Reflecting on Sources

Kaplan University

CM 220-50
Prof Lori D'Angelo
01/31/2012

Unit 4 Project: Reflecting on Sources
Complete all three parts of the worksheet below. Be sure to cite all sources in APA format, including using in-text citations and reference page citations in the spaces provided. The writing should be in Standard English and complete sentences. The sources noted in this worksheet should be related to your "big idea," which is the basis of your final project in this course. Save this document to your computer, and submit it through the Unit 4 dropbox, per the instructions in the classroom under Unit 4's Project Description.
Part I: Pre-Interview Worksheet

Directions: Complete each section of the Pre-Interview Worksheet below. Although students are not required to conduct an interview as research for the final project, the process of thinking about potential questions and responses related to the final project topic will help stimulate further ideas and questions related to conducting relevant and reliable research. Of course, you may also decide to interview the person discussed here or another appropriate subject and use the material in your upcoming projects as a primary source. Interviewer Name | Amber Lidster | Interviewee Name | Judge Jason Brinkley | Interview Method | In person | Interview Location | If interviewing in person, where will it be conducted?Valley View Court House304 West O'Buch Valley View, TX 76272 | Have you seen the location yet? YesNoNot applicable | Interviewee Research | Using complete sentences, describe the information you have found about the interviewee. Also, discuss why you have selected this person to interview. Include an in-text citation if you use information from a source (e.g., website).Jason Brinkley, 26, is the youngest Cooke County Judge.He resides in Valley View, where he was born and raised, and graduated from Valley View He attended Texas A&M; University in College Station from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Following his graduation, Brinkley attended law school at Oklahoma City University School of Law from 2005 to 2008 and graduated in May 2008 with a Juris Doctor. Licensed to practice law in November 2008, he started his own law firm, Brinkley & Webster, PLLC, shortly thereafter. The primary practice area for the firm, said Brinkley, is Denton and surrounding counties.“I feel that I can offer a new and fresh perspective, and believe that I can use my skills to help the county find reasonable solutions to the issues facing our county in the years to come,” said Brinkley. However, Brinkley added, his new role has taught him to look at the judicial system from a different perspective. “I still have a small practice and you’ve got to kind of look at it from a different light,” said Brinkley. “Basically as a defense attorney, you look at it from one light, but I’ve interned for the Denton County District Attorney’s Office back in law school, so I’ve seen it from all three sides now, I guess. I try to be a little more neutral now.” (Jones, 2009)I selected to interview him because he is a judge from a younger generation and seems to be unbiased when it comes to such a debatable issue. | Interview Topic Research | Using complete sentences, discuss any information you already know or research you have found about the interview topic. Be sure to cite any information taken from sources.People should not be on assistance for ever, the idea is to get them independent and into productive work. State Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound said "For Texans to move successfully from welfare to workfare, it is necessary not only to deter, but to identify drug abusers and encourage them to seek treatment," Nelson said. “This will put an end to welfare recipients using your tax dollars to buy drugs." ("Senator nelson pre-files," 1998)Parents that test positive should have mandatory rehab, and their kids should be placed with family if possible. After completing rehab they should be eligible for applying again with stipulations. Such as random repeat drug screenings and parenting classes for those with kids.Anyone and everyone can become drug addicts. People in congress have the money and the power to make sure people don't find out about their problems. If you have a contract with our government you should be required to take a drug test. If we are required to do it in order to find jobs to pay taxes then anyone getting paid by the government should be required to take a drug test.States should invest in the training of government employees to appropriately screen and identify those with addictions and help them through expanded treatment plans. The Constitution embodies the value that our laws apply fairly and equally to all, irrespective of the extent of one's individual wealth.Drug testing is not a requirement of the mortgage-interest deduction, which costs the government $100 billion. Students seeking government aid to attend our colleges and universities are not drug-tested as a condition of receiving grants and scholarships. | Primary Questions | List a minimum of three open questions and three closed questions you would ask the interviewee.Open questions: 1. Should there be drug testing for welfare and unemployment recipients? 2. Should there be drug testing for students seeking financial aid for college or people seeking mortgage assistance? 3. Who should pay for the drug tests?Closed questions: 1. If a recipient does test positive should they permanently be banned from benefits they applied for? 2. Do you think drug testing recipients would be a violation of the Fourth Amendment? 3. Do you think anyone receiving government money should be required to submit to such testing, including but not limited to politicians and companies who contract for the government? | Reasoning Behind Asking These Questions | Describe your reasoning behind this line of questioning.The reasoning behind this line of questioning is because it will not be long until such a case will reach the Supreme Court about this debacle and whether it truly does violate the Fourth Amendment, which grants citizens “the right … to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.” ("Bill of rights," n.d.) I feel getting a Texas judges opinion on the “Big Idea” before this happens in Texas would give me some insight of whether it would even be worth the fight to get a program like this going or not. | Anticipated Responses to Questions | Discuss how you think the interviewee might respond to the questions; consider body language that might be seenI think that the interviewee would be all for the “Big Idea”. I think that his body language would be alert and he would show movements that reflect his own passion towards the subject. | Secondary Questions | List three questions that you intend to ask if there is time or if the interviewee seems open to more questions. 1. Do you think mandating rehab for positive testers an effective plan? 2. Do you think that parents who test positive should have their children taken away and a CPS case opened against them? 3. How effective do you think this program will be if implemented in our state? | References for Part I | If you used in-text citations for research in the above Pre-Interview Worksheet, provide the full APA citation here for the source.Bill of rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html Jones, N. (2009, August 6). Jason Brinkley adjusts to his new career. Gainesville Daily Register. Retrieved from http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/local/x1896331887/Jason-Brinkley-adjusts-to-new-career-as-JPSenator nelson pre-files bills. (1998, December 9). Retrieved from http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist12/pr98/p120998a.htm |

