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Write a minimum of one paragraph for each response/reflection. Make connections between the textbook readings and your own reflections.

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Week 1 Journal

Reflect on the readings using the 3, 2, 1 method. A successful submission will require that you reflect on the following: Share (3) main take aways from all the readings; what are (2) things that you have questions about, are curious about, don’t understand, or would like to investigate further?; (1) Imagine that you were transported into history and you were you dropped into a community of the people group you studied this week. What would be your social position based on your age, race, gender, and faith?
Successful Submission includes:

Fully answer the prompts
Write a minimum of one paragraph for each response/reflection.
Make connections between the textbook readings and your own reflections.
Use in-text citations when quoting the textbook. This will suffice (Sage Reader, Page#)

Describe the background of your case: the plaintiffs, the story, and how the case got to the Supreme Court. State the main questions of the law the case involves and describe what arguments the different sides present.

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Kennedy v. Bremerton School District

For this paper you will be select a recently decided Supreme Court case relevant to major questions in America politics from the list of cases provided below.
The goal of the paper is twofold. First, the cases present a chance to study important real-world issues in American politics beyond our coverage in class of congressional and presidential politics. Second, this paper allows you to connect the issues of your case to what we have learned in class. You should discuss relevant information about civil rights, civil liberties, and theories of judicial decision-making from class and your readings. Specifically, your paper should include the following:

 Describe the background of your case: the plaintiffs, the story, and how the case got to the Supreme Court.
 State the main questions of the law the case involves and describe what arguments the different sides present.
 Identify the major legal precedent(s) of the case.
 If the case has been decided: Explain the ruling, including a description of the written opinion and dissent. If the case has not been decided: explain the predictions based on oral arguments.
 Assess the implications of this decision for broader questions of civil rights or civil liberties
 Describe how the issues of this case have factored into electoral politics—campaigns and elections. Discuss how the two parties used issues pertaining to this case (if they did) in their campaigns in 2020.
 Illustrate public opinion on this issue using recent polls.

Discuss in your own words the geographical regions of the Ancient Near East.

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Religion Question

Discuss in your own words the geographical regions of the Ancient Near East.

What concerns did you have while preparing this assignment? Do you see any weaknesses in your application (in terms of your experiences, perhaps), and how might you address these now or in the future?

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Reflection memo

To conclude this project, you are tasked with writing a reflective, one-page, single-spaced memo that provides your instructor a more comprehensive understanding of your learning process.

What is the reflection memo? What should it contain?

The reflection memo explains to me (NOT the employer!) how you made decisions about what to include in your project. Please see the sample memo in Canvas for an idea of what I’m looking for.

IMPORTANT: Structure your memo with a beginning, middle, and end, as discussed in class. The first paragraph of the memo should contain an explanation of why you are writing.

Your memo must answer the following four questions:

  1. How and why did you select the job/internship ad?
  2. How does the letter respond to the ad?
  3. How does the résumé respond to the ad?

NOTE: The answers to questions 2 & 3 should be the most detailed portion of your memo. I want to understand your decision-making process for what you included and where you placed it. Examples:

  • if you organized your résumé starting with your experience rather than your education, explain why.
  • If you decided to include experience that was not relevant to this particular job or internship, explain why.
  • If you wrote about a special project in your letter, explain how it persuades the employer to interview you.
  • If you are following advice you received from someone else, or if you disagreed with advice given by me or our readings, explain your reasoning.
  1. What concerns did you have while preparing this assignment? Do you see any weaknesses in your application (in terms of your experiences, perhaps), and how might you address these now or in the future?

How does the way that Larissa describes herself fit with what we know about changes in adolescents’ self-conceptions? How would you characterize Larissa’s identity status based on the dimensions of exploration and commitment?

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Module 5: Case Study Questions

Case Study Questions (remember to situate your answers within course learning materials): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Lxu9MkxG7…

  1. How does the way that Larissa describes herself fit with what we know about changes in adolescents’ self-conceptions?
  2. How would you characterize Larissa’s identity status based on the dimensions of exploration and commitment?
  3. Should Larissa’s dad be concerned about her uncertainty regarding her plans following high school graduation?
  4. Based on how Larissa is managing identity-related decisions, which orientation does she seem to be taking to resolve her identity crisis? What role does Ms. Thompson play in this process?

Is this a local, regional, or national problem? Why are you concerned about it? Why should others be concerned about it. In addition to the social and political implications of this problem, are there concerning fiscal (financial) issues at play.

