In today’s global world, how do the children of the U.S. fare? Are they prepared to compete in the international arena? The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) is a nonprofit child advocacy organization that provides a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. The State of America’s Children 2010 is the CDF’s report highlighting some crucial issues affecting our children today. Visit the CDF Web site and read the report:

Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). (2014). State of America’s children 2014. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/  

Select a topic of interest to you from the report’s table of contents (after pulling up the website, you can scroll down to select a topic). Write a research paper on the topic. Be sure to include the following:

• Present the CDF findings on the topic in a table or graph that you create. Note how different populations are affected. For example, you might compare your state to national statistics or compare the top or bottom states on the topic you chose, compare racial/ethnic group data, etc.
• Research the selected topics using at least one additional resource. The data and research publication sections at the CDF Web site offer useful publications.
• Identify and analyze the main issues and discuss them in the context of relevant developmental theory, as well as societal influences. Why is this data and the information you researched important to understand in the context of child development?
• Present your conclusions and support them with research information. What recommendations would you offer to address this issue for future generations?

Write a 2-3 page research paper in Word format. Be sure to include introductory and concluding paragraphs in your paper, a reference page. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. 

Myths and Reality of Crime

As we learn in the video, Crimes of the Powerful, our justice system tends to focus on street crime, often ignoring much more significant problems such as white-collar, corporate, and state crime.

Write a paper discussing the myths and realities of crime. Please elaborate on the following points in your essay:

1. Imagine asking 100 strangers to describe a criminal. Predict whether those descriptions would be likely to focus on street criminals, or the variety of topics covered in this video.
2. Describe how society defines crime. Do not provide a definition – instead, explain how the definition is reached.
3. Discuss how society decides what to define as a crime.
4. Present a clear statement about a particular crime, something we know to be absolutely true. Illustrate how we know that this is an accurate statement.
5. Present an example of a widely held myth or misconception about crime and society. Determine how we know that this is a myth. Explain why this myth is so difficult to abandon. 

The paper must be three to four pages in length and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least two scholarly resources other than the textbook to support your claims and subclaims. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar

Case Study 2

Mrs. Smith is a 30-year-old married woman whose family brings her to the emergency room due to what they call “odd behavior.” Mrs. Smith is the youngest of 5 children. She was born prematurely, but despite being low in weight, there were no other negative consequences from this. She met all her developmental, cognitive, and social milestones on time. It was reported that she did well in school academically, made friends easily, and interacted in several extracurricular activities to include yearbook and cheerleading. After graduating from high school she began working in a bank, as her family did not have enough money to send her to college. She was married 5 years ago and has 2 children, ages 1 year and 3 years. Mrs. Smith did not return to work after the birth of her first child. One week prior to her family bringing her to the emergency room Mrs. Smith went to her primary care physician complaining of dizziness and trouble sleeping. She also reported to him that she has been feeling “down in the dumps” and that she was a failure as a mother and wife. Her doctor made her an appointment with a therapist for the following week. Before she could attend the appointment though, her family brought her to the emergency room due to her “odd behavior.”

Four months prior, Mrs. Smith had left her husband and moved in with her mother and father. Shortly after she moved back home with her mother and father, her brother was in a car accident and was seriously injured, and the man she had been dating went to jail on a drug charge. About a month after she moved home, her family began to notice a deterioration in her ability to take care of herself, including making her own meals and bathing. This culminates in the police finding her wandering about a mile from her home. She is unable to tell them who she is or how she got there. On that day she is brought to the hospital in a very agitated state and reports to the hospital staff that voices are telling her to kill herself and her husband. Mrs. Smith is hospitalized and treated and discharged 3 days later to begin outpatient treatment. Three months later she is brought to the hospital by her family. She reports at this time that she has been experiencing anxiety, insomnia, delusions, and auditory hallucinations during the past 3 weeks. On further investigation, she reveals that the hallucinations and delusions have been occurring for the past 3 months, but she was worried she would get readmitted to the hospital, and so she did not want to share this with her outpatient therapist. She describes that she thinks others are out to get her and that she is getting messages from the television. She reports that she can hear others talking about her but when she looks no one is there.

Mrs. Smith’s mother also reports that about 3 weeks ago her daughter started to go on frequent shopping sprees. At first this made her mother happy, as she thought her daughter was coming out of the “funk” she had been in. But her mother reports that Mrs. Smith also had an overabundance of energy and had difficulty sleeping in the evening, often pacing the floor. About 3 days before this hospital admission, she became irritable and was talking about how the teacher at the college she was attending was “out to get her”. On returning home from school she reported that she heard God talking to her and that voices were discussing her, accompanied by the feeling that someone was touching her although no one was there. She slept for only 1 or 2 hours on the nights prior to being admitted to the hospital. Instead she would sing loudly, dance, and recite Scripture.

During this second admission, she is irritable and hyperactive, displays a flight of ideas, and talks nonstop. She also believes she can heal others with her thoughts.

Case Study 2 is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 6.

Essay Question:

Discuss the positive and negative social consequences of the “American Industrial Revolution.” 

What benefits accrued from the rapid rise in the economic status of the United States, what were 

its social costs, and how do you weigh the balance between them?

Considerations:

 the interrelationship of the rise of heavy industry, rapid urbanization, immigration, and 

the expansion of the industrial workforce

 widening economic disparity between classes in American society

 worker unrest and the rise of labor unions

 Social Darwinism’s emphasis on individualism and competition