POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper America's Democracy: Your Report Card The primary goal of your last assignment is to critically analyze the primary features of the American national government. The results of your analysis will indicate what you have learned over the last five weeks. In order to accomplish this task, it is important to critically evaluate the key facets of our American democracy. You have been preparing for this final assignment each week by constructing a detailed outline of the Final Paper’s main points through the weekly Learning Activities. In addition, you have read the course text and course readings, reviewed videos, and researched additional material for each week’s assignments and for this paper. This week, you will put all of those outlines, readings, reviews, and research together into a one summative paper. As we wrap up our course, reflect back on what you have learned about the key structures, systems, roles, and processes that embody our national government. Focus on the strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages, and positive and negative impacts of these aspects of our democracy. Use what you have learned so far to evaluate our national government and recommend ways to enhance what works and repair what is not working well. Construct a six-page paper based on the detailed outlines that you created over the last four weeks. Scaffold your paper around the following outline: 1. Title page 2. Introduction (half page): a. Describe the paper’s overall thesis. b. Provide an overview of main points. 3. The Constitution (1-1.5 pages) (Week 1): a. Describe one strength and one weakness of the U.S. Constitution. b. Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness. 4. Federalism (1-1.5 pages) (Week 2): a. Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of a national policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy. b. Recommend one option to maintain the advantage and one to improve the disadvantage. 5. Branches of Government (1-1.5 pages) (Week 3): a. Describe one strength and one weakness of one branch of our government: Executive, Legislative, or Judiciary. b. Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness. 6. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections (1-1.5 pages) (Week 4): a. Describe one positive impact and one negative impact of one of the following: political parties, interest groups, or federal elections. b. Recommend one option to accentuate the positive impact and one to lessen the negative impact. 7. Conclusion: a. Review your main points. b. Review your overall thesis. 8. References page Writing the Final Paper The Final Paper: 1. Must be at least six double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. 2. Must include a title page with the following: a. Title of paper b. Student’s name c. Course name and number d. Inst.

1. POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper
America's Democracy: Your Report Card
The primary goal of your last assignment is to critically analyze
the primary features of the American national government. The
results of your analysis will indicate what you have learned
over the last five weeks. In order to accomplish this task, it is
important to critically evaluate the key facets of our American
democracy.
You have been preparing for this final assignment each week by
constructing a detailed outline of the Final Paper’s main points
through the weekly Learning Activities. In addition, you have
read the course text and course readings, reviewed videos, and
researched additional material for each week’s assignments and
for this paper. This week, you will put all of those outlines,
readings, reviews, and research together into a one summative
paper.
As we wrap up our course, reflect back on what you have
learned about the key structures, systems, roles, and processes
that embody our national government. Focus on the strengths
and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages, and positive and
negative impacts of these aspects of our democracy. Use what
you have learned so far to evaluate our national government and
recommend ways to enhance what works and repair what is not
working well.
Construct a six-page paper based on the detailed outlines that
you created over the last four weeks. Scaffold your paper
around the following outline:
1. Title page
2. Introduction (half page):
a. Describe the paper’s overall thesis.
b. Provide an overview of main points.
3. The Constitution (1-1.5 pages) (Week 1):
a. Describe one strength and one weakness of the U.S.

2. Constitution.
b. Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to
correct the weakness.
4. Federalism (1-1.5 pages) (Week 2):
a. Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of a national
policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal
bureaucracy.
b. Recommend one option to maintain the advantage and one to
improve the disadvantage.
5. Branches of Government (1-1.5 pages) (Week 3):
a. Describe one strength and one weakness of one branch of our
government: Executive, Legislative, or Judiciary.
b. Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to
correct the weakness.
6. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections (1-1.5 pages)
(Week 4):
a. Describe one positive impact and one negative impact of one
of the following: political parties, interest groups, or federal
elections.
b. Recommend one option to accentuate the positive impact and
one to lessen the negative impact.
7. Conclusion:
a. Review your main points.
b. Review your overall thesis.
8. References page
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
1. Must be at least six double-spaced pages in length (excluding
title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style
as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
a. Title of paper
b. Student’s name
c. Course name and number
d. Instructor’s name
e. Date submitted