[Please scroll down for Part II of the Project.]

Part II: Three Secondary Sources
Directions: Now provide information about three secondary sources related to your final project topic. You are not necessarily required to use these sources in the final project, though the sources noted below should be reliable and relevant as potential sources to support your thesis statement's argument. Use complete sentences and paragraph format to summarize the information you intend to use from the source, assess the credibility and significance of the source, and reflect on how you will use the information to support or counter your argument. One of the sources noted below should clearly oppose your stance on your topic. Source 1: | Summarize, assess, and reflect on the source.There are not many statistics on how effective drug rehab is, but it is agreed amongst experts that inpatient treatment is the most successful route to sobriety. The longer the length of stay is, the greater the patient's chances of maintaining sobriety are. The effectiveness of drug rehab is completely dependent upon the addict's willingness to work for their sobriety. Drug treatment is not an easy process, and requires a lot of introspection and hard work. The effectiveness of drug rehab increases as the addict takes more action to ensure his or her sobriety. Many treatment centers recommend aftercare, although many do not attend. Following the suggestions of experts greatly increases the chance of long-term sobriety as well.“Findings by DATOS reported here again made it clear that treatment effectiveness is related to patient motivation and problem severity, therapeutic engagement and intensity of services, as well as linkages to community-based social supports.” (Simpson, 2003)This source will be good when explaining how rehab will work for recipients that test positive. |

Source 2: | Summarize, assess, and reflect on the source.“The growth of drug testing has come from several sources, like the federal government, Courts, and testing laboratories to just name a few. Federal contractors or grant recipients are required to maintain drug-free workplaces. Courts tend to recognize private employers’ rights to test employees and any applicants. Congress has passed laws requiring workplace drug testing of more than a tenth of the work force, yet the same Congress has refused to undergo drug testing itself. Besides government employees, drug tests are now given to welfare mothers, prisoners, college-loan recipients and, sometimes, students wanting to join school clubs. Some experts predict that eventually anyone receiving public money of any sort will have to be tested.” (Koch, 1998)This source goes through who is already being tested and predicts possible future outcomes from the drug testing proposals. |

Source 3: | Summarize, assess, and reflect on the source.If our government is helping you to live then you need to be giving them proof of where all the money is going. We should have the right as tax payers to know what we are spending our money on and why. Recipients should not be allowed to blow the welfare money on drugs, strip clubs, casinos or liquor stores. "We have an obligation to root out any kind of fraud and abuse and waste of taxpayer dollars," bill sponsor Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) told HuffPost. "At a time you want to insure that every federal program we have has proper integrity and the money is actually getting to needy families, to needy children, this is something we need to act upon." (Delaney, 2012)This blog would help explain the need to keep track of what each recipient spends. |

[Please scroll down for Part III of the Project.]

Part III: References

Directions: Use the next page to create a references page for the sources cited in Part II above. Create full citations for each source in APA format, order the citations alphabetically, and use a hanging indent.

Delaney, A. (2012, February 1). Republicans aim to ban use of welfare debit cards at strip clubs, liquor stores. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/welfare-strip-clubs_n_1246867.html
Koch, K. (1998, November 20). Drug Testing. CQ Researcher, 8, 1001-1024. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
Simpson, D. D. (2003). Introduction to 5-year follow-up treatment outcome studies. Retrieved from http://www.datos.org/publicationsJSAT03.html