Research Creating policy change requires that you communicate accurate information on the issue to policymakers. You will contact one or more of the relevant policymakers, based on research you have conducted.
First, you will conduct research on a policy issue related to gender-based violence at the state or federal level, preferably the lack of DV services for males in this State. State coalitions against domestic violence and/or sexual assault often have information on particular pieces of legislation. The policy issue may also be something that differentially impacts survivors and/or perpetrators of gender-based violence. For example,
access to healthcare, immigration policy, and programs to address poverty may have unique impacts on individuals and communities when gender-based violence is also a factor. (preferably the lack of DV services for males in this State)
You will conduct research on a particular issue, drawing on scholarly sources, including peer-reviewed journal articles. This research will form the basis for your argument to the policymaker.
Make the calls Next, you will decide who to contact about this issue. Is this an issue related to a particular state? Is it a federal issue? Both? Calls are most effective when the person making the call is a resident of the relevant district. In other words, if you are contacting a Senator from Delaware, it should be a Delaware resident making the call. You will write a brief script for the call(s). This script should include a brief overview of the research you found and a specific request for the policymaker to act in some way. Make sure to be polite, professional, and clear.
Reflect Finally, as a group, you will write a 5-7 page paper summarizing your efforts. You will provide a description of the research you conducted, and the conclusion you came to regarding needed policy change. You will describe who you decided to call and why, and you will also attach the script for your phone calls. Finally, you will reflect on your efforts. What was it like making the calls? How did the person answering the phone respond? Did you receive a response from the policymaker? If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
The bibliography should use APA formatting for in-text citations and references. If you are not familiar with APA reference formatting, you can find additional information and examples at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/07/ This link is also on the Sakai site in the Syllabus and Assignments folder. An additional APA reference handout developed by the HDFS department is also on Sakai. Do not rely on auto-formatting through Google Scholar or other online resources as they are frequently wrong.