Assignment 1: CONCEPTUALIZING AND OPERATIONALIZING VARIABLES

• Posted: 2 days ago
• Due: 18/01/2018
• Budget:  $18

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PURPOSE: The purpose of this exercise is to conceptualize and operationalize variables, and understand how conceptual and operational definitions impact the conclusions drawn about variables. 

WRITING REQUIREMENTS: The essay should be 4-6 pages. APA formatting should be used throughout (cover page, running header, major heading, subheadings, in-text citations, and reference list). Any time you paraphrase or directly quote a source, in-text citations should be used.  A full APA-formatted reference should be included at the end of the assignment. Academically, no more that 20% of the essay should be quoted. At least 80% should be in your own words.   

The essay should include the following subheadings:

• Definitions
• Conceptualizes race
• Operationalizes race
• Census Bureau changes
• How changes to variables affect conclusions
• Reflection

INSTRUCTIONS:  Make sure to follow the directions in order.  

1. First, provide a definition of the terms: "conceptual definition" and "operational definition".
2. Next, conceptualize and operationalize the variable “race.”
3. Answer the following questions after reading the report:  
   1. What changes did the Bureau make to the conceptualization and operationalization of race in the 2000 census?
   2. Why did the Bureau make these changes?
   3. Could the difference in operationalization produce different conclusions about race?
   4. Does the Bureau’s conceptualization and operationalization of race coincide with yours?  If so, how?  If not, what is different?
   5. APA format about 1000 to 1500 words 4 to 6 pages not including title page, reference page
   6.  

Due Jan. 10

Due Jan. 10

FULL 3 page analysis paper

12 pt. font – Times new roman

Please do not number each section

DO Not include a cover page

proper APA format. NOT AMA format

SOURCES MUST BE U.S. sources that can be accessed for free by all

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Please discuss in a full 3 page analysis the 4 items below: 1. The importance of underwriting standards to a healthy real estate finance market; 2. Changes to mortgage underwriting standards prior to the real estate boom that may have helped the boom accelerate and also created the conditions for the real estate collapse; 3. Changes to mortgage underwriting standards after the real estate collapse that were enacted as a response to the collapse; and 4. Give an example of current underwriting standards for any underwriting group

Due Jan. 11

7 full pages

APA citing from U.S. Internet sources that are free for all to access (MINIMUM 4 sources)

100% Plag free

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Please choose a real estate finance topic identified below: 1. The nature and cycle of real estate finance; 2. Money and the monetary system; 3. The secondary mortgage market; 4. Instruments of real estate finance; 5. Closing real estate loans; 6. Recent federal laws, regulations and activities of government agencies related to real estate finance;

Sociology Assignment

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The numbers tell the story. In 1950, 22% of American adults were single. 4 million lived alone. They accounted for 9% of all households.

Fast-forward to today. More than 50% of American adults are single. 31 million, about one out of every seven, live alone. They make up 28% of all households.

These so-called "singletons" are the focus of a new book by Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, Going Solo– the Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Going Alone. Well, from all those numbers, it's obvious something's happening. What?

Well, my view is that this is the biggest social change of the last 50 or 60 years that we have failed to name or identify. It's not just that so many Americans are unmarried, which is something we've talked about, but that people are living alone and for long stretches of their lives.

But so many people get there in different ways.

That's right.

There are people just starting out, finishing college and living on their own, people who are perhaps just divorced and, perhaps, didn't intend to ever live alone but find that they are, people who are widowed, and of course, a group of people who are living alone and liking it. With all these different roads to getting there, is there anything that we can say about this very diverse group of people?

Absolutely. One thing we can say is that people who live alone are opting to do so. Now they might not aspire to be on their own. But they all have other choices available to them, really regardless of what age they are.

So for instance, you can go to craigslist and find roommates. Most people have some family members they could live with, parents or children. There are all sorts of institutional homes available to elderly people.

100 years ago, even 60 years ago, that's how we would have lived. But today, we don't. People are opting to go alone.

Is this something that only rich societies can aspire to? When you get up to that scale, one out of every four households, just one person– I was thinking of perhaps a Manhattan apartment building with 150 studio apartments in it. That's 150 refrigerators, 150 microwave ovens, 150 televisions. This isn't something that every country can pull off.