3. 3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct
thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least eight scholarly resources, including a
minimum of two from the Ashford University Library.
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according
to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Question 1
1 The sworn virgins of Albania, and berdache in Native
American groups demonstrate that gender roles are:
2
3 a.
4 cultural and fluid
5
6 b.
7 universal
8
9 c.
10 fixed and unchanging
11
12 d.
13 biological
14
0.5 points
Question 2
1 In “The Code of the Street,” sociologist Elijah Anderson
describes behaviors of people who live in inner city urban
ghetto neighborhoods as:
2
3 a.
4 naturally violent

4. 5
6 b.
7 a cultural adaptation to poverty, discrimination in public
services, and social
marginality
8
9 c.
10 lazy and lack of a work ethic
11
12 d.
13 immoral and indecent
14
0.5 points
Question 3
1 In “Uses of the Underclass”, sociologist Herbert Gans asserts
that most people who are fortunate and privileged are blind to
what?
2
3 a.
4 their own social locations in society and the social influences
that shaped their seemingly natural success
5
6 b.
7 their own flaws
8
9 c.
10 the taken-for-grantedness of their own social networks
11
12 d.
13 structuralcauses of unemployment and poverty-related causes
of pathology and crime
14
0.5 points
Question 4

5. 1 In “The Construction of Masculinities,” Michael Messner
proposes that all boys are to a greater or lesser degree are
judged according to their ability (or not) in what?
2
3 a.
4 making money
5
6 b.
7 playing competitive sports
8
9 c.
10 abilities in math and science
11
12 d.
13 making sound moral judgements
14
0.5 points
Question 5
1 Sociologist William Julius Wilson argues that we need to
understand how both structural and cultural factors influence
the "plight of inner city Black males."What is meant by
“structural” factors?
2
3 a.
4 employer bias and a subculture of defeatism
5
6 b.
7 religious beliefs and moral fortitude
8
9 c.
10 globalization of economic activity, the decline of a
manufacturing industry in the U.S., the growth of service
industries, and decreased demand for low-skilled labor.
11
12 d.
13 mental fatigue due to chronic poverty, adopting a cool pose

6. posture related to employment failures and disillusionment with
poorly-performing public schools
14
0.5 points
Question 6
1 How did Max Weber define “social class”?
2
3 a.
4 the socioeconomic background of one’s family
5
6 b.
7 earning a livable wage
8
9 c.
10 matters of social position, prestige and power
11
12 d.
13 proletariat and bourgeoisie
14
0.5 points
Question 7
1 In the essay, “On Face Work” , author Erving Goffman
discusses how people work at negotiating how they think they
are being perceived by others. Which theoretical perspective
does this illustrate?
2
3 a.
4 macrosociology
5
6 b.
7 conflict theory
8
9 c.
10 functionalism
11
12 d.

7. 13 symbolic interactionism
14
0.5 points
Question 8
1 In "Racial Formations", Omi and Winant argue that race is a
modern cosnciousness shaped by ideas of what three social
institutions?
2
3 a.
4 biology, physics and chemistry
5
6 b.
7 biology, genetics and neuroscience
8
9 c.
10 science, religion and law
11
12 d.
13 sociology, anthropology and psychology
14
0.5 points
Question 9
1 In “Nickel and Dimed” Ehrenrich challenges the premise of
what reform?
2
3 a.
4 commerce
5
6 b.
7 healthcare
8
9 c.
10 educational
11
12 d.
13 welfare

8. 14
0.5 points
Question 10
1 In “Uses of the Underclass” Herbert Gans argues that labeling
the poor as an “undeserving” underclass helps to give more
privileged people a sense of moral legitimation. What type of
function does Gans argue this supplies mainstream society?
2
3 a.
4 political
5
6 b.
7 microsocial
8
9 c.
10 economical
11
12 d.
13 normative
14
0.5 points
Question 11
1 What legal case from 1982 do Omi and Winant discuss as a
way of making a point about the arbitrariness of racial
classifications or racial formations?
2
3 a.
4 Susie Guillory Phipps
5
6 b.
7 Tiger Woods
8
9 c.
10 Baghat Singh Thind
11
12 d.

