Each student will choose an organization to examine for this assignment. Use an organization that you know. Maybe you have engaged in community service in an organization, or worked in an organization, or are a member of a religious organization.
Using your existing knowledge of the organization or by observing the organizations you currently interact with, you will apply a theory or perspective from class to analyze the organization. Your analysis must include the impact of gender, location, race, ethnicity, culture, ability, socioeconomic status, language, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or any combination of these factors. You will want to address:
- Who oversees the organization?
- Who makes decisions?
- Who is served by the organization?
- Do they have a say in the decision-making process?
- What changes to government policy does this organization desire?
- What changes to society and culture does this organization desire?
You will write a paper covering the points above. You should use both course readings and additional scholarly articles in your paper. As you read the scholarly articles take note of how they are structured. They usually include a review of the literature which you are required to include in your paper.
You will summarize what research tells us about a particular topic. As a result, you need to integrate various sources in the paper. You should not mention a source and then just summarize it. Look for themes and connections between articles. Avoid quotations and center your own reading of the literature, with facts and citations to support your ideas.
Your paper should be 5 – 6 pages in length, following APA or MLA style. You might want to follow this format:
- Introduction
- Background on the organization you chose
- Scholarly information on organizations (cite at least 3 scholarly sources)
- What other types of organizations do this work?
- Is there a name for this type of organization? (e.g., think tank, church,
- Is there a name for this type of work? Are there different approaches?
- What theories, models, or philosophies guide your organization’s work?
- Theoretical analysis of the organization
- Use an organization theory we covered in the textbook or supplementary readings
- Identify key concepts from the theory and how they help you understand how the organization functions
- What cultural or policy changes need to happen for this organization to do its work more effectively?
- Conclusion