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Sociology Question

DRAFT:

Individual Assignment #1 Due: Draft ideas for the Sociopolitical Problem (SP) Paper (2.5 – 5 pp., 1-2 additional pages is okay, double-spaced, 10-12 size font). The SP Paper is essentially an analysis where a sociopolitical problem is discussed and a set of ideas including plans are outlined to address it. In your paper, incorporate ideas and concepts that you are learning about in this course or that are related to this course. For this draft, at minimum at least 75% of the final paper requirements should be addressed. Ideally, you should address all requirements (in draft form). Yes, you can use bullets or a formal outline format. The following bulleted areas outline the guidelines for the final paper, which you should begin addressing in this draft assignment.

State your interest in learning more about and/or doing something about a particular sociopolitical problem in society. Focus on an issue that you are concerned about in your community, city, state, or in the country generally. Succinctly delineate and describe the problem and frame as a policy issue that you feel should be addressed; briefly unpack its social and especially its political aspects. Address the following: Is this a local, regional, or national problem? Why are you concerned about it? Why should others be concerned about it. In addition to the social and political implications of this problem, are there concerning fiscal (financial) issues at play.

Specifics relating to this problem; for example, address these questions: Which stakeholders are impacted (who is directly or indirectly impacted)? How did this issue come about (from your perspective based on research, data, etc.)? What available data are available on the issue (statistics, research studies, media coverage, etc.)? What has been done politically in recent years to try to address it?

Some political rights, processes, protocols, timelines, and institutions that can be used to help you address the problem, including: protesting and raising awareness, recruiting people to join the effort and organizing support, involving and acquiring the backing of some elected public office holder or public institution, utilizing the legal system/judiciary if appropriate, establishing a start date and end date with some steps briefly outlined, soliciting for funds and using this funding, etc. While you are not expected to include all these areas, select at least two from this list (those that are most relevant to your issue). Example: (1) raising awareness and protesting publicly, and (2) contacting specific elected public officials to get their support.

Share the relevant theoretical and practical politically-related ideas and concepts you plan to use from this course or from other appropriate courses in your analysis of the problem and in your plans to address it. Clearly specify the political theories, concepts, or ideas.

Sources you used to develop this paper: include in text citations and a formal reference section at the end (use an APA, ASA, or applicable format). Your references page should be an additional one to two pages beyond the minimum paper page requirement. At least 2 to 4 references (aim for one source to be research-oriented; you can include more than the specified number of sources).

Summary of the structure of this paper:

  • (1) keep in mind that this assignment in many respects is a policy paper;
  • (2) identify at least two items from the list under the third bulleted guideline above and emphasize the political nature, propose a policy, and include a timeline;
  • (3) write using the formalities typical of an analytical essay or short research paper—focused on a policy issue, include an introduction, body, conclusion, and references;
  • (4) consider using headings and come up with a descriptive and catchy title to convey at-a-glance the sociopolitical problem you identified; and
  • (5), while not expected in this paper, you may develop and share a thesis or hypothesis if it helps you.

Respond to discussion below using current APA edition and 2-3 references within 4 years or less. Must be at least 150 words.

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Discussion 4

Respond to discussion below using current APA edition and 2-3 references within 4 years or less. Must be at least 150 words.

The nursing profession is grounded on three essential elements: practice, research, and theory. These components have a reciprocal and cyclical relationship, where clinical practice generates research questions and knowledge for theory, and research guides practice and builds knowledge through theory development (Saleh, 2018). For effective nursing practice, it is crucial to apply knowledge, skills, and care to provide patients with care that is efficient, effective, and considerate. Research findings play a critical role in making clinical decisions, and ideally, all patient care decisions should be evidence-based.

The purpose of research in nursing is not only to guide practice but also to generate and test theory to build knowledge in the field. The relationship between research and theory is reciprocal, with each one generating more knowledge and informing the other (Saleh, 2018). A good theory enhances our understanding of a subject and is evaluated based on its effectiveness in guiding research and practical applications (Butts & Rich, 2018). The primary objective of a theory is to compress and retain knowledge and express our understanding of the world in concise statements. The process of developing a theory involves conducting research to test or generate theories and utilizing research-supported theories in practical settings (Butts & Rich, 2018).

The primary goal of nursing theory is to improve practice and positively influence patient health and quality of life. The relationship between theory and practice is reciprocal, with practice serving as the foundation for theory development and theory needing validation through practice (Saleh, 2018). However, there is often a perceived gap between theory and practice in the nursing profession, with practicing nurses using the language of nursing theory only when mandated to do so by accrediting bodies. Several factors contribute to this gap, including the perception that theory development is the domain of nurse educators and scholars rather than practicing nurses and the view that nursing theory and practice are separate activities (Saleh, 2018).

