Real World Analysis Reports – Assignment and Rubric
(35% of grade)
Topic due Monday, 9/13 by midnight
1st report due Wednesday, 10/6 before class time (2:45pm)
2nd report due Wednesday, 11/3 before class time (2:45pm)
3rd report due Wednesday, 12/1 before class time (2:45pm)
In these short papers (~1,000 words each), please apply theories and research findings
discussed in class and/or in the book to your real-world issue. The report must include
information from the literature that we are currently reading and must be completed individually.
Your RWAR should include in-text citations and a reference list at the end in APA format; the
word count does NOT include the reference list.
Strong reports will open with the topic of interest and a real-world example, followed by the
application of several literature findings to extend our knowledge of that topic, then a strong
conclusion. Bonus points if you use the literature to suggests prescriptions for intervention work.
Here is a short example of a topic intro + two literature citations + the beginning of a ref section:
Vast socio-economic and health disparities exist between Whites and racial minorities in
America, and these tend to widen as the economy declines. For example, during the
recent recession, inflation-adjusted median wealth fell by 66% and 53% among Hispanic
and Black households, while White household median wealth fell by only 16%. How
does economic recession lead to greater disparities?
One mechanism through which recession might lead to greater discrimination in the
allocation of resources is through increased perceptions of resource threat. That is,
prejudice can derive from the perception of competition between groups (Realistic Group
Conflict Theory; see Jackson, 1993 for a review) or the perception that ones’ own group
is being deprived of a resource that another group receives (Relative Deprivation
Theory; Walker & Smith, 2002). In the case of White decision makers, the impression
that White people are competing with other groups for resources and falling behind
during economic recession could induce greater prejudice, which could influence
downstream behavior. For example, a White employer might fire a greater number of
racial minorities because of increased prejudice resulting from feelings that a recession
disproportionately harms White people, or that minorities are “taking” White peoples’
jobs…
References
Jackson, J. W. (1993). Realistic group conflict theory: A review and evaluation of the
theoretical and empirical literature. The Psychological Record, 43(3), 395.
Walker, I., & Smith, H. J. (Eds.). (2002). Relative deprivation: Specification,
development, and integration. Cambridge University Press.
ANALYSIS REPORT RUBRIC
Points
Component
Description
10
Topic
15
Lit. cited
Introduction and explanation of topic, with real world
examples
Examples from the psychology literature related to the topic
30
Comprehension
Understanding of the literature
30
Focus and
details
Organization
Editing
TOTAL
Application of literature to topic
10
5
/100
Topic
Literature cited
(book/articles)
Comprehension
(book/articles)
Focus & Details
(book/articles)
Organization
Editing
Clarity of topic, connection to literature, conclusion
Spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, formatting
Exceeds
Expectations
Topic is clear
and wellfocused
3-4 strong
examples
Mastered the
material,
explained
elegantly
Connections to
topic are clear
and are well
supported by
detailed and
accurate
information.
Exceptionally
logical and
superbly
organized
Paper is nearly
free of errors of
spelling,
grammar,
punctuation,
word choice,
formatting
Meets
expectations
Topic is clear,
but still broad
3-4 good
examples
Understood the
material,
explained
clearly
Connections to
topic are clear
and supported
by accurate
information
Clear topic,
clear
connections to
literature, clear
conclusion
Errors of
spelling,
grammar,
punctuation,
word choice,
formatting
maybe be
present but are
not intrusive
Falls below
expectations
Topic is
somewhat
defined
Vague examples
No credit
Topic is unclear
No examples
Understood the
Did not
material,
understand/could
explanation
not explain the
unclear
material
Connections to
Connections to
topic are clear but
topic are not
are not well
clear
supported and/or
information is
lacking/inaccurate
Generally
organized, but
lacked some
clarity
Poorly organized
or ideas were
presented
randomly
Errors of spelling,
grammar,
punctuation, word
choice, formatting
are frequent,
noticeable, and/or
intrusive
The writing
makes the paper
unreadable