Federal Government 2305

Course Writing AssignmentOL-Federal Government-03/22/21 GOVT2305.20210322.617938

Course Writing Assignment

Course Writing Assignment

1. How can I validate the accuracy of my statement?
2. How is this information relevant?
3. How does my conclusion address the complexities of the issue?
4. What is another interpretation or viewpoint of the issue?
5. Does my conclusion follow from the data and/or statements I have provided?

Do not make your paper chatty.
Do not use �rst or second person (I, we, you).
Edit your work. Then edit it again. Then again.
Use spellcheck.
Do not turn in a rough draft — it will make a very low grade.

The purpose of the project is to provide students an opportunity to discuss a key
political science concept and to show a basic understanding of academic research and
reporting skills. The project consists of producing an essay of at least 750 words and
not longer than 1200 words on one of the provided topics (see below), as well as a
works cited page with at least three sources containing information used in the essay
(note: there must be a parenthetical citation at the end of each sentence that contains
information from a source). The assignment is to be formatted according to the
Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Students should research this style in order
to properly format the assignment (see the Purdue Online Writing Lab).

It is important to think critically about your chosen topic and clearly express your
thoughts about it in writing. Where appropriate, make sure to include speci�c evidence
and/or examples (along with appropriate citations).  When writing your analysis,
consider the eight standards for critical thinking (Paul and Elder, 2013): clarity, accuracy,
precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, and fairness.  Ask yourself questions, such
as

**Not more than 15% of the paper can be quotations or paraphrases. That is 15%
for both quotations and paraphrases, combined. Make sure that any quotations
you use are concise and relevant.**

While this is not a paper for Freshman English, you are expected to maintain
formal, academic standards:

Freshman English was not a hoop to jump through and be done with; Freshman
English was to teach you skills needed for the rest of your academic career and
for professional writing. Use the skills learned in Freshman English. It is expected,
and failure to do so will a�ect your grade.

My Institution Organizations and Tutoring Tech SupportCourses
Emmanuel Polanco 7

https://ctc.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain?course_id=_241121_1

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html

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https://ctc.blackboard.com/webapps/login/?action=logout

It is not necessary to copy the prompt. Copying the prompt does not count
toward the required word count. Works Cited entries do not count toward the
required word count.

Students should use 12 point as the paper’s font size, double space the text, and create
one inch margins on all four sides of the page. In addition, the writing assignment does
not need to have a separate title page.

All writing assignment submissions will be processed through the SafeAssign program.
Do not cut and paste from online sources or use information word for word from the
textbook. The assignment needs to be your own work and if it is not, the submission
will receive a failing grade or a zero. Students may not submit a writing assignment for
this class that has been previously submitted for another course.

Please choose ONE of the following topics for your writing assignment:

Topics to choose from for the Course Writing Assignment are listed directly below.

Topics for Course Writing Assignment

The U.S. Constitution creates a federal system of government whereby powers
are distributed between a national government and �fty state
governments. There are times when the federal government and state
governments clash over state laws that may violate federal law or federal
mandates. What methods does the federal government use to get states to
comply with federal mandates? What are the ways that states can resist federal
mandates? Find an example of a policy con�ict (such as marijuana legalization,
the A�ordable Care Act, voting rights, civil rights, immigration, same-sex
marriage, etc.) between a state (or states) and the federal government. What
were the arguments made by the federal government and states about the
issue?  How were their di�erences resolved (if it is an issue that hasn’t been
resolved, what steps have been taken by each side to advance their position)? If
you select this topic, make very certain that the focus of your paper is on the ongoing
tug-of-war between federal and state power. Do not put the focus of the paper on the
issue itself (for example, the legalization of marijuana) or you will end up redoing the
paper. In the past, some students have used this topic to write a paper on a topic of
their choice not on this list — they received no credit for the paper. When one student
found himself redoing this assignment because I wouldn’t accept his paper on the
legalization of marijuana, he simply put a token paragraph or two about federal vs.
states at the beginning. The second attempt also did not receive credit, and then the
course was over. Don’t be that student.

The number of people represented by each member of the U.S. House of
Representatives has more than tripled since the size of the House grew to 435
members in the early 20th Century. Should the number of congressional
representatives be increased in the House right now? Would representation be
improved if more representatives were added?  Is there a limit to the size the
House can reach before it cannot operate e�ectively and e�ciently as a
legislative body?

The founders wanted the courts to be protected from politics. In what ways was
the judiciary designed to limit the role of politics? Are the courts completely
immune from politics? What role does politics play in Supreme Court
con�rmation proceedings? Should there be term limits for federal judges,
including Supreme Court justices?  Why or why not?   

Legislation has been introduced in recent years to enact lobbying bans of varying
lengths on former members of Congress. What are the current lobbying
restrictions on former members of Congress? What are the arguments for and
against preventing former members of the House and Senate from lobbying
Congress? Should former members of the House and Senate be banned
permanently from lobbying Congress? If not, should there be a short-term ban
or no ban at all?  Note:  Including at least one speci�c proposal (bill) in your
discussion will help strengthen your essay.)

According to Figure 8.2 in AmGov: Long Story Short, the United States ranks
26th in voter turnout when compared to other developed democracies. 
According to your textbook, what are some of the causes of low voter turnout in
the United States?  Do you think it is important to have high voter
turnout? Discuss at least two ways to increase voter turnout. You should discuss
speci�c proposals that are either being used in some states (or other countries)
or have been proposed by outside election observers seeking to increase
turnout in the United States. Would these proposals actually increase turnout
around the U.S. or would people resist the proposals you have discussed?  Why
or why not?

There are some groups that remain restricted from voting in some or all parts of
the U.S. (for example, legal aliens and people under 18). One group that has
been in the news lately is ex-felons. Voting restrictions on ex-felons vary from
state to state. What are some of the di�erent voting restrictions placed on ex-
felons by states? In the past few years, there has been a push in some states to
restore voting rights to ex-felons. What are the arguments for and against
restoring voting rights to ex-felons?  Discuss the various methods being used to
restore voting rights (for example, executive action by the governor, referendum
passed by the public, actions in state legislatures, etc.) and include speci�c
examples from two di�erent states. Do you agree with restoring voting rights to
ex-felons?  Why or why not?

Submit Your Course Writing Assignment

Select the Submit Your Writing Assignment link to submit your assignment.

Helpful Resources for Papers/Projects

APA
MLA
Son of Citation Machine

Here are links to helpful tools that will aid you in your papers and projects.

Citation

https://ctc.blackboard.com/webapps/assignment/uploadAssignment?content_id=_11444513_1&course_id=_241121_1&group_id=&mode=view

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

http://citationmachine.net/index2.php

PowerPoints

Oveta Culp Hobby Memorial Library

Prezi

Writing Tutoring

Microsoft O�ce 365

Creating PowerPoints

Research

Presentations Options

Central Texas College Tutoring for Writing

Free Software

https://templates.office.com/en-us/

http://www.ctcd.edu/academics/library/

http://prezi.com/

http://ctc.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/execute/viewCatalog?type=Org&id=_2_1

https://products.office.com/en-us/student?ms.officeurl=getoffice365