Learn about a current political issue or problem. This means a policy.

 

Develop your Internet and library research skills. This means peer-reviewed journal articles.

 

Evaluate your topic from the perspective of different cultures and/or political viewpoints as well as your own. In other words, your opinion is not the only opinion. You should plan to present two (2) different views.

 

Improve communication and critical thinking skills. Write better and think better.

 

 

Paper Criteria

 

Topic selection A current governmental or political (not historical) issue, or problem. This means a policy. *2306 classes use a topic relevant to Texas. North Korea is not necessarily relevant to Texas. I prefer that you dont write about abortion unless it is a specific law that applies to the issue of abortion. In other words, dont discuss the merits for or against abortion or any other topic. Your job is to look at different perspectives. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Content address the various sides of the issue (more than your view) with the student drawing personal conclusions based on their own analysis of the issue (look at facts/sources) and demonstrating an understanding of its complexities (explain the issue). It would be helpful if you identify the various sides of the issue such as Republican, Democrat, Catholic, Protestant, NRA, AARP, blacks, Hispanics, etc. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Compare and contrast the different viewpoints of sources used on your topic taking into account the limits of a position. For example, source A says this and source B says that. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Present an informed evaluation of the evidence (data/facts) and different viewpoint surrounding the topic. This is really important to critical thinking. Many students want to talk about funding, immigration, gun control, etc. Often, they dont use single number. Other people have researched these topics and provide lots of data. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Paper length – your paper should be at minimum (no maximum) of 750 words long (not counting headings and the Works Cited page). The paper should be typewritten and double-spaced, and based on information from a minimum of three sources (no maximum). Your minimum of three sources should be academic in nature. In other words, use peer-reviewed journal articles or books published by an academic press. These sources should not be newspapers or government Websites. If you want to include other sources beyond the three required such as a news sites or other Web sites that will be fine. Heres an example.

 

Just, Aida, and Christopher J. Anderson. Dual Allegiances? Immigrants Attitudes toward Immigration. The Journal of Politics, vol. 77, no. 1, 2015, pp. 188201. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Writing stylewith few or no typographical errors, misspelled words, and grammatical errors. Use proper paragraphing and improve your writing style by revising the paper as many times as necessary. Use Times New Roman, 12 point font. 10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Citationsanytime you borrow someones ideas, paraphrase or quote them, cite all sources using a recognized citation style (MLA https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/).10 points off if this is not done well.

 

Analyze and question your sources assumptions.    

 

All style manuals for political science research essays and papers require that quotations be fully cited and put in quotation marks in the text.

 

A bibliography or work cited page also using MLA format. 10 points off if this is not done well.

A final note about citing work. Dont use the title of the article you are referring to within your content. Thats what the Works Cited page is for. For example, a student will sometimes write the following sentence.

In the article I read, Over the hills and through the fields is where the immigrants are today, tomorrow, and the next day.

This is not necessary. If John Smith wrote the article, then you could say the following.

Smith says, The immigrant population today is largely made up of people from Honduras.  

When I go to your Works Cited and see his name (Smith, John) I will know which article he wrote.