Category: Government

Assignment details:
1. Select a current American political issue and briefly describe the issue and what the
different viewpoints are. For example, the topic could be legalization of marijuana in
the U.S. The viewpoints are either for legalization or against it.
2. Research the topic using three professional sources (books, journals, newspapers,
magazines, or websites that end in .org, .edu, or .gov) and compare and contrast the
different viewpoints and positions on your topic. Fully address the different sides of
the issue and demonstrate an understanding of its complexities.
3. Draw a personal conclusion based on your analysis of the issue and present an
informed evaluation from the evidence.
4. Your paper will include the body of work and a Works Cited Page (list or resources
used).
5. Submit your paper through Canvas by the due date as posted in the Course Syllabus.
Fyi, the paper will automatically be run through a program that checks for plagiarism.
Plagiarized work will receive a grade of zero (0) with no opportunity for make-up.
• Completed in Microsoft Word
• Use MLA (Modern Language Association) Formatting o Details and helpful
information can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
• 12 font size
• Verdana font
• Double spaced
• The body of the research paper must be a minimum of 1,000 words.
• The research paper must be original work from the student and may not be
recycled from a different class. In other words, if you’ve already submitted the
paper in a different class, ever, you may not use it for this assignment. All
information must be properly cited using in-text citations; place the author (e.g.,
Brown) or the source name (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau) in parenthetical citation
after paraphrasing their work.
• Use 3 separate professional sources.
• Information from sources must be paraphrased and not quoted. Do not put any
quotes within your paper. The resources cited within the body of the work must
match the listed resources on the Works Cited page. 

Public Policy Portfolio Worksheet 
Directions: Use this worksheet to record your answers to the six activities that make up the Public Policy Portfolio: Agenda Setting, Committee Hearings, Policy Change, Feedback Loop, Cost-Benefit Analysis, and Media Bias. When you are finished, save this worksheet with your answers and submit it for a portfolio grade. 
Public Policy Portfolio
Select a policy and study its development through Agenda Setting, Committee Hearings, Policy Change, the Feedback Loop, Cost-Benefit Analysis, and Media Bias. You can use one policy to answer all of the questions, to create a complete individual case study, or you can select a few different policies to learn about more topics. 
Question 1: Agenda Setting
Select a policy topic that you find interesting. It could be the death penalty, distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the Voting Rights Act, the Patriot Act, or another topic you want to learn about. Search online to read newspaper articles about the policy. Read at least five articles from different newspapers.
What event occurred to place this policy on the agenda?
Question 
2: Committee Hearings
Consider the same public policy you used in Question 1. Using newspaper articles or official government websites only, determine which committees in the House and the Senate had jurisdiction over this policy. Which party had the majority on that committee?
Question 
3: Policy Change
Select a policy topic that you find interesting. It could be the death penalty, distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the Voting Rights Act, the Patriot Act, or another topic you want to learn about. Search online to read newspaper articles about the policy. Read at least five articles from different newspapers. Did your policy have a sunset provision? Did Congress reevaluate the policy and make amendments? How did it change? 
Question 4: Feedback Loop
Consider the feedback loop shown in this lesson. Using newspaper articles and official government websites or reports, fill in the details for each of the five stages of the policy process.
Question 
5: Cost-Benefit Analysis
Search online for a public policy and study its projected costs and projected benefits. How were the numbers developed? Place the numbers in a table, like the one shown in this lesson. Was the policy economically beneficial? Whether it was or not, do you agree that it was the right choice? If you think an economically losing policy was a good choice, what do you base that view on? 
Question 6: Media Bias
Select a policy topic that you find interesting. It could be the death penalty, distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the Voting Rights Act, the Patriot Act, or another topic you want to learn about. Next, look online for infographics that show which media outlets trend left or right. Find at least two different infographics, in case one of them is incorrect. Go back to your topic and look at media coverage from both sides of the political spectrum. Do they differ? How? Why?

this essay is comprised of two components. The essay must be at least 1000 words overall. Please include in text citation and a works cited page in APA format.
Part One:
Begin by completing the following political ideology quizzes:
Advocates for Self Government a libertarian website: www.theadvocates.org/quizLinks to an external site.
Pew Research Center for People & the Press: www.people-press.org/typlogy/quizLinks to an external site.
Next, analyze AND explain YOUR results. Do you believe that these quizzes accurately measured YOUR ideological leanings to the right or the left? Why or why not?
Part Two:
Some people argue that there are no significant differences between the two major parties. Backing up your perspective with appropriate sources, what are the major differences and similarities in the views of the Democratic and Republican parties (e.g., this review of party platforms, 1856-2016 www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/conventions/party-platform-evolution/Links to an external site.)? What are the primary areas of difference between contemporary Democrats and Republicans? (i.e. gun control, abortion, taxes, regulation, LGBT rights, etc?) How are the two parties similar? What are the consequences of these patterns for voters and election outcomes? For policy outcomes?
Instructions for Writing Your Essay:
All essays must be written using proper English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Points will be deducted for grammatical, punctuation, syntax, capitalization, etc. errors. Essays are automatically submitted to Turnitin. Work that Turnitin identifies as having more than a 10% rate of similarity (plagiarism) after quoted material and small matches (10 words or less) are excluded will not be read and will receive a grade of 0. Please include in text citation and a works cited page in APA format.