To bridge the gap between theory and practice, nursing leaders must maintain the reciprocal and cyclical relationship among practice, research, and theory. This can be achieved through continued interaction between nursing researchers, educators, and practicing nurses (Saleh, 2018). Increasing exposure to theoretical principles for undergraduate and graduate student nurses and stressing theoretical concepts and principles following formal education are essential. It is also necessary to provide nursing theorists and researchers with the opportunity for clinical involvement to minimize the disparity between the theoretical world and the world of practicing nurses. Finally, addressing healthcare and nursing issues from a theoretical perspective will help to guide theory-guided practice, which is the future of nursing (Saleh, 2018). Nurses must rely on sound theoretical principles to develop and implement effective, efficient, and holistic plans of care.

What are the key components of your budget proposal? Could your proposal, as is, be implemented in the real world? Explain. If not, what steps would need to be taken to implement?

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Law Question

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper reflecting on the budget proposal you created in Week 4, as well as on your research findings in this course. Address the following:

  • What are the key components of your budget proposal?
  • Could your proposal, as is, be implemented in the real world? Explain. If not, what steps would need to be taken to implement?
  • How would your identified “guardrails” for reporting ensure both accuracy and completeness in reporting? Would these same guardrails assist you with accountability to your budget? Explain.
  • How could your budget affect funding and public perception?
  • What inconsistencies or gaps do you anticipate if your budget were implemented? What steps could you take to overcome these issues?
  • How would you summarize your budget to convince the city council of its merit?

What are devolutionary pressures and how are these expressed in Europe? What has caused a resurgence of regionalism in Europe in recent times? What role has cultural identity played in the formation of these processes/pressures?

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Team Exercise – Devolutionary Pressures in Europe

You are responsible for reading and understanding these instructions. If you turn in an assignment that does not follow these instructions, your grade will reflect it.

Deadlines

  1. Rough Draft: Saturday, March
  2. Final Project: Saturday, April
  3. Assessment of individual and team members’ contributions: Saturday, April

Overview

Devolution refers to a process in which powers are granted by a central government to a lower level region or state. More specifically, it describes the process in which centrifugal forces (those that divide a state) such as cultural diversity or difference in religion, language, etc., divides a region or peoples of a region in which they gain political strength through demands, negation, or rebellion. Devolution typically occurs in countries where nationalism grows due to centrifugal forces and their inhabitant feel the need to depart from their centers (or central government); in many instances, they consider themselves minorities within a country. There are many examples of devolution occurring today. In Europe, Catalonia, Scotland, and Ukraine are some of the regions undergoing this transformation.

This exercise is based on the most important aspects highlighted in the section, “Regionalism and Regional Movements”, from Chapter 7 of our course textbook (Ostergren and Le Bosse 2013: 246-257, and other pertinent sections of this chapter). In this activity, students will be assembled in teams of four-five members each. Each team member will analyze one case study of a European country facing devolutionary pressures, and all teams must include the following case studies: Catalonia (Spain), Scotland (United Kingdom), and Ukraine

 

 Rough Draft / Final Project

It is expected that the rough draft will include the complete individual Case Studies ONLY, not the Introduction or Conclusions sections.

The team will compose a paper that must include an outline of the project (introduction), an analysis of the information provided (case studies), conclusion section, bibliography, and map. The structure of the team project, which is delineated in the following pages, must include these sections:

  1. Introduction – (which must be composed by the entire team);
  2. Case Studies (individual activity); and,
  3. Conclusions (team activity);
  4. Bibliography section (included at end of project);
  5. Map in which the team will include the countries/regions studied included in their

Sources to Compose your Work

Students are encouraged to use any academic source, including the course textbook (required to include in this assignment), as well as the news media, especially BBC News, CNN, The New York Times, and any other reputable news source. Students are not allowed to use Wikipedia.

Structure of the Collaboration Page and Paper

(The Collaborations Page does not have to include a Cover Page and/or a Map)

  1. Cover Page: Title, names of members of the Team and area studied (individual case studies), GEA 3500, Spring 2023, Date Submitted.
  2. Table of Contents

 

  • Introduction (team activity): Briefly answer the following questions to introduce the overall Note that you will have to answer the same questions in the Conclusions section in detail, so you should just include a general overview of the issues presented in this section. Please do not include these questions in your work.
    • What are devolutionary pressures and how are these expressed in Europe?
    • What has caused a resurgence of regionalism in Europe in recent times?
    • What role has cultural identity played in the formation of these processes/pressures?
    • What common characteristics and themes are shared by the regions experiencing devolutionary pressures and studied by your team?
    • What distinguishes the inhabitants living in these regions from the majority of the national population of the country where they live in?