9. 13 Takao Ozawa
14
0.5 points
Question 12
1 ______________________________ is defined as the
structured inequalities between groups in society in terms of
their access to material or symbolic resources.
2
3 a.
4 living wage
5
6 b.
7 deindustrialization
8
9 c.
10 stratification
11
12 d.
13 poverty line
14
0.5 points
Question 13
1 The most recent waves of “newcomers” to the United States
are from where?
2
3 a.
4 Africa, Asia and Latin America
5
6 b.
7 Northwestern Europe
8
9 c.
10 Canada and Greenland
11
12 d.
13 Central and Southern Europe

10. 14
0.5 points
Question 14
1 What theory and law shaped ideas about who was classified as
"Negro" or "White" especially in southern states of the United
States in the twentieth century? For instance the idea that if you
had "one drop" of Negro blood you would be classified as
Nego?
2
3 a.
4 hyperreality
5
6 b.
7 hyodescent
8
9 c.
10 redlining
11
12 d.
13 hippocratic oath
14
0.5 points
Question 15
1 Humans have approximately 30,000 genes. On the average,
how many genes separate all members of any so-called “race”
from all members of another “race”?
2
3 a.
4 0
5
6 b.
7 1008
8
9 c.
10 157
11

11. 12 d.
13 1
14
0.5 points
Question 16
1 In “The Economic Plight of Inner City Black Males” author
William Julius Wilson argues that both structural and cultural
factors need interact in matters of inner city poverty. What are
examples of “cultural” factors?
2
3 a.
4 movement of manufacturing and other low-skilled jobs
overseas
5
6 b.
7 mental fatigue due to chronic poverty, a resigned attitude
about the prospects of a better future, and adoption of a cool
pose posture related to employment failures
8
9 c.
10 globalization of economic activity, the decline of a
manufacturing industry, and the growth of service industries
11
12 d.
13 deindustrialization of urban neighborhoods
14
0.5 points
Question 17
1 According to the Preamble Center for PublicPolicywhat arethe
odds against a typical welfare recipient landing a “living wage”
job?
2
3 a.
4 2 to 1
5
6 b.

12. 7 19 to 1
8
9 c.
10 97 to 1
11
12 d.
13 50 to 1
14
0.5 points
Question 18
1 In our in-class discussion of the film Down Germantown
Avenue, many students made the point that the filmakers did a
poor job in representing matters of:
2
3 a.
4 stratification in moving from one neighborhood to another
5
6 b.
7 diversity in neighborhoods
8
9 c.
10 matters of social inequality and socioeconomic difference
between neighborhoods
11
12 d.
13 reindustrialization
14
0.5 points
Question 19
1 What is the main idea of Omi and Winant's essay "Racial
Formations"?
2
3 a.
4 that race is illusory and it is what individuals believe
5
6 b.

13. 7 that race is a social construction; that there is a new formation
of racial consciousness shaped by ideas that are about 300 years
old.
8
9 c.
10 that race and ethnicity are interchangeable concepts
11
12 d.
13 that race is as old as human beings are as it is a biological
reality
14
0.5 points
Question 20
1 The two Rutgers University students who filmed “Down
Germantown Avenue” tried to illustrate, visually, what
sociological concept?
2
3 a.
4 stereotypes
5
6 b.
7 structural compliance
8
9 c.
10 street and decent
11
12 d.
13 stratification
14
0.5 points
Question 21
1 What term does sociologist Elijah Anderson (author of Code
of the Street) use for living in an area shaped by "deepest
poverty"?
2
3 a.

14. 4 hyperreality
5
6 b.
7 hyperghetto
8
9 c.
10 underclass
11
12 d.
13 ghetto
14
0.5 points
Question 22
1 What question in the film Down Germantown Avenue raises
reference to the research and work of sociologist William Julius
Wilson?
2
3 a.
4 How did we all get in the same boat?
5
6 b.
7 What can be achieved when people are offered a living
wage?
8
9 c.
10 What happens to a community when work disappears?
11
12 d.
13 How will our country change if youth turn out to vote?
14
0.5 points
Question 23
1 According to Marx and Engels much of history has been one
of oppression and class struggles. They note in "Manifesto of
the Communist Party" that all previous historical movements
were movements of minorities, or in the interests of minorities.

