Homework 1: Due September 7

Watch:
David France – How to Survive a Plague (January 2012) (available on Husky CT and some subscription services

Answer:
a) Who is the author/creator? Do they have an interest in a particular outcome?
b) What is the point of the paper/work? Is there a question the paper/work is trying to answer?
c) What is the paper/work’s methodology? Is the paper theoretical, empirical, a meta-analysis, a case study, or something else?
d) What is the data of the paper/work? What set of information is the paper/work using to draw its conclusions? How generalizable is this information?
e) What is the paper/work’s conclusion? Are any robustness checks or sensitivity analyses used?
f) What effect might this paper/work have on other papers/works, the field, or society? What additional questions might future researchers/creators ask to build upon this paper/work?

Homework 2: Due September 14

Read: “Conclusion – Americas First Modern Social Policies and Their Legacies” in Skocpol, Theda. Protecting soldiers and mothers. Harvard University Press, 1995 (found in course content on Husky CT).
Answer (1-2 pages):
a) Who is the author? Do they have an interest in a particular outcome? (1 paragraph or so)
b) What is the point of the paper? Is there a question the paper is trying to answer? (2-4 paragraphs)
c) What is the paper’s methodology? Is the paper theoretical, empirical, a meta-analysis, a case study, or something else? (1 paragraph or so)
d) What is the data of the paper? What set of information is the paper using to draw its conclusions? How generalizable is this information? (2-4 paragraphs)
e) What is the paper’s conclusion? Are any robustness checks or sensitivity analyses used? (2-4 paragraphs)
f) What effect might this paper have on other papers, the field, or society? What additional questions might future researchers ask to build upon this paper? (2-4 paragraphs)

Homework 3: Due September 21

Read: Quadagno, Jill. “Why the United States has no national health insurance: Stakeholder mobilization against the welfare state, 1945-1996.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior (2004): 25-44.
Answer the following questions; your responses should total one to two pages (600-1200 words) in length.
a) What is the point of the paper? Is there a question the paper is trying to answer?
b) What is the paper’s methodology? Is the paper theoretical, empirical, a meta-analysis, a case study, or something else?
c) What is the data of the paper? What set of information is the paper using to draw its conclusions? How generalizable is this information?
d) What is the paper’s conclusion? Are any robustness checks or sensitivity analyses used? Does this conclusion overlook anything; how would you criticize this conclusion?
e) What effect might this paper have on other papers, the field, or society? What additional questions might future researchers ask to build upon this paper?