That's right. In fact, you see very little living alone in poor nations or in poor neighborhoods. On the other hand, there are some affluent societies where virtually no one lives alone, for instance, Saudi Arabia. One big difference in a place like Saudi Arabia is that women don't have the kind of independence they have in the United States or in other countries where there's high levels of living alone. So there's a cultural side to this as well as an economic one.

Has the United States adjusted? This may be something where the numbers and individual choice is way out ahead of supermarkets, the way we build the places where we live, the laws that we use to govern it. It may have outpaced the arrangements we make around this part of our lives.

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I think it has. I think this is a transformation that we haven't fully come to terms with. We haven't had a language for coming to terms with it, also.

Right now, 27% of US households are one-person households. But in cities, the numbers are far higher than that. Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, these are places where more than 40% of all households have just one person. And in Manhattan, where I live, and Washington, DC, it's almost half of all households.

Cities are largely not equipped for this kind of situation. And I think we have a lot of adjusting to do.

Or cities are uniquely equipped for that situation by creating a way of life where it's possible to live alone without feeling isolated, lonely, and so on.

Well, cities are better equipped than other places. And you're right. It's the interdependence of people who live in cities that makes their independence possible.

So you can live alone in a city and not be alone for all the reasons you mentioned. At the same time, especially as our society ages and when the boomer generation begins to age alone, we will find that our housing is not quite up to the challenge of giving people what they want, which is a place of their own, if they can't have their right partner, but also connection to other people and to all kinds of care and support. We have a long ways to go there.

Well, as you mentioned, the people turning 70 are going to break like a tidal wave on this society. And it doesn't seem like we've really thought that through very much, have we?

I think that's right. We haven't. Now, I should say that people who live alone, whether they're 30, or 40, or 75, are actually more likely than people who are married to spend time with friends and with neighbors, to go out in the city and spend time and money in bars, and restaurants, and cafes. They're more likely to go to public events. They're even more likely to volunteer in civic organizations.

So we shouldn't get carried away with the idea that living alone means being isolated. But there are a lot of older people who are at risk of growing isolated if they don't have the right kinds of housing. And at the moment, we just haven't invested in that in the way that other nations have.

Well, in an earlier book, Heat Wave, you examined how it was that very living alone among a lot of low-income elderly that led to a terrible death toll during a tragic heat wave in Chicago in the 1990s. So could that be the downside of living by yourself?

It is the danger if we don't find ways to adjust. But the one thing I discovered in the course of writing this book is that the very vulnerable and isolated people do represent a small minority here, that for the most part, people who live alone are engaged in the world in ways that we don't appreciate. And I grew concerned, actually, that this kind of language we have for talking about our bowling alone, and our disconnection, the way we've grown too individualistic as a society has somehow misrecognized the ways in which we're actually connected with each other. So it's important to tell both sides of that story.

Well, implicit in a lot of the reporting you did for this book was this finding that we aren't totally sold on the idea yet, even though 28% of our households consist of one person.

That's right. And let's be clear. This is not the case against marriage. I'm not trying to persuade anyone that they should live alone.

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But I am trying to come to terms with the fact that so many people are opting to live alone when they have other options available to them. Again, they're not aspiring to it. But they're not going to settle with living with the wrong person in a way that they might have 50 years ago.

We'll continue this conversation online. In the meantime, the book is Going Solo. Eric Klinenberg, good to talk to you.

It's nice to be here. Thanks.

Due Jan. 5 – 3 posts

Due Jan. 5 – 3 posts

Post 1.Ed –

3. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (providing federal funds for at-risk homeowners).

The federal government has a vested interest in Americans owning their own homes. Homeownership is part of the “American Dream” and many Americans strive toward that goal. The government has various programs to assist citizens and protect them from predatory lending. The government also protects people from themselves from avoiding a home purchase they can’t afford. Because I lived through the housing crash as a homeowner I have chosen The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 as my topic. Fortunately, my own house in Alabama was less impacted by the bursting housing bubble. It only decreased in value by 10 percent and I was never upside down on my mortgage. A military friend in DC was not as lucky. His house value plummeted and he faced foreclosure. He had bought a house outside his means and the DC area saw a large drop in home value during the crash. I wonder if he could have taken advantage of this 2009 Act?

