Research Paper: State and Federal Acts

This project is due in Week 8.

You will submit a topic selection and sources to be used for the research project in Week 5.

Select a federal or state legislation related to fair employment practices from the following topic selections:

• Social Security Act, 1935.
  • The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement. 
• Fair Labor Standards Act, FSLA, 1938.
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes certain minimum requirements for wages, hours of work, premium overtime, and payroll records. The FLSA identifies two types of employees: non-exempt employees and exempt employees. 
• Civil Rights Act, 1964. Title VII.
  • Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
• The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the Federal Law that makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of a disability. It makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures; the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees; employee compensation; job training; or other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, because of the individual disability.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 1967.
  • Employers are prohibited by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act from discriminating against workers who are 40 years of age or older. The ADEA’s purpose is “to promote the employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age; prohibit arbitrary age discrimination in employment; to help employers and workers find ways of meeting problems arising from the impact of age on employment.”
• Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA, 1993.
  • This law, passed by Congress in 1993, requires certain employers to give their workers up to 12 weeks off per year to care for a seriously ill family members, recuperate from their own serious illness or take care of a newborn or newly adopted child. When they return from leave, these workers have the right to be reinstated to their old position

Use library resources to research the following:

• What is the Act you have chosen and when was it enacted?
• What is required by employers to be in compliance with the Act? What are the employee rights under the Act?
• What was the purpose and/or intent of the Act established by the state or federal government? Identify social/economic benefits.
• Who benefits by the Act? 
• Note any changes to the Act that you have discovered in your research since the enactment date. What, why, and when were the changes made?
• Give observations and opinions about the Act. Do you believe it fulfills its original purpose?
• Include examples of persons you know who have benefited by the Act, if appropriate.

A. From the research information obtained: 

• Prepare a 3-5 page double-spaced typed report on your topic. 
• The audience for your report is your group and class as a whole. 
• Include information obtained during your research. You must use at least three different sources from your research in the report.
• Please be sure to properly introduce your subject matter to the reader. Include the purpose of the report and be aware of the audience reading the report. Do not assume they have knowledge of the organization that you have selected for research. 
• Include your observations and opinions related to the Act selected. 
• Offer a closing paragraph(s) in order to summarize the presented information and add your perspective.

B. Content Incorporation. Make every attempt to demonstrate higher order thinking skills within your paper. Simple paraphrasing [knowledge and comprehension] does not elevate your work to college level. Look at the analysis, synthesis and evaluation descriptions provided below. Comfortably attempt to incorporate these concepts into your work.

1. *Knowledge – Factual information with proper citing should be provided in order to address your topic and add credibility to your work. [List, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.]
2. *Comprehension – Summarize and interpret, compare, contrast the information that you have researched to assist the reader with the key items you want to emphasize in your work. [Summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate, differentiate, discuss] 
3. *Application – Use the information you have collected to address concepts, and theories on how this can be applied to new situations and/or solve problems. [Apply, demonstrate, illustrate, show, relate, solve, examine]
4. *Analysis – Organize your paper in proper parts. You should introduce the topic, provide a body of content that meets the project requirement, and include a closing summary or statement. Support all concepts with credible information. [Analyze, separate, connect, arrange, divide, compare, infer, and order].
5. *Synthesis/Evaluation – Draw conclusions from the knowledge gained. Relate knowledge from several areas. Use what is given to create new ideas. [Combine, integrate, rearrange, design, invent, plan, create]

C. Include a reference page with your report noting sources used. 

D. Appropriately use in-text citations throughout your work. All work quoted, paraphrased, and thoughts borrowed must be cited within the text

E. Be mindful of the due date for this project. Late projects will not be accepted for credit. 

* Bloom’s Taxonomy