Advocates for Children: Issue Focus

C O L L E G E P A R K S C H O L A R S
Advocates for Children

Issue Focus
Second-Year Colloquium, Fall 2000

In our "Issue" focus groups, you are welcome to investigate an issue affecting children of your choice (see some suggestions below). You may prepare a report of your research in practically any form, including writing a paper, creating a web site, giving a presentation, making a video, putting together a display or portfolio, etc.

If you are writing a PAPER, the general guideline is about 6 pages with about 6 references. It doesn't have to be exact. (The references should be from quality sources like professional journal articles, books on the subject, etc. If you use other sources also, like those from the Internet, try to find ones that are of similar quality and reliability to those you might expect to find in the sources I mentioned above.)

If you are creating a WEB SITE, I mentioned the guideline of 4 pages with about 4 references, but that was just my guess as to what might be an equivalent amount of work to the guideline I gave for the paper. (I'd also like to see some links and at least one graphic.)

If you are doing ANYTHING OTHER THAN A PAPER, the guideline is to do about the equivalent amount of work as you would do for a paper (based on what I said about it above).

Those preparing PRESENTATIONS should be ready to give them on Wednesday, November 29.

All other forms of report are due on Wednesday, December 6.

SUGGESTED TOPICS

Child Development & Family Issues
Parenting
Divorce, separation, custody
Parent-child relationships (attachment, etc.)
Understanding children's development (cognitive, emotional, social, spiritual)
Theories of children's development and implications for parenting, public policy, etc.
Cross-cultural or cross-national issues of development or family
(or regarding any of the topics below)

Safety
Juvenile delinquency
Crime
Teens in gangs
Gun-related violence
Land mines
Drug-related violence
Violence in TV, movies, music
Sexual depiction in TV, movies, music
Abuse & neglect (physical, sexual, emotional)
Foster care and adoption
Child safety laws (air bags, seat belts, car seats, other non-traffic related)
Recreational Safety

Health
Teen pregnancy
AIDS or other STD's (sexually transmitted diseases)
Other teen sexuality issues
Infant mortality
Health insurance: the uninsured and under-insured
Drug-affected babies (abuse?)
Abortion issue (partial birth abortion, privacy issues, emotional consequences, etc.)
Adolescent drug and alcohol abuse
Adolescent tobacco use
Sexual depiction in TV, movies, music
Mental illness (of parent, of child)
Community and residential treatment for mental illness
Specialized health care for physically and mentally challenged
Teen Prostitution

Economic Well-Being
Child support enforcement
Earned Income Credit
Availability and affordability of child care
Low-income housing
Welfare reform
Mandatory drug testing of welfare recipients?
Disallowance for truancy
Teen parenting
Youth employment/unemployment

Education
For teen mothers
Special Education
Community and residential treatment for developmental delays
Inequities in education
Funding equity
School choice (charter schools, religious schools)
Values as they impact school policy (religious, secular)
Head Start
Child care / pre-school
Educational technologies
School drop-out

Other
Legal and judicial aspects of child advocacy
Comparison of Charities that address the needs of children
Careers in advocacy
Any issues in your home community which are not presently listed

COLLOQUIUM
SYLLABUS

1125 Cumberland Hall University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-9331

(301) 314-5909