This Act was part of the greater stimulus package in response to the Great Recession. Since private spending was down this was an attempt to stimulate the economy with public spending. The bill provided extended unemployment benefits which assisted struggling homeowners. There was also a tax credit for homeowners. There was a repeal of the requirement to pay back the tax credit over time. The ultimate goal of the Act was to preserve and create jobs and promote the economic recovery. While money went to many areas, housing alone counted for $14.7 billion. Looking at the details the $14.7 billion is spread out over various programs to assist the most at-risk Americans. Only a portion was aimed at actual homeowners. Much of the money went toward non-homeowners to keep them from becoming homeless. It appears to be a case of the government genuinely trying to assist struggling Americans. 

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Post 2.Brandy –

3. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (providing federal funds for at-risk homeowners).

Like any regulatory body the purpose of them is to protect one party from another. Similar to a states local real estate commission the purpose of the federal government in real estate finance is to protect the public. Although there are many roles the Fed pays in regulating real estate transactions I feel one of the most important act established to protect the public would be Truth in Lending and its partner Regulation Z. Even if one has never purchased a house they have come into contact with Truth in Landing and Regulation Z on nearly a daily basis. Every car sales commercial, any credit card pre-approval mail out, or every home purchase through use of a mortgage has contained such information. 

With Truth in Lending it is required that any and all costs associated with a financial transaction is disclosed before the transaction can be completed. This can include any loan fees, finder's fees, service charges, points, interest and APR. This is to protect from the dishonest practice of "bait and switch" in which a specific price is advertised only to have it change drastically right before close. If you have ever seen a car commercial offering a specific price on a car or promotional low interest rate you will notice there is quite a lot of information at the bottom of the screen and read very quickly by the announcer what the exact requirements are to attain that price.

This leads in to Regulation Z which more specifically pertains to advertising. Any real estate advertising on any media (newspapers, flyers, signs, billboards, webpages, TV, or radio) that gives any specific financing terms must be fully disclosed. General statements are ok such as "rates are at an all time low!" but more specific phrases like "rates are as low as 6%!" without further information such as actual APR would be in violation or regulation Z. Any lender that fails to comply with Truth in Lending or Regulation Z could be fined a minimum of $100 to a max of $1,000 plus court costs.

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Post 3. Lewis

There is an old adage that no good deed ever goes unpunished.  The U.S Government is a good example and how its attempt to help make housing affordable to more Americans actually contributed to one of the worst economic disasters. 

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).  The legislation required lending institutions that wanted Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protection to meet the financial needs of mortgage borrowers in their area.  This act did not require these institutions to purchase subprime (higher risk) loans but required institutions mortgage portfolios to have a percentage of loans coming from low-income neighborhoods (Forbes).  In essence, these institutions were expected to approve mortgages for individuals that were at risk for repayment if the institution wanted FDIC coverage.

As a result of the CRA, the Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street investment bank, developed the CDO, which gave birth to the mortgage-centric MBS whereby multiple mortgages were grouped together with the majority of the debt being placed on the stronger loans and the least amount of debt on the subprime loans.  CDOs are grouped into tranches based on the level of risk to default.  Investors bought the safer tranches because they trusted the AAA credit ratings assigned by agencies such as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s.  This was a mistake.  Without the appropriate government oversight to monitor for fraudulent activity, these agencies were paid by, and so supported the lending practices of the banks that created the CDOs.

In 1995, President Clinton revamped the CRA, which then required banks to buy subprime loans.  Under this new requirement, banks expected to assume some losses when risky loans failed for non-payment.  But when enough homeowners failed to make their payments because adjustable interest rates went up the subprime loans defaulted and contributed to the housing market crash. 

Sociology Expert Needed !

I need answers for some questions

week 6 discussion 1, 2,&3 & Week 7

Discussion 1

Discussion: Group Dynamics–Intragroup, Dominant Group, and Marginalization  Members of dominant ethnic and racial groups may assume that other groups' struggles are not their own or assume that those of a given race speak with one voice and react in the same way to their oppression. In reality, people can cope with racial inequalities in a variety of ways, creating complex relationships both between the dominant and oppressed group and among members of the dominant and oppressed groups.  As a social worker, you must understand the many ways in which racial privilege can impact your clients. You must also understand the ways in which racial privilege has impacted your life and the ways you react to the realities of racism. You will likely need to help clients address racial divides and combat racial inequality to empower them.   To prepare: Review "Working With Immigrants and Refugees: The Case of Aaron."  By Day 3  Post an explanation of how dominant groups can play a role in marginalizing other groups based on racial and ethnic characteristics. Discuss the potential negative impact of a dominant culture on immigrants and refugees, such as Aaron. How might racism and prejudice impact his assimilation? Furthermore, explain how you would respond to Aaron when he discusses his family's rejection of his desire to maintain his cultural roots. In your explanation, identify specific skills you would employ as a multiculturally sensitive social worker.