 

  1. Case Studies (individual activity). Each team member must compose their individual case study, answering thoroughly the following After providing an overview of the location of the region you are studying in relation to the country where it is situated, answer the following questions:
    • In terms of its physical landscape, where is the region that is experiencing a devolutionary process located and what type of climate is prevalent? (use Figure 5 and 2.4 of the textbook).
    • According to the sources you have consulted, do these physical/natural characteristics have played any role in the historical background for this devolutionary process? How?
    • How do the people that inhabit the region you are studying speak about their relationship to the land and the environment?
    • Do they express any ideas on biodiversity conservation? Do they say anything about their homeland? If the region you are studying has a website (official or not), what role do maps play on their web site/s?
    • Is this region located close to or far from the center of power of the country (the national capital city)?
    • Does this condition have any impact on the reasons why they would like to gain at-least more autonomy to make their own decisions?
    • According to the source/s you have consulted, what are the main reason/s why this population would like to break-up from the country in which they live in?
    • Do this/these source/s mention any explanation/s based on cultural or ethnic characteristics? For example, speaking a different language? Which one? Professing a different religion? Which one? Economic disparities?

 

In addition to these questions and in case some of these regions have their own websites, or you have consulted a source published by a native inhabitant of the region, or you have read excerpts from interviews, look for discussion of conflict, cooperation, or disagreement with national governments, private companies, or multinational corporations working in this region. You may also want to use the following questions to improve your study:

  • Do the people living in the region you are studying have more than one self- generated website and do those sites present different ideas?
  • Is there a regional or national project or policy that is disputed?
  • What position is taken on the website/s? How is the position framed in relation to their rights to self-rule and culture?
  • What major issues and challenges does the site highlight and how do these relate to globalization?

 

  1. Conclusions (team activity): In this section you must make meaningful comparisons among the regions your team has studied, summarizing all the previous issues (questions) covered in the Introduction section and in the Case Studies portion.
    • What are devolutionary pressures and how are these expressed in Europe? Here you should include an overview of regionalism and regional movements in
    • What has caused a resurgence of regionalism in Europe in recent times?
    • What role has cultural identity played in the formation of these processes/pressures? What common characteristics and themes are shared by the regions experiencing devolutionary pressures and studied by your team?
    • What distinguishes the inhabitants living in these regions from the majority of the national population of the country where they live in?
    • How do the people living in these regions speak about their relationship to the land and the environment?
    • In terms of cultural identity, are there regional differences in the groups you have studied?
    • In terms of their unity, how integrated are the people living in these regions? Are there any regions studied by your team that show internal conflicts or lack of unity?
    • Taking in consideration all aspects of your study, how do you envision the future of Europe will look like in 50 or 100 years?
  2. Bibliography (team activity): You must include a full citation of all resources included in your Team Page/Paper in this section. It is required to include a reference from our course
  • Map (team activity): You must include a map at the end of your work, including the approximate location of all regions/countries Your map must include a pertinent title, an orientation arrow pointing to the geographical north, labels for all regions/countries included in your work, and a legend.

 

Technical Aspects of the Paper

Just like all written assignment in this course, your paper must conform to the following formatting:

  • Submitted in a word document,
  • 12-point font (Arial, Times New Roman, Garamond, or Book Antiqua),
  • one-inch margins all around,
  • double-spaced,
  • numbered pages

Any exercise that does not follow the technical aspects will result in a 10-point deduction in their final grade.

 You must use the Collaborations tool available in CANVAS to collaborate within your team; nevertheless, the grading of individual contributions of each team member will be based on the participation in the Team’s Collaboration page. All team members must participate. If a team member is failing to properly contribute to the project, please message the Team Leader and your professor.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any assignments that have been plagiarized will earn an automatic failure grade in the course

 

Develop a list of 6 to 8 standards or requirements for your project that you will use to evaluate its success. Write a brief description of each standard or requirement.

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Measuring Progress and Requirements

The IT department is more than halfway through the completion of the skills gap project. The project stakeholders want to make sure the project deliverables meet their requirements and the goals of the project. The stakeholders are most concerned with the quality of courses, employee usage of courses, the integration with employees’ annual review HR software, ease of use for managers and the HR department, and the expansion of skills for employees. The stakeholders for the project have asked you to create evaluation criteria that will be used to judge the project at its completion, 3 months into its usage, and 12 months after being launched. You may want to review the case study as you complete this assignment.

Complete the following in a 3½- to 4½-page Microsoft Word document. Use the following template:

Week 5 Measuring Progress and Requirements – Template.docx

Develop a list of 6 to 8 standards or requirements for your project that you will use to evaluate its success.

Write a brief description of each standard or requirement. For example, a requirement might be that 90 percent of employees have logged in to an assigned course within 3 months.

Write an explanation based on the list of standards and requirements on how you will measure progress at its completion, 3 months into its usage, and 12 months after being launched. Discuss why the evaluation requirements change over time. Support your answer with 1 credible source outside of the course materials.

Additionally, as a project comes close to being completed, project management doesn’t end. It is always important for each project to end by identifying lessons learned and how those lessons can be used by the organization in the future.

Write a discussion on how to close a project and the value of creating a list of lessons learned. Consider how properly closing out projects can help an organization in the future.