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

Research Focus Group
Freshmen Colloquium, Spring, 2000



In our "Research" focus group, students will have the opportunity to pursue topics of interest to them (see suggestions below), as long as the focus group as a whole covers a wide range of topics. A wide variety of sources may be used, including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, videos, etc. The two main goals will be: (1) to find the best and most interesting materials that can be used in this and future Advocates classes, as well as (2) the learning that takes place in the process of doing this. Students may work individually or in small groups. Creative alternatives to the materials listed above are welcome‹the main point is to find things that will make for interesting learning experiences for you and your fellow Advocates.

We will not be working with children as part of our focus group activities, and the benefit to children will be very indirect. Our time will be spent finding, reading, discussing and evaluating articles on issues that impact children. Written assignments will be very informal, consisting primarily of ongoing, sporadic comments in response to the content of articles (either jotted down by hand in the margins, or on a separate page, as appropriate). For our final presentations on May 8 and 15, small groups of students will be able to select any topic of interest that we have touched on in the readings.


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


Questions or comments always welcome! Contact: Steve Wright.




First-year Syllabus




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

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