Students are strongly advised to save their signature assignment(s) for this course to meet the Portfolio assignment requirement in SW623.   Rationale: The goal of the assignment is to provide students with the opportunity to apply theories and concepts covered throughout the course. Additionally, it is intended to assist the student in understanding the process for community assessment by paying particular attention to the distribution of resources and power and the influence of social and political forces on human behavior.   Directions: For this assignment, students will apply course content related to systems theory, group dynamics, organizations, and community functioning and development to analyze the community described in the book All Souls: A Family Story from Southie. Students will work individually on this assignment and turn in one paper each, although you are of course encouraged to turn to your classroom small groups for support, problem solving, and critical thinking. However, any idea that originates with the instructor or another student must, if used in a paper, be attributed properly to the source. Students are required to use All Souls and course materials for this paper. You are also welcome to use outside sources.   The following items must be covered in the community analysis:   1. Define the community of Southie. How is the physical environment described? Using systems thinking, what are Southie’s various boundaries?   2. What groups function within Southie? What is their hierarchy? What are their roles?   3. Does Southie differ from other communities based on class, race, or ethnicity? How are these differences maintained?   4. How would Southie be perceived by someone on the ‘outside’ compared to someone on the inside? How is shared identity central to the community’s conception of self? What does it mean to be “from” Southie?   5. Describe the dominant belief system(s) of the community. What are the prevailing values? How are they maintained? How are differences handled?   6. How do crises define who “we” are in Southie? In what ways is this membership/identity empowering/protective? In what ways is it oppressive?   7. What organizations, internal and external to the community, are central to the functioning (and dysfunction) of this community? What roles do they play?   8. How has the community evolved? What are the relevant historical, social or political forces that have shaped this community?   9. What is/are the issue/s with which the community is most concerned? How does the community maintain this issue? What assets/strengths exist to allow the community to resolve the issue? How does Southie display resilience? 10. Finally, based on your assessment, what might be some ideas for community enrichment/change? How might the community build upon its assets to promote social justice? As a community organizer, where would you start in working with Southie? What would be your community development priorities?   Students are expected to complete this assignment within 8-10 pages, typed and doubled spaced. APA format is expected. If you have any doubts about citation, please contact the instructor or the writing Evaluation Criteria:   Use and integration of course materials (5 points) Critical thinking and analysis (this does NOT mean criticizing the community, necessarily, but rather using techniques to uncover the various levels at work in the community) (5 points) Ability to identify significant issues and ignore the minor or irrelevant ones (5 points) Ability to incorporate issues of difference and justice related to the community and social work (5 points) Ability to write clearly and succinctly (using outline, headings, page limits) to convince the reader of the validity and importance of your findings, additionally using APA (5 points)