you must cover two questions from “American Political Culture” and two “US Constitution and Bill of Rights” topics, plus all the questions from the “Civil Rights” in your original post.
American Political Culture 1. Why do only 45% of Americans take part in the political process OR VOTE?
2. If we are the leading figure on Democracy in the world, why do so many Americans distrust our Political Process?
3. Compare and contrast the priorities of the Federalists and Antifederalists for the design of the new Constitution. Although the Federalists argued for a stronger central government (and in many ways, they got one), the Antifederalists won important battles, such as the adoption of the Bill of Rights and the retention of power in the states. What does the debate between Federalists and Antifederalists tell us about American politics in the late eighteenth century? In what ways are the values and concerns of these two groups similar to or different from today’s political debates?
4. Combating terrorism has entailed restrictions on civil liberties. How can we reconcile civil liberty and national security? Are we better off opting for more liberty or more security? Are the two goals mutually exclusive? Have Americans become less supportive of the limitations on liberty put into place after the terror attacks in 2001, or do they still perceive that it makes sense to give up some liberties in order to feel more secure?
US Constitution and Bill of Rights 5. Did the Constitution provide us with a Strong Central Government in DC? or did it provide us with a Dictatorship style. E.g., D.C. now controlling Education (No Child Left Behind)
6. Are we still a free country under the Constitution (Bill of Rights) or has our government taken away our rights? e.g. Patriot Act.
READ: NASA Internet Mining ArticleLinks to an external site. 7. Would the Foundering Fathers be happy with the way the Constitution is interpreted today?
8. In light of the recent NSA spying on Americans. Do you believe that government has a right to do so or is Security more important than our constitutional right?
Civil Rights – Answer all questions for this topic.
Listen to the two-minute NPR segment about Dion DiamondLinks to an external site., take notes and answer following questions.
9. What is the purpose of sit-ins?
Sit-ins are a type of direct action where one or more people occupy an area for a protest, typically to advocate for political, social, or economic change. Protestors gather visibly in a space or building, refusing to leave until their demands are addressed. This form of nonviolent civil disobedience is employed to highlight injustices and call for reform.
10. Do you think student activism was important to the civil rights movement?
Of course. The involvement of young people and students played an important roll to the civil rights movement, leading to crucial changes in the civil rights movement and the freedom of speech for students. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 expanded civil and voting rights for Black Americans. It was demonstrated that young people have power for social change. 11.What are some examples of contemporary student activism?
12. How dangerous is it to stage a civil rights protest today in comparison to the 1960s

You are required to answer both of the questions below. Each answer should be approximately 4 double-spaced pages, with 12-point Times New Roman font. Each answer should have an introductory paragraph that summarizes your argument/findings and a conclusion that reiterates your argument and wraps up the essay. In total, you should have approximately 8 double-spaced pages of writing. Work cited and title pages do not count towards this page total. Please note that your answers need to be clearly written, easy to understand, and free of typos and sloppy grammatical errors. Essays that are difficult to understand, sloppily written and poorly organized will be penalized accordingly.

Question 1: This term, we have learned about different variables that influence state behavior. One variable we have discussed is polarity, or the number of great powers that exist in the international system at a given point in time. What is the current polarity condition of the international system? Is the current system unipolar, bipolar, etc.? Is the current polarity condition conducive to stability between countries? Why or why not? This answer is worth 20 points out of 40 points.
***Note that this answer is asking you to make an argument. Your job is to clearly define how you are measuring what makes a state a ‘great power’ and to develop an argument using the theories/approaches (realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism) from class as to what the current distribution of power means for the stability/instability of the system. Your grade on this essay will be based on how well-developed your argument is and your use of the theories in the development of the argument. I do not care what your specific argument is, only that it is well-developed and flows logically from the theories we have learned about in the course.
Question 2: This term, we have read theories and approaches that argue that factors such as norms, international institutions, and gender influence state behavior. Select two of the factors mentioned above and discuss a recent event in IR that demonstrates how these factors influence state behavior for the event you have selected. The event needs to be a different event than the one you analyzed in your lens paper. This answer is worth 20 points out of 40 points.

This is an extra credit assignment to help me pass the class, so I just need a well written essay using evidence from the Constitution.

Have a good hook. Have page numbers or quotes from the book America: Imagine a World Without Her by Dinesh D’Souza. Have a thesis statement. A good counterargument as well.

Investigate the selected policy area using scholarly sources, government documents, and reputable news sources. Focus on understanding the policy’s development, implementation, challenges, and impact on the citizens of Texas.
3. Write the Research Paper:
Compose a 3-page research paper with the following structure:
Introduction: Introduce the selected policy area and its relevance to Texas.
Background: Provide historical context and key developments of the policy.
Analysis: Analyze the policy’s effectiveness, challenges, and controversies.
Conclusion: Summarize the analysis and offer insights or recommendations.
References: Include properly cited sources in APA format.