Discussion 2

Mental health care is a primary concern to social workers, who are the main providers of care to populations with mental health diagnoses. The system that provides services to individuals with mental health issues is often criticized for being reactive and only responding when individuals are in crisis. Crisis response is not designed to provide on-going care and is frequently very expensive, especially if hospitalization is involved.   Critics suggest a comprehensive plan, which involves preventive services, as well as a continuum of care. However, there are few, if any, effective and efficient program models. Social work expertise and input are vital to implementing effective services. Targeting services to individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness is one strategy. Another approach includes providing an array of services that are also preventative in nature. How might these suggestions address potential policy gaps in caring for individuals such as the family members in the Parker Family case?  For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, including the Parker Family video. Then consider the specific challenges or gaps in caring for individuals with a chronic mental illness might present for the mental health system based on the Parker case. Finally, think about how environmental stressors, such as poverty, can aggravate mental illness and make treatment more challenging.  Post by Day 3 an explanation of the specific challenges or gaps in the mental health care system for the care of individuals with chronic mental illnesses. Base your response on the Parker case. Then, describe how environmental stressors, such as poverty, can aggravate mental illness and make treatment more challenging.  Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Discussion 3

Like so many areas of practice in social work, mental health is dynamic and ever-evolving. Research continues to provide new information about how the brain functions, the role of genetics in mental health, and evidence to support new possibilities for treatment. Keeping up with these developments might seem impossible. However, being aware of and responsive to these developments and incorporating them into both your practice and social policy is essential to changing the lives of individuals and families who live with a mental health diagnosis and the impact it brings to their daily lives.  For this Discussion, review this week’s resources. Search the Walden Library and other reputable online sources for emerging issues in the mental health care arena. Think about the issues that are being addressed by social policy and those that are in need of policy advocacy and why that might be the case. Then, consider what social workers can do to ensure that clients/populations receive necessary mental health services. Also, think about the ethical responsibility related to mental health care social workers must uphold in host settings when they encounter conflicts in administration and home values. Finally, search your state government sites for the mental health commitment standards in your state and reflect on the mental health services covered under your state’s Medicaid program.  By Day 4, post an explanation of those emerging issues in the mental health care arena that the policymakers address and those that are in need of policy advocacy and why. Then, explain what strategies social workers might use to ensure that clients/populations receive necessary mental health services. Finally, explain the mental health commitment standards and mental health services in your state. In your explanation, refer to the services covered under your state’s Medicaid program.  Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Week 7

Discussion 1

Heterosexism is defined as "the discrimination or prejudice by heterosexuals against homosexuals" (merriam-webster.com) and is predicated on the belief that being heterosexual is the norm and the only accepted type of relationship.  Everyday heterosexism is exemplified in our media, our policies, and daily practices. By making these assumptions, social workers can be in part culpable for the oppression and marginalization experienced by the LGBTQ community.  As a profession, social work embraces diversity and strives to ensure equal rights for all. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is committed to supporting the needs of these groups and, in turn, they created the National Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. During this week's discussion you will be asked to consider how one's own personal views on sexual orientation may clash with the profession's stance.  By Day 3  Post a scenario of how a social worker's personal, ethical, and moral values in relation to the LGBTQ community might conflict with those of their clients. Explain the distinction between personal ethics and values and professional ethics and values evident in the social work profession in addressing this community. Be specific and explain how this distinction relates to the scenario you posted. Also explain how prejudice and bias might create barriers to fulfilling your professional responsibility to the LGBTQ community.

Discussion2

Cultural Influences of Social Policy  Cultures, regardless of where they are or how long ago they existed, share a few common characteristics. Among these characteristics is a structure to care for their children and to socialize them in the culture. Children are taught, both directly and indirectly, the values of the culture, their role in the culture, and the expectations the culture has for them. Children absorb the rules, dynamics, and values, which they will later pass these on to subsequent generations.  As a social worker, you will deal with families from different cultural backgrounds. Understanding the cultural background of the families you work with will help you to effectively intervene and advocate for policies that support their needs. How prepared are you to identify and advocate for social policies that are just and support families from all cultures?  For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, including the Hernandez Family video case. Consider how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy. Then, think about what your responsibilities, as a social worker, might be in supporting the Hernandez family in addressing their child welfare needs through the accessibility of services.   Post by Day 3 an explanation of how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy. Then, explain what your responsibilities, as a social worker, might be in supporting the Hernandez family in addressing their child welfare needs through the accessibility of services.  Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references

Due Jan 7

Due Jan 7

Instructions:

Write a 5 page paper in APA Format plus a reference page.

