Instructions
1. Please answer any four questions as specifically as possible. Please read the questions carefully and proofread your answers (points will be deducted for consistent spelling and grammar mistakes).
2. Each question is worth 25 points including all subparts. Total possible score is 100 points. The final exam is worth 35% of your grade.
3. You may use the textbook and any other course reading materials as needed to answer the questions. There is no need to cite the textbook or any other course material. Please provide appropriate citations and a reference list using APA at the end of the document only if using any external resources aside from the textbook. Please do not use direct quotes.
4. Use your student ID number as your page header and as the file name. Please do not use your name anywhere on the document.
5. The page limit for each answer is 3 pages (double-spaced). Construct your answers to be concise, clear, and well organized. Answers may be shorter than 3 pages. Points will be deducted for answers exceeding the page limit.
6. Please note that although the exam is a take-home exam, you are bound by the University's Honor Code. Your work must be original. Evidence of plagiarism or violations of the Honor Code will be taken seriously.
7. The exam is due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, May 9, 2016. You must submit the exam via Blackboard. In case of any issues with Blackboard, you can submit them by e-mail to [email protected] by the deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted except in case of documented emergencies.
1.Watch the video below and answer the following questions:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2014/01/30/a-lost-boy-finds-his-calling/
It is about a young man IzidorRuckel. (We watched this video in class)
a. What are the basic concepts of the attachment theory?How would you apply the attachment theory to Ruckel's life story?
b. Analyze his life from a resilience perspective and provide examples to support your argument.
c. Think about the physical environment of Ruckel as a child and in his adulthood. Which theory/concepts of physical environment would you apply to explain the influence of his physical environment on Ruckel or vice versa?
2. Read the following case vignette and answer the questions below:
Audrey (age 10) lives with her foster mother (Ms. Gomez) and four other non-kin foster children. Audrey was removed from her mother's care when she was eight years old and placed in a temporary foster home. The primary reason for her removal was neglect. A year ago she entered Ms. Gomez's care. Audrey has weekly phone contact and spends every other weekend with her biological mother. She has no contact with her biological father. Nor does she have contact with her five biological siblings who live in various foster homes throughout the county. When asked who she considers part of her family, Audrey identified her biological mother, her five biological siblings, Ms. Gomez, and her four foster siblings.
Audrey reported that even though she is the newest member of Ms. Gomez's home, she feels welcomed and comfortable. She, however, has trouble sleeping at night and often complains of exhaustion during the day. Audrey hopes and expects to live with her biological mother and siblings in the future. When asked if she thinks things would be different if she returned to live with her biological mother, Audrey replied, "Yes, because my daddy won't be there anymore and won't be mean to my mom." She also said, "I will never complain again about my daddy or anyone else, and then I won't have to worry about the social worker taking me away."
Audrey sees her social worker approximately once per week and seems to have some definite opinions about her social worker's strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, her social worker is "helpful because she picks me up and drives me places and makes sure I get to see my mom." On the other hand, her social worker "never explains stuff to me like why judges do the stuff they do and when I get to go back home to my mom."
Audrey identified the court as being in charge of placement decisions. She is angry about the role of judges in her life: "I hate judges because they made me leave my mom's house and never said how come." At the conclusion of our interview, Audrey said, "It's really hard to be a foster child because it's scary when you don't know what's going to happen."
a. Discuss briefly the three categories of stress. Also distinguish between stress and crisis. Which one(s) do you think apply to Audrey?How does Audrey psychologically cope with these current stressors?
b. Discuss some of the physiological/biological effects that Audrey may experience if she continues to be under stress.
c. Examine some of the existing theories of family. Which theory/perspective would you use as a ‘lens' to analyze Audrey's case at the family level and identify areas of change?
3. Read the news article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/upshot/an-atlas-of-upward-mobility-shows-paths-out-of-poverty.html?_r=0
The article discusses a study that found that among the nation's 100 largest jurisdictions, it is the city of Baltimore where children face the worst odds of escaping poverty.
a. Define social institutions. Discuss the trends in some of these major social institutions that, according to you, have led to such a poor fate for children in Baltimore?
b. At the community level, apply any twoof the following approaches to examine some factors that can potentially contribute to the problem
- Spatial arrangement approach
- Social systems approach
- Social capital approach
4. Mr. and Mrs. D migrated from India three years ago. Mr. D works as a software engineer and his wife is pursuing her Masters degree at a local University. They have a child. Mr. D's elderly mother immigrated one year back after her husband died. She is expected to cook, clean, and care for Mr. and Mrs. D's child and is often mistaken by guests for a housekeeper. She has stopped complaining about that because her son gets very upset with her when she does and accuses her of being a burden. She is diabetic, does not speak English and is dependent on her son and daughter-in-law to take her to the doctor and get her prescriptions filled. She is afraid to leave the house without her son. She has some ties with other elderly Indian women who live in the neighborhood but does not want to say anything negative about her son or daughter-in-law to preserve the family's reputation.
a. What are some dimensions of cultural differences that social workers have to consider when working with immigrant families in the United States?
b. How would you use the culturagram to make an assessment of Mr. D's family? Also, identify some areas of interventions based on your assessment
c. What type of family structure is this example of? What are some of the characteristics of this type of family?
5. In your field placement, workplace, oracademic life, please identify a small group that you have been a member of (or facilitated).
a. Please discuss the purpose of the group, dimensions of group structure, and group composition.
b. Identify the theory of group processes that applies most in the case of your group and explain why.
c. Discuss the group dynamics that you observed in the group setting and how these dynamics influenced the group's success (or lack thereof) in achieving its objectives.
d. Think of a formal organization that you have been a part of. Discuss the differences between small groups and formal organizations in terms of purpose, structure, and composition illustrating the difference using examples of the small group and a formal organization you have been part of.
6. Identify a social movement that occurred in the 20th or 21st century.
a. Discuss the characteristics that made/makes it a social movement.
b. Apply one of the following perspectives to analyze the social movement
- Mobilizing structures perspective
- Cultural Framing perspective
- Political Opportunities perspective
c. Comment on the life course of the movement