, using the sources to support your ideas. Although this paper is using your personal experience to critique existing research, it is important that you use your sources appropriately to strengthen your argument. This is not an opinion paper, but instead a way to explore how the “personal is political”, and bridge the gap between what research says about society, and how these finding are or are not applicable to one’s lived experience.
4. The paper is to be written in APA format. Please see the document In-text citation guidelines for techniques on citing sources in a paper on BeachBoard.