Political Ideologies – Illegal Immigration

PLSC 102 Term Paper on Political Ideologies

The purpose of this assignment, according to Thomas Jefferson:
“Difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to truth.”


Illegal Immigration, address the following in at least 6-7 typed pages. You will need to use your lecture notes on the ideological spectrum, and outside research. In addition to books and journals, the following online databases will help you locate opposing views and recent laws/court decisions: Britannica Online, the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, ProQuest and LexisNexis (newspaper and newsmagazine searches), and the CQ Researcher. These and other MiraCosta databases can be accessed for free at MCC libraries or at home (using your Surf password). Simply click on “Library” on the MCC website, and then click on “All Online Databases” under “Online Resources.”
You should start your research with your textbooks (check the index), Britannica Online (or another trustworthy encyclopedia), and the Opposing Viewpoints database. Then, after you have a better understanding of your issue, you can move on to other specific sources such as newspaper and journal articles, newsmagazines such as Newsweek and Time, websites for political parties and other sources.
You will need to use at least 8 different sources for your paper other than your course textbooks. At least three of your sources must be something other than websites (i.e articles, books, etc). If you can find a source in print, but you choose to get it online (like a newspaper article from LATimes.com), it does not count as a website source. All sources must be cited in the paper and listed in a separate bibliography (citation format described below).
The paper must be double-spaced, with size 12 Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and your name, class, and date in the header (not in the body of the paper – click View–>Header&Footer). Do not use any cover pages or folders – only a staple in the upper left corner. Your paper must be in essay format (no outlines). Do not include an introduction or conclusion. Points will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors, and for deviations from the format described below.


Section 1: Describe how contemporary American liberals approach this issue. You will need to provide an objective, unbiased description, so that most liberals would agree with what you have written. Specifically,
a) Describe their beliefs about this issue – are they in favor, opposed? More importantly, what arguments do they give to support their position?
b) Describe the specific changes they propose to address this issue. You will need to research and describe several policies or ideas for reform, including recent laws (state and federal) and/or court decisions that reflect their position; AND policies or ideas that have not yet been put into law (i.e. they’ve only been proposed).
c) Explain why they hold these beliefs and recommend these policies. That is, what core values and characteristics of liberals explain their position on this issue? Use your notes about the spectrum of ideology (for example: beliefs about change, government, property, traditions, etc.). Points will be deducted if you fail to logically apply all the characteristics and core values we discussed in class, which are relevant to your issue.
In this section, do not just copy a description of liberal beliefs from the text or your notes. Each time you mention a core belief or characteristic, you need to relate it directly to your issue. For example, don’t write “Liberals are for same-sex marriage because of egalitarianism.” INSTEAD, you should write: “The liberal drive to legalize same-sex marriage reflects their egalitarian desire to treat homosexuals equally under the law, just like any other human beings.  In addition, the liberal policy of ___________ stems from their belief that ____________ .”  Do not copy this setup verbatim – vary your word choice and sentence structure.

Section 2: Describe how contemporary American conservatives approach this issue. You will need to provide an objective, unbiased description, so that most conservatives would agree with what you have written. Specifically,
a) Describe their beliefs about this issue – are they in favor, opposed? More importantly, what arguments do they give to support their position?
b) Describe the specific changes they propose to address this issue. You will need to research and describe several policies or ideas for reform, including recent laws (state and federal) and/or court decisions that reflect their position; AND policies or ideas that have not yet been put into law (i.e. they’ve only been proposed).
c) Explain why they hold these beliefs and recommend these policies. That is, what core values and characteristics of conservatives explain their position on this issue? Use your notes about the spectrum of ideology (for example: beliefs about change, government, property, traditions, etc.). Points will be deducted if you fail to logically apply all the characteristics and core values we discussed in class, which are relevant to your issue.
In this section, do not just copy a description of conservative beliefs from the text or your notes. Each time you mention a core belief or characteristic, you need to relate it directly to your issue. For example, don’t write “Conservatives oppose same-sex marriage because of faith and nationalism.” INSTEAD, you should write: “The conservative desire to define marriage as between one man and one woman reflects the influence of major religious leaders, which consider homosexuality a sin, and their related adherence to America’s tradition of heterosexual marriage. In addition, conservatives’ desire to ___________ stems from their belief that ____________.”  Do not copy this setup verbatim – vary your word choice and sentence structure.

Section 3: Describe how contemporary American moderates approach this issue. You will need to provide an objective, unbiased description, so that most moderates would agree with what you have written. Specifically,
a) Describe their beliefs about this issue. What arguments do they give to support their position?
b) Describe the specific changes they propose to address this issue. You will need to research and describe several policies or ideas for reform, including recent laws (state and federal) and/or court decisions that reflect their position; AND policies or ideas that have not yet been put into law (i.e. they’ve only been proposed).

Section 4: Briefly critique at least one argument or policy for each of the three positions described above – what is wrong with these arguments and policies when it comes to your assigned issue? Finally, describe your beliefs AND proposed policies for this issue.

In order to receive full credit on this paper, you must show familiarity with all the major arguments and recent policies/ideas on each side of the debate. More importantly, your paper must exhibit a firm understanding of the core values and characteristics of each ideology and how to apply them to your particular issue. See the rubric on Blackboard for more information on how the paper will be graded.

This assignment will be due at the beginning of class on the date listed on the syllabus. No emailed papers accepted. No excuses about crashing computers, failed printers, lost memory sticks/disks, etc. – all this can be avoided by printing the paper before the due date.

Please contact me if you have any questions about this paper.


Citation: You will need to use at least 8 different sources for your paper other than your course texts. At least three of your sources must something other than websites (i.e use articles, books, etc).

** Do not plagiarize, or borrow other peoples’ ideas without acknowledging them. Quote or paraphrase other authors’ ideas, and include proper citations. However, do not include long quotes – this essay should largely reflect your own critical thinking. Papers suspected of plagiarizing other work will be checked by TurnItIn.com, and may result in severe penalties such as a lower class grade or referral to a Dean.

Whenever you are quoting someone directly, or are paraphrasing their idea, include the author and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence that references their idea (put this information before the period).
For example:
Some people argue that politics is many things, and it affects everything (Danziger, 165). Moreover, Lasswell states “politics is who gets what, when and how” (Lasswell, 45).
If there is no page number, put some other brief identifying info in the parentheses. For example: (www.house.gov, Committees).ÂÂ


Also include a separate bibliography at the end of the paper where you give me the full citation. The following provides examples of how to cite sources in your bibliography:

Books:
Abramson, Paul R. 1983. Political Attitudes in America. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.

Articles:
Adelson, J. and O’Neil, R. 1966. “Growth of Political Ideas in Adolescence: The Sense of Community.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 4:295-306.

Periodicals:
Sahagun, Louis and Helfand, Duke. May 18, 2000. ACLU Sues State Over Conditions in Poor Schools. The Los Angeles Times. A1:1.
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For websites, cite the organization’s name, the main host address, the date last accessed, and titles for the chain of links which leads someone to your source. Do not copy the entire URL (i.e. web address).
For example: The US House of Representatives. www.house.gov. Last accessed September 6, 2005. Committees, Appropriations, Press Releases.