15. On the other hand, what movement do Marx and Engels assert is
the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense
majority?
2
3 a.
4 proletarian movement
5
6 b.
7 world peace movement
8
9 c.
10 women's suffragette movement
11
12 d.
13 green and sustainability movement
14
0.5 points
Question 24
1 Who was the first person to create racial classifications for
human beings?
2
3 a.
4 Greek philosopher Aristotle
5
6 b.
7 Genetecist Svante Paabo
8
9 c.
10 Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus
11
12 d.
13 Greek philosopher Plato
14
0.5 points
Question 25
1 What sociological perspective is affiliated with "Manifesto of

16. the Communist Party" or with the works of Karl Marx and
Friederich Engels, in general?
2
3 a.
4 conflict theory
5
6 b.
7 postmodern
8
9 c.
10 symbolic interactionism
11
12 d.
13 functionalism
14
0.5 points
Question 26
1 The "African Eve" hypothesis would support what scientific
theory?
2
3 a.
4 monotheism
5
6 b.
7 polytheism
8
9 c.
10 monogenesis
11
12 d.
13 polygenesis
14
0.5 points
Question 27
1 According to Erving Goffman, two basic kinds of face-work
include:

17. 2
3 a.
4 flagellation and being a martyr
5
6 b.
7 bluffing and rogue behavior
8
9 c.
10 not caring and ignoring challenges to relationships
11
12 d.
13 avoidance and correction
14
0.5 points
Question 28
1 In “Optional Ethnicities for Whites Only” author Mary Waters
defines “ethnicity” as:
2
3 a.
4 a term that is interchangeable with “race”
5
6 b.
7 primarily a social phenomenon shaped by language and
culture
8
9 c.
10 being a physical reality encoded “in the blood”
11
12 d.
13 fixed by DNA
14
0.5 points
Question 29
1 What is the significance of “Hanging Tongues” in E.
Thompson’s essay?
2

18. 3 a.
4 the dangerous job of slaughtering cattle at a beef processing
plant in the Midwest
5
6 b.
7 encounters of “hooking up” in a middle school in the
Midwest
8
9 c.
10 the consequences of idle chit chat and gossip in a southern
town
11
12 d.
13 demeaning and depersonalized jobs working in the porn
industry
14
0.5 points
Question 30
1 What term is applicable if a person holds an idealized or
oversimplified (positive or negative) image of another person or
social group?
2
3
4 a.
5 stereotype
6
7 b.
8 face
9
10 c.
11 symbolic identity
12
13 d.
14 self image
15
0.5 points

19. Question 31
1 In the essay, "Optional Ethnicity for Whites Only?", what
term is used to describe the process by which European
immigrants and their descendants stopped being treated as
minority groups, and became assimilated into the dominant
group?
2
3 a.
4 the ethnic miracle
5
6 b.
7 hybrid identity
8
9 c.
10 transnationalism
11
12 d.
13 acculturation
14
0.5 points
Question 32
1 In “Boyhood, Organized Sports and the Construction of
Masculinities” what “method” does Michael A. Messner employ
to find out about how professional athletes were socialized into
sports when they were younger?
2
3 a.
4 he surveyed 50 boys who were members of a HS baseball
team
5
6 b.
7 he gathered statistics on the numbers of sports that are played
at little league level
8
9 c.
10 he interviewed 30 male former athletes

20. 11
12 d.
13 he conducted participant observation at soccer matches
14
0.5 points
Question 33
1 According to Elijah Anderson, what is at the heart of "The
Code of the Street"?
2
3 a.
4 a natural propensity for violence
5
6 b.
7 a lack of moral conscience
8
9 c.
10 a rational worldview shaped by religious beliefs
11
12 d.
13 a campaign for respect and honor despite living in a poor
neighborhood and having a pessimistic feeling about life
opportunity and social mobility
14
0.5 points
Question 34
1 What concept from the essay “Optional Ethnicity for whites
only” below best describes the notion of being Irish-American,
Slovak-American or Italian-American?
2
3 a.
4 assimilation
5
6 b.
7 symbolic identity
8
9 c.

21. 10 cultural diffusion
11
12 d.
13 globalization
14
0.5 points
Question 35
1 What term or concept best defines “a system in which
advancement is based on individual ability, achievement or
work ethic” often associated with rags to riches stories?
2
3 a.
4 plutarchy
5
6 b.
7 dynasty
8
9 c.
10 oligarchy
11
12 d.
13 meritocracy
14
0.5 points
Question 36
1 Mary Waters, the author of “Optional Ethnicities for Whites
Only,” building on the work of sociologist Herbert Gans, uses
what term in discussing cultural identity as individualistic in
nature and without any real social cost for the individual? Such
identifications, Waters asserts, are essentially leisure time
activities, rooted in nuclear family traditions and reinforced by
a voluntary enjoyable aspect.
2
3 a.
4 symbolic identity
5

