09 Jan HSL 4850 Human Services Programs: Community, Culture, and Intersectionality
HSL 4850 Human Services Programs: Community, Culture, and Intersectionality
Professional Development Plan Part II: Activism
The goal of the Professional Development Plan is to 1) analyze aspects of professional ethical
conduct, 2) articulate a specific area & areas of activism, and 3) Develop a professional plan for
your career in this area. Part II will focus on your selected area of practice and advocacy within
that topic area.
For this assignment you will complete a paper of no more than 3 pages (not including your
cover page and reference page) with three sections/headings, as seen below. Please use
these headings in your paper to delineate sections.
Specific Area of Human Services
Explain the specific area of human services in which you are interested in working (e.g., family
services, corrections, child welfare, teaching). It can be a broad area if you’re unsure or a more
specific role/job title if you know. This section can just be a sentence or two.
Identification of Specific Issue
Identify a specific issue within your area of interest that is a problem. This can be a policy issue, a
practical issue, or something else that stands out to you about the field. Use the literature to
support your argument. You should include citations to at least 3 sources that include statistics
and/or information about the problem. The literature should be used to provide evidence of the
problem and contextual information. Be sure to cite in APA format. For example, in child
welfare, you might discuss the lack of adoptive homes and the fact that children sometimes age
out of the system without being adopted, resulting in a lack of permanence. You could provide
statistics on the numbers of children in foster care, an article on the lack of adoptive homes, and
information specific to this problem in Illinois.
Ways to be an Advocate
Identify at least two ways you could be an advocate for your selected population in relation to the
problem you identified in the previous section. Discuss & provide examples of what your
advocacy might look like. Don’t just say speak out or be an advocate – be specific.
Grading Rubric
Assignment requirements (5 points)
The assignment is no more than 3 pages of content, double-spaced, uses 12 point Times New
Roman font throughout, has 1” margins, each section is clearly labeled with an appropriate
heading. No points will be earned if these criteria are not present.
Writing, Spelling, Grammar (5 points)
The paper has correct spelling and grammar with no/few mistakes and is well-written.
References in APA format (5 points)
References are provided in correct APA format, both in-text and on a reference page.
Specific area of human services (5 points)
This section is included and clearly describes the area of human services in which the student is
interested in working.
Identification of specific issue (10 points)
This section is included and clearly identifies a specific issue in the student’s area of interest.
The issue is clearly discussed/explained and at least 3 sources are used to support the student’s
argument.
Ways to be an advocate (10 points)
This section is included and clearly discusses at least two ways to be an advocate for the selected
population in relation to the problem identified in the previous section. Advocacy efforts are
explicit and clearly explained.
