Carolyn French Final Thesis Proposal

Carolyn French, IML Thesis Proposal

December 11, 2007

Working Title
Examining Welfare Reform

Project Abstract
I am investigating welfare reform because I want to evaluate the impact of different approaches on poverty in order to demonstrate to voters the most effective form of assistance for impoverished children and families. My investigation focuses on the switch from ADFC (Aid For Dependent Families and Children) to TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). I will evaluate the differences and similarities between these two policies and the cultural, economic, and political motivations behind the creation of the TANF legislation. TANF was created to appease critics of welfare, but it is debatable if it has fixed the problems that critics claimed were a part of AFDC.
I plan to start my project by focusing on just one social service organization located in Los Angeles (to be determined, but most likely the Department of Children and Family Services), and focus on the ways that this agency and the people it serves were affected by this change in legislation.

Tag words
Welfare reform, social policy, poverty, children and families in urban America

Description

Genre:
Documentary: evidence, testimony, opposing viewpoints. The goal is to paint a complete picture of welfare reform, not focusing on one perspective.
Narrative: including characters personally affected by welfare reform, such as: welfare recipients, social workers, policy makers, those eligible for welfare but do not receive it.
Multi-perspectival: my goal is to present multiple viewpoints and to examine multiple interpretations.

Clear articulation of project goals:
Public knowledge of a lot of national policies is limited solely to their name or the politician attached to the policy. It is important to delve deeper into these policies and examine if they are doing what they are intended to do. I would like to raise awareness of some of the limitations of these policies. For a lot of people, the idea of welfare comes with negative connotations and the general population in America are strongly against America becoming what they consider a “welfare state”. The goal of this website is to give people an opportunity to familiarize themselves with this policy and examine the validity of their assumptions. I would like to give a “human” perspective of welfare by giving people a view of the new TANF policy in practice. TANF was created to address some of the criticisms of welfare. I would like to evaluate this policy and its’ effectiveness. Has it addressed these problems and successfully proposed an alternative solution? Or has it simply created more problems? My thesis, from what I know of this subject so far, will be that TANF has actually created more problems for the population it is intended to help.

Statement of significance within contemporary scholarship in field:
This would offer a new perspective and could be a model for comparing other policies that are directed towards fixing social inequality. A lot of Social Workers and Sociologists hold the view that policies like TANF are a detriment to a society as a whole and contribute to social inequality. My website will aim to convey these views to the larger population. Books and text research on this topic are already available, but they are not compiled in a way that can effectively reach a mass audience. Additionally, previous research on this topic can prove confusing, especially as statistics can be distorted based on personal interest.
360degrees.org is a similar project to mine whose model I would like to follow. This site offers various perspectives on violent crime which question the basic assumptions many in society hold about this topic.

Justification for using Multimedia:
I will create a website that offers an interactive way to explore welfare reform. My website will be accessible and simple, people can learn as much or as little about these policies, can spend as much time as they want on this website whenever they desire, and can choose which component of this policy they would like to learn about. This user control will encourage interest and education among voters.This would encourage people to educate themselves about this policy which affects their lives. The inclusion of audio interviews and pictures will also give people options to learn about welfare reform in whichever way they prefer. This website also presents an opportunity to examine how multimedia can be used to examine social change and effect social policy.

Timeline
Final Thesis Proposal: December 2007
Text Research: Completed by August 2008
Multimedia supplements to text research: August ‘08-October ‘08
Putting together website: October-December 2008
Finished Project: December 2008

Budget
Less than $100: transportation costs, miscellaneous

Advisors
Dr. Carrie Lew (School of Social Work) Awaiting Confirmation
Dr. Karen Sternheimer (Sociology) Awaiting Confirmation
Undecided (IML)

Presentation Plans/Venues
Website

Production Resources

Software Needs
Flash
Website
Digital camcorder
Audio Recorder
Audio editing software
Video editing software

Presentation Needs
Computer, Internet

Prior Related Work
Previous Coursework:
Sociology 305, Sociology of Children
Social Work 304, Children and Families in Urban America
Volunteering with UNICEF, interaction with families currently using TANF

Research Bibliography

Whose Welfare?: AFDC and Elite Politics (Studies in Government and Public Policy)
by Steven M. Teles

American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare
by Jason DeParle