DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

A Webquest for English class (12th Grade) for TIPS Program

A.E. Stevenson High School

Introduction

You are a senior in high school who has expressed a strong interest in a career as a counselor, specifically for those involved in marital violence. You want to gather information on the topic "Violence in Marriage in the United States," including articles and other data which will shed light on this social problem in general terms (the causes, treatment strategies, ways to prevent it, existing laws which apply). This body of information will assist you in making as decision as to whether this is the career and specialty for you.

The Task

As of now, you believe that you want to pursue a career in counseling, with a specialty in violence in marriage. To figure out if a career in counseling, specifically for this area of specialty, is right for you, you will:

1. Learn more about the issue of marital violence as it exists in the U.S., its causes, preventive measures, treatment/counseling strategies, and the existing laws governing this serious social problem. This will require you to write a research paper of at least 8 typewritten pages (following the standard MLA style) that examines the issue of marital violence in America and suggests possible solutions in terms of public policy about this issue. If you wish, you may share personal experiences from your life or others' lives (perhaps by conducting a survey -- a web site to assist in this is listed under "Resources").

Your research paper should:

Include arguments in favor of a decision either way (i.e. in favor of pursuing this career choice or against pursuing this career choice) by considering both sides (by examining readings, found by exploring the Internet, with the mind set of seeing each reading as favorable or unfavorable in terms of pursuing this career), by analyzing the pros and cons.

Transform the information (in the final analysis), giving more weight to the side that now is more persuasive (i.e., in favor of or against pursuing this career choice).

Draw a conclusion as to whether or not a career in counseling (specifically regarding marital violence) is one that you still want to pursue. Formulate and state your more informed decision regarding your career of interest.

Suggest possible solutions in terms of public policy about the issue of Violence in Marriage.

Process

Students will use these steps of the Public Policy Format:

1. Defining the social problem

2. Gathering evidence using the Internet.

Some suggested sites to explore and examine are:

General Search Engines

Specific Web Sites

http://www.mincava.umn.edu/vaw.asp

Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse

http://womensissues.about.com/

Domestic Violence Information

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CJ/abstracts/CJv11p163abstract.html

Journal Abstract re Violence in Marriage

http://house-of-hope.net/women/abuse-physical.html

Bible Studies for Women: Physical Abuse in Marriage

http://www.mobar.org

The Missouri Bar: Domestic Violence and the Law

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic153.htm

Domestic Violence: Definition, Statistics, Causes, Treatment, Legal Issues

http://sasmiths.tripod.com/mystory.htm

A personal story about marital abuse

http://www.websurveyor.com/learn_howto.asp#information

Information about Surveys/Interviews

http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml

Guide to Writing a Research Paper Using MLA Format

3. Identify causes, preventive measures, treatment/counseling strategies, and the existing laws governing this social problem

4. Evaluate a policy and consider possible solutions using these worksheets:

The social problem: Violence in Marriage in the U.S.

State one of the major existing policies that attempts to deal with the social problem:

______________________________________________________________________________

What are the advantages of this policy (i.e. effectiveness, costs, enforcement, public acceptance):

______________________________________________________________________________

What are the disadvantages of this policy? (i.e. effectiveness, costs, enforcement, public acceptance).

______________________________________________________________________________

5. Developing public policy solutions regarding Violence in Marriage in the United States

Propose at least three new/original public policy alternatives. Be sure that all of your public policy alternatives are at the same geopolitical level as your social problem. Each alternative must specify the actual government or government agency that will carry out the proposed action. List the proposal that you consider the most promising first.

1.__________________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________________________

6. Selecting the best public policy solution

List the three public policy alternatives from the Worksheet and create a short word or abbreviation to summarize each policy and write it at the end of each policy.

1.__________________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________________________

Complete the matrix below:

FEASIBILITY EFFECTIVENESS

	HIGH	MEDIUM	LOW
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW

Discuss the reasons for your decisions in the matrix.

______________________________________________________________________________

Discuss why you prefer one alternative over the other two alternatives.

______________________________________________________________________________

Standards

The following English Language Arts Performance Standards apply:

Read and comprehend informational materials.
Produce a report of information (in this case, a research paper using the standard MLA format)
Participate in one-to-one conferences with the teacher.
Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.
Listen to and analyze a public speaking performance.
Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.
Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

The following Learning Standards for New York State apply:

Students will read and write for information and understanding 2. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation 3. Students will read and write for social interaction

Evaluation

Your project, including the research paper, will be evaluated and graded as follows:

You have done the required research, are familiar with the topic and the background information. (50 points)
You are creative in your discussion of public policy issues. Your writing is very clear and the arguments and the suggestions you make are logical and convincing. (20 points)
Your research paper is well-written, complete and follows the MLA requirements. (20 points).
Your language is appropriate for the intended audience (i.e., your classmates). (10 points)

Conclusion

By completing this Webquest, you will learn how to use the Internet to gather information and do research. You will use critical thinking skills to analyze the evaluate the information, to produce a research paper and to make decisions on which career best suits you and to become more informed regarding public policy concerning the issue of Violence in Marriage.