Economics and Government Research Paper

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ECONOMICS and GOVERNMENT

MR. CRAWFORD

RESEARCH PAPER

Assignment

Your assignment is to research and write a position paper on a controversial issue pertaining to either American Government or Economics. This paper will take a balanced approach to both sides of the issue and will contain a well supported opinion on the subject.

Possible Topics

Should the Electoral College be abolished?
Does the Supreme Court’s use of judicial review give it too much power compared to that of the President and Congress?
Are federal courts and judges acting unconstitutionally when they practice judicial activism?
Is gay marriage protected under the right to privacy?
Should Roe v. Wade be overturned?
Is an amendment to the US Constitution banning flag burning necessary?
Is public safety more important than civil rights? (racial profiling)
Is it the job of the government to interfere / regulate scientific research?
Should migrant workers / immigrants be granted the same rights and protections as citizens?
Is the 2^nd amendment right to bear arms still applicable in the 21^st century?
Is it the responsibility of the government to provide accommodations for people with disabilities?
Is the government justified in using capital punishment?
Is the Patriot Act constitutional?
Should mandatory military service be required of US citizens?
Does the system of checks and balances still work in the 21^st century?
Are the mandatory drug testing policies of America’s high schools constitutional?
A topic of your choice with instructor approval

Organization of the research paper

Your paper length should be at least 6 pages long and no more than 8 pages long. Anything under or over this requirement will lose points.

Paragraphs deal with one topic and are at least (minimum) 5 sentences long.

Your introductory paragraph should provide relevant background information and present both sides of the argument on your issue, ultimately building up to the thesis statement—which will be at the end of the introduction.

The thesis will address both positions on the issue and your point of view about the issue. The thesis should not be more than one sentence long.

Your opinion needs to be known and you must cite support for your views.
DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON (I, in my opinion or any variations on first person including the use of “one”
You need to incorporate real world examples to support your position. Additionally, make use of facts, details, statistics, and testimonies to better support your points.
This can be done using Court Cases, journal articles, newspaper stories, etc.

You must address both supporting and opposing views on your position. Throughout your paper, you should be mindful of addressing and refuting views that counter your thesis statement and its supporting points. This will make your overall argument on the topic all the more credible.

Argument one: Should be about 3 pages in length.
Argument two: Should be about 3 pages in length.

The conclusion paragraph readdresses the positions described and reasserts the student’s view of the argument. A final statement should give this paragraph closure. Your conclusion should be about one page.

The credits section, entitled “Works Cited”, follows MLA format; this includes all research and cited material within the written work.

Content of the written work:

Major ideas are fully developed and supported with relevant information from a minimum of six (6) sources:

Four (4) data base sources that can be accessed through the Cone Library or other reliable journal sources.
Two (2) primary source documents.
If you use an internet source, you must prove that it is a reliable source and have it approved by me.
Your textbooks are a good place to start the research process but CANNOT be used as a source.
Wikipedia, blogs and all general encyclopedia (Encarta, Britannica) sources are NOT allowed.

All sources must be cited at least once in the paper, using MLA format.

WHEN YOU ARE DIRECTLY QUOTING AN AUTHOR (WITH QUOTATION MARKS) YOU MUST PROVIDE PROPER CITATIONS.
YOU MUST ALSO PROVIDE PROPER CITATIONS WHEN THE INFORMATION IS NOT YOUR OWN BUT PARAPHRASED FROM A SOURCE ACQUIRED DURING YOUR RESEARCH.
UNLESS IT IS AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT OR COMMON KNOWLEDGE DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR THE INFORMATION. PROVIDE THE READER WITH THE PROPER CITATION TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.

The following appears in the Academic Honesty Policy and Syllabus on Blackboard

Do not submit any paper not written wholly and exclusively by you.

Do not claim to have read a literary or other written work if, instead, you have merely seen the movie, read summary study notes, or taken some other “short cut.”

Do not consult, collude, or collaborate with any other individual unless your teacher has given you written permission to do so for a specific assignment.

Be sure to use quotation marks and to cite the source correctly when you use a direct quote. Be sure to quote exactly, word for word, reproducing even the exact punctuation marks. With a direct quote, you will need parenthetical reference and a work cited entry, in addition to quotation marks.

Even if you paraphrase completely, you must document ideas, opinions, and interpretations not wholly your own. You will need a parenthetical reference and a work cited entry each time you paraphrase.

Generalized or common knowledge does not need to be documented; specialized knowledge does. When in doubt, it is safer to document.

When you paraphrase, you must express the material in an entirely new way AND you must still cite the source. You are guilty of plagiarism if you change only a few words and/or if you fail to cite the source.

IMPORTANT! – All teachers will be submitting the paper to “turnitin.com” to check for plagiarism as well as original content. Plagiarism will be reported to the Honor Council. Original content must be over 80% and quoted content can not be over 20%. UNLESS YOU ARE DIRECTLY QUOTING AN AUTHOR (WITH QUOTATION MARKS) THE ENTIRE PAPER MUST BE WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

Clarity of Expression in the written work:

Writing flows smoothly from one idea to another (transitions)
Ideas are clearly expressed (sentence structure)
Mechanics are correctly implemented:
spelling, punctuation, capitalization
diction (slang and colloquialisms are omitted)
proper citation of sources – MLA format required
proper grammar usage
third person point of view (unless a direct quote)
proper use of paragraphs

Due Dates:

Topic with Thesis (10 points) Monday, February 4, 2008
Outline and working Bibliography (10 points) Friday, February 15, 2008
Introduction (10 points) Thursday, February 28, 2008
Rough draft (10 points) Monday, March 3, 2008
Finished project (25 points) Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Finished Product:

A hard copy of your ENTIRE research paper needs to be submitted on the assigned date. This includes the bibliography in proper MLA format.
No pictures are permitted in the written text. If necessary, graphs may be submitted in an appendix to the paper.
The font size should be 12 point and the font style should be sensible and easy to read.
Spacing should be double.

Any portion of the Research Paper and/or the process (above) NOT turned in by the due date(s) will be graded with a 10% penalty per day.