04 Apr Social Problems in the News: Defunding Police Departments? During the protests that began in Minneapolis and spread across the
Social Problems in the News: Defunding Police Departments
During the protests that began in Minneapolis and spread across the U.S. in Spring 2020 “defund the police” became a national topic after it was one of the slogans that was used by the protesters. For some this actually meant reducing the funding police departments receive and to take other measures such as preventing police departments from having access to military surplus equipment. For others, defund the police meant to effectively disband the police force altogether. Both positions take the stance that funding could be better applied to other social services like mental health counseling, youth outreach programs, food banks, housing, employment programs, etc. Defunding the police departments effectively takes a different approach to solving the social problem of crime by tackling the social problems associated with crime instead of using traditional policing.
For your initial post, find a news article published that discusses defunding police departments. Consider looking at the following sources listed below. You can access these sources from the Texas Wesleyan Library. If you need support accessing these sources, refer to How to Access Journals through the Library document. If you select a different source than one listed below, remember to include a PDF of the article instead of a link to ensure your peers can view it.
- Wall Street Journal
- The Washington Post
- The New York Times
- The Chicago Tribune
- USA Today
- The Economist
In your post, summarize the article and explain how the article relates to crime as a social problem. If your news source uses academic research or government data, state the research or data that it uses and briefly describe what it means. If defunding happens what should be funded instead, in your opinion? Why? Do you think police funding should stay at the same levels? What do you think it’s the best solution? Defend your opinion.
Select two peers who thought differently than you whether funding should stay at the same levels. Read the articles your peers posted. Did the articles your peers posted have a different perspective than yours? Why or why not? Next convince your peers why police departments should or should not be defunded. Include at least piece of academic research or government data to support your defense. Remember to cite your source. If you think that police departments should be defunded remember to include what you would fund instead as part of your defense.
To successfully complete this assignment, view the Discussion Rubric document.
Discussion Rubric
Your active participation in the discussion forums is essential to your overall success. Discussion questions are designed to help you make meaningful
connections between the course content and the larger concepts and goals of the course. These discussions offer you the opportunity to express your own
thoughts, ask questions for clarification, and gain insight from your classmates’ responses and instructor’s guidance.
Requirements for Discussion Board Assignments Students are required to post one (1) initial post due by Day Three (3) (unless otherwise noted by the instructor) and to follow up with at least two (2) response
posts by Day Seven (7) for each discussion board assignment. Please be sure to post on at least two separate days.
For your initial post (1), you must do the following:
● Compose a post of one to two paragraphs
● Take into consideration material such as course content and other discussion boards from the current module and previous modules,
when appropriate (make sure you are using proper citation methods when referencing scholarly or popular resources)
For your response posts (2), you must do the following:
● Reply to at least two different classmates outside of your own initial post thread.
● Demonstrate more depth and thought in your responses.
Rubric for Discussion Board Assignments (100 pts) Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard.
Critical Elements
Satisfactory (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Comprehension
Develops an initial post with
an organized, clear point of
view or idea using rich and
significant detail.
Develops an initial post with
a point of view or idea using
adequate organization and
detail.
Develops an initial post with
a point of view or idea but
with some gaps in
organization and detail.
Does not develop an initial
post with an organized point
of view or idea.
40
Timeliness Submits initial post by day
three.
Submits initial post one day
late (day four).
Submits initial post two or
more days late (day five or
later).
Does not submit a post. 10
Engagement Provides relevant and
meaningful response posts
with clarifying explanation
and detail.
Provides relevant response
posts with some explanation
and detail.
Provides somewhat relevant
response posts with some
explanation and detail.
Provides response posts that
are generic with little
explanation or detail.
30
Writing
(Mechanics)
Writes posts that are easily
understood, clear, and
concise using proper citation
methods where applicable
with no errors in citations.
Writes posts that are easily
understood using proper
citation methods where
applicable with few errors in
citations.
Writes posts that are
understandable using proper
citation methods where
applicable with a number of
errors in citations.
Writes posts that others are
not able to understand and
does not use proper citation
methods where applicable.
20
