Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is an organizing tool that summarizes the central theme and scope of each source in a list. Each student will create an annotated bibliography with a minimum of four (4) peer-reviewed journal articles from your Guided Pathways to Success career path. In one document, write # 1-4 for each of your 4 articles and submit. Each annotation should include:

1. Career Path
2. Cite the article in proper ASA or APA format.
3. Provide a brief annotation that summarizes the article (approx. 3-5 sentences). You may quote from the source, but do not copy and paste the abstract. Ideally, all of the annotation should be in your own words.
4. In 1 or 2 sentences, explain the source’s relevance and importance or critique its applicability.

Annotated Bibliography Example

1. Social Science and Public Services Career Path
2. Battle, Ken. 2007. “Child poverty: The evolution and impact of child benefits.” Pp. 21-44 in A Question of Commitment: Children’s Rights in Canada, edited by K. Covell and R. B. Howe. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
3. Ken Battle draws on his research as an extensively-published policy analyst, and a close study of some government documents, to explain child benefits in Canada. He outlines some fundamental assumptions supporting the belief that all society members should contribute to the upbringing of children. His comparison of Canadian child poverty rates to those in other countries provides a useful wake-up to anyone assuming Canadian society is doing a good job of protecting children from want. He pays particular attention to the National Child Benefit (NCB), arguing that it did not deserve the criticism it received from politicians and journalists. He outlines the NCB’s development, costs, and benefits, including its dollar contribution to a typical recipient’s income. He laments that the Conservative government scaled back the program in favor of the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), and clearly explains why it is inferior.
4. Battle relies too heavily on his own work; he is the sole or primary author of almost half the sources in his bibliography. He could make this work stronger by drawing from the perspectives of others’ analyses. However, Battle does offer a valuable source for this essay, because the chapter provides a concise overview of government-funded assistance currently available to parents.

Slideshow Presentation

The purpose of the class presentation is to assist students in organizing new information in a focused manner. Each student will create and submit an instructional slideshow presentation (PowerPoint) where they organize, explain and curate a learning experience for peers on how their GPS Career Path relates to sociological research. Each student will then verbally present in-class.