12 point – Times New Roman

Reference page with internet sites that are free access to all- MINIMUM 3 references Two of those references MUST be from the APUS Library- ONE can be this book: Edwards, Kenneth W., Your Successful Real Estate Career, 5th Edition

NO cover page please

Note: The purpose of this Assignment is to conduct research concerning the Real Estate Licensure process in the state of Illinois

In addition you will utilize the Checklist for evaluating a Real Estate Firm on page 26 of this book: Edwards, Kenneth W., Your Successful Real Estate Career, 5th Edition to assist you in selecting a potential Real Estate Agency to work with in the future.

Additional Assignment Instructions: First, research the Illinois Real Estate Commission web-site. Locate and explore the following areas and others areas of the web-site. For example: Forms and Applications, Finding a Real Estate Company, Approved Real Estate Schools for Licensing, How to Obtain a License, Finding an Instructor, etc. Take some time to read through the various sections of the web-site.

Next, turn to page 26 of this book: Edwards, Kenneth W., Your Successful Real Estate Career, 5th Edition Read the Checklist for evaluating a Real Estate Firm. Consider what portions of this checklist are important to you as a Real Estate Agent.

In your paper address the following:

1.  Explain what information is most relevant on Illinois’ Real Estate Commission web-site and how this information will be useful in the future to obtain your Real Estate License.

2.  Using the Checklist for evaluating a Real Estate Firm on page 26 of this book: Edwards, Kenneth W., Your Successful Real Estate Career, 5th Edition explain the portions of the checklist that are important to you in your career as a Real Estate Agent. In addition, explain the process of selecting a Real Estate Brokerage or Agency in which to work.

Medicalization

Medicalization

 Medicalization

A major component of the sociological discussion of health and illness concerns an analysis of how problems that were previously not considered medical in nature are now a part of the province of medicine. This process, known as medicalization, describes how remedial efforts in the nonmedical realm to solve certain social problems are now given over to modern medicine as a topic of discussion and treatment. The purpose of this assignment is to define medicalization and offer an important commentary about the spread of this social trend in society today.

Instructions

Construct a 4-6 page paper that fully satisfies these four areas:

1. Define medicalization in sociological terms. 

2. Explain three major ways in which medicalization has been able to flourish in modern society.

3. Describe one mental or physical illness that has become medicalized, apply sociological concepts to analyze how this illness has become medicalized.

4. Finally, offer a commentary about whether or not you think the medicalization of this problem is warranted. In other words, do you think that medicalization, in the example you’ve chosen, is unnecessary? Why or why not?

The paper should be typed, double-spaced, 1” margins, arial or times new roman 12 pt font, and saved as .doc.  The paper should be in APA format (cover page, running header, major heading, subheadings, in-text citations, and reference list),

Due Jan. 7th

Week 2:

Your initial post should be at least 250 words.

PICK Fannie Mae: discuss with the class how your choice impacts real estate finance. Pay particular attention to their underwriting standards, underwriting tools, and overall organization. 

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Your initial post should be at least 250 words.

What do we mean by a "mortgage program"? PICK: Variable interest rate loans and discuss with the class how your choice differs from traditional 30 year loans. Be sure to explain the rationale behind the difference, and explain the pros and cons of Variable interest rate loans

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Week 3:

Your initial post should be at least 250 words

Review these questions and determine what the historic relationship between interest rates and home ownership was, and what it appears to be in the current housing slump. 

What happens to an individual's capacity to borrow as mortgage interest rates fluctuate? How did extremely low interest rates in 2004 and 2005, then rapidly rising rates in 2006 impact home sales? (Hint: Try to find some data on the web that correlates unit home sales with interest rates). What happens to home prices as interest rates fluctuate? Have home prices recovered since rates have fallen since then to record lows in late 2010 and beyond? What happens to DOM (Days on the Market) – or how long it takes to sell the average home – as rates go up and down?