This assignment is linked to competencies 1, 6, and 7 and asks you to identify and describe two theories and use these to analyze the story of Lia Lee and her family from macro and micro perspectives. This assignment is worth 35% of your total course grade.
You should read “The spirit catches you” by Anne Fadiman and then consider the experiences of Lia Lee, her family, and those in the community who worked with her and her family. Next, you should choose two of the theoretical perspectives or theories described in the text (one appropriate to conduct a macro analysis and one appropriate to conduct a micro analysis). Finally, you will write a paper of approximately 12–15 pages in length to respond to the following points. This is due the week after class ends.
PART I:
Identify and define the two theoretical perspectives.
Many of these theoretical perspectives include a range of theories. Students may choose either the broad theoretical perspective or a narrower theory within that perspective for this assignment. In one or two paragraphs for each perspective/theory, address the following:
Describe the key concepts and themes associated with each of the perspectives/theory.
Identify at least one major scholar associated with each of the perspectives/theory; note the discipline of each of the scholars (i.e., psychologist, sociologist, social work). If the scholar is not a social worker, provide a brief (two or three sentences) explanation of the degree to which the scholar(s) represents the social work perspective.
Provide a brief discussion that details why the theories/perspectives were selected to use for this analysis.
PART II:
Use one of your two chosen perspectives/theories to provide a micro-level analysis of one of the stories in the Fadiman book.
Identify your target of analysis (i.e., individual, family, organization, community)
What micro-level dimensions does this perspective/theory help you to understand about the target of analysis?
Apply the concepts and themes of your selected perspective/theory to the different micro-level dimensions of your target. Be sure to adequately and fully explain how the particular perspective/theory enhances your understanding of each of the dimensions (i.e., what dimensions of the target’s story are emphasized by the perspective/theory; what conclusions can you draw about the story and what questions remain unanswered based on this particular perspective/theory; to what extent does the theory help you to see certain characteristics or situations of the target in relation to other stories in the book; are there empirical studies using this perspective/theory that are helpful to you?).
To what extent does your chosen perspective/theory address the cultural issues portrayed in this book (i.e., does the perspective/theory focus attention on certain cultural aspects, ignore cultural differences, assume a dominant culture)?
PART III:
Use the other chosen perspective/theory to provide a macro-level analysis of one of the stories in the Fadiman book (similar to what you did above for the micro-level).
Identify your target of analysis (i.e., individual, family, organization, community).
What macro-level dimensions does this perspective/theory help you to understand about the target of analysis?
Apply the concepts and themes of your selected perspective/theory to the different macro-level dimensions of your target. Be sure to adequately and fully explain how the particular perspective/theory enhances your understanding of each of the dimensions (i.e., what dimensions of the target’s story are emphasized by the perspective/theory; what conclusions can you draw about the story and what questions remain unanswered based on this particular perspective/theory; to what extent does the theory help you to see certain characteristics or situations of the target in relation to other stories in the book; are there empirical studies using this perspective/theory that are helpful to you?).
To what extent does your chosen perspective/theory address the cultural issues portrayed in this book (i.e., does the perspective/theory focus attention on certain cultural aspects, ignore cultural differences, assume a dominant culture)?
PART IV:
Provide a Professional and Ethical Analysis of the interventions used in this book.
How does a theoretical understanding of these micro and macro level dimensions help you to decide who and how to target your intervention?
Identify, describe, and explain any theoretical perspectives that the social worker in this book used to guide her interventions.
Using the NASW code of ethics, discuss the ethical considerations of the social worker’s practice decisions.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Please provide an introduction and conclusion for the paper and use subheadings to identify the sections above.
APA STYLE AND FORMATTING IS REQUIRED.
The 12–15 page requirement does not include your title and reference pages. The completed paper should include a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources. The Hutchison book may be used sparingly, but it will not count as one of your required 10 peer-reviewed articles. In addition, you may use relevant non-peer-reviewed sources in this paper; however, they will not count toward the required 10 peer-reviewed sources. This is an individual assignment and will be reviewed in Turnitin, the plagiarism checker.
