TOPIC: Here’s an interesting article on the way the parties polarize public opinion on abortion:
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PURPOSE: This assignment is designed to assess two things: first, your understanding of the material we’ve covered thus far, and, second, your ability to apply the things you’ve learned to the various and myriad political events that are continually happening in the real world.
This assignment is designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking. When I say “demonstrate critical thinking,” I mean to say you need to show me that you can apply the principles we’ve covered to new scenarios—that you can analyze and synthesize the substantive content we’ve covered in the class and use it to evaluate or draw conclusions about things that are happening in real-world politics.
TASK: Read the assigned material in your textbook, and consult your notes. Then, spend some time looking at what’s going on in the news. Is anything relevant to the issues covered in your textbook or in the lectures? Find something that sticks out to you as particularly interesting, relevant, or important. Send me a link to the article, and write a paragraph explaining why you think it’s (1) relevant to what we’ve been covering, and (2) important. You should come to class next Tuesday, the twentieth of February, prepared to talk about both aspects of your article.
CRITERIA: I will be grading you on five things. First, did you correctly identify something in the news that is relevant to the material we’ve covered? Second, did you accurately summarize the content of the article you chose? Third, did you explain how the article you chose relates to the material we’ve covered in the class? Fourth, did you identify and defend a position as to what should be done to address the issue? Fifth, is your paper well-organized and well-written (i.e. do you have a clear thesis; do the body paragraphs present a point-by-point argument; do you have a conclusion that reflects the body arguments and restates your thesis)?
THE ASSIGNMENT: Spend a few minutes looking at the articles I’ve posted in the News Threads for Units 4, 5, or 6. Pick one that you find particularly interesting, confusing, or frustrating, and write a 2-3 page paper (in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced with one-inch margins) about it.
Your paper should explain (1) why you think the issue is particularly important; (2) how the issue relates to the material we’ve covered in class; and (3) how you think the issue should be resolved.
*Please note that whether or not I agree with you has nothing to do with your grade. I only care about your ability to demonstrate that you’ve read the material, thought seriously about it, and spent some time crafting a coherent paper.
ASSESSMENT: This paper is worth up to 100 points, 10% of your final grade. For details on how your paper will be graded, please see the rubric.