22. 6 b.
7 face
8
9 c.
10 racial formation
11
12 d.
13 underclass
14
0.5 points
Question 37
1 ________________________ may be defined as a positive
social value a person effectively claims for him or herself by
the line that others assume s/he has taken during a particular
contact or interaction , that is, a person projects a positive self-
image that makes a good showing for their occupation or
religion or social group.
2
3 a.
4 mudra
5
6 b.
7 coercion
8
9 c.
10 face
11
12 d.
13 latent function
14
0.5 points
Question 38
1 The main idea that D. Stanley Eitzen asserts in "Upward
Mobility Through Sport" is:
2
3 a.

23. 4 that all ambitious, hard working individuals regardless of
race, class or gender can achieve social mobility through sports
i.e. make it as a professional athlete
5
6 b.
7 that upward mobility through sport is a sure ticket out of
poverty.
8
9 c.
10 that female athletes have an even greater chance to receive
full scholarships to college.
11
12 d.
13 while the possibility of staggering wealth and status through
sport is possible, the reality is that the dramatic upward
mobility through sport is highly improbable.
14
0.5 points
Question 39
1 According to sociologist Herbert Gans author of “Uses of the
Underclass”, the rationale and label of “undeserving poor”
provides a latent function that explains a persistence of poverty
in an affluent nation. What does latent mean?
2
3 a.
4 positive
5
6 b.
7 negative
8
9 c.
10 maliciously intentional
11
12 d.
13 unrecognized or unintended
14

24. 0.5 points
Question 40
1 What is significant, demographically in terms of projections
for the year 2050?
2
3 a.
4 overall there will be a significant decrease in the US
population as families are having fewer and fewer children
5
6 b.
7 there will be a significant decrease in the numbers of people
living to age 65 and older
8
9 c.
10 whites will no longer be the majority population as it is
anticipated that Hispanic and Asian populations will triple, and
the Black population will increase as well
11
12 d.
13 it is projected that Spanish and Chinese will be official
languages of the US
14
0.5 points
Question 41
1 With regard to matters of a division of labor, what two groups
do Marx and Engels differentiate and discuss (at length) in In
“Manifesto of the Communist Party”?
2
3 a.
4 illuminati and microserfs
5
6 b.
7 proletariat and bourgeoisie
8
9 c.
10 lords and serfs

25. 11
12 d.
13 men and women
14
0.5 points
Question 42
1 According to the National Coalition for the Homeless what is
the reason(s) or cause(s) for a rising pattern homelessness
among persons in families over the past 25 years?
2
3 a.
4 poor attitudes and a lack of work ethic on the part of homeless
individuals
5
6 b.
7 alcoholism and mental illness
8
9 c.
10 increases in poverty, unemployment and a lack of affordable
housing
11
12 d.
13 a lack of family values and a desire to make a living “on the
street” a personal priority
14
0.5 points
Question 43
1 In “Optional Ethnicities for Whites Only”, the author
references the work of what anthropologist who documented the
tendency of minorities in several societies who have
experienced severe blocked social mobility for long periods of
time to develop “oppositional identities.” One important
component of this, he argues, is that this oppositional identity
provides a way to describe others “of your group” who do not
join in group solidarity as devaluing and denying their core
identity such as “acting White” or not acting “Black enough.”

26. 2
3 a.
4 Michael Messner
5
6 b.
7 John Ogbu
8
9 c.
10 Richard Rodriguez
11
12 d.
13 Elijah Anderson
14
0.5 points
Question 44
1 In the type work that is discussed in “Hanging Tongues” what
concept does the author employ to explain why people continue
to work in dirty, dangerous or demeaning jobs?
2
3 a.
4 the race to the bottom
5
6 b.
7 the golden carrot
8
9 c.
10 the glass ceiling
11
12 d.
13 the financial trap
14
0.5 points
Question 45
1 Most genetic variation can be found:
2
3 a.

27. 4 between tall people and short people
5
6 b.
7 between two populations on different continents for
example Chinese and Ecuadoreans
8
9 c.
10 between any two populations on the same continent for
example between Irish and Poles
11
12 d.
13 within any local population for example among Micronesians
or Uzbeks; on the average there is 85% genetic diversity within
any local population
14
0.5 points
Question 46
1 Where was the video Down Germantown Avenue filmed?
2
3 