Writing Portfolio Assignment: Synthesizing Changing Divorce Trends in the United States

Note: I have formatted this as a document upload to help practice with formatting, as this is a requirement of your final paper of this course. You will want to download the template I’ve provided in the module, and then you will fill it in and upload it as a turn-it-in assignment. 
Template for Writing Prompts.docx

Prompt: After completing this week’s reading, lecture notes, and watching assigned materials, create a short summary in 2 – 3 paragraphs that synthesizes the changing divorce trends, and the factors affecting these changes, in the United States between the Nuclear and Post-Nuclear eras (i.e. how things have changed in the last ~70 years).

You may cover how divorce rates have changed, how gender expectations have changed, how union dissolution and reunionification trends have changed, changes in stepfamily patterns, changes in cohabitation, changes in child custody law and practice, changes in cultural narrative have changed, etc. The key word is CHANGE!

The key to this assignment is focusing on and clearly describing changes over time – and organization is key!

Be sure to start your paragraphs with a topic sentence that summarizes the key information of the paragraphs, and conclude with a conclusion sentence. Feel free to adapt the examples below!

• You may want to organize your short essay by time period
  • one paragraph on Nuclear Era facts, trends, and cultural tropes / stigmas
  • one paragraph on Post-Nuclear facts, trends, cultural tropes / stigmas
• Alternatively, you might want to have a few paragraphs that each focus on a reason for the change over time, and then explains that in details
  • One reason that divorce has become more common is…
  • Another reason that divorce has become more common is…

Please focus on citing Lecture Notes / Materials / Videos and our Course Text (Cherlin). You do not need to cite any other, non-course sources to earn full credit. You should include in-text citations at the end of your sentences where you have cited course material – I’ve given direct examples in the template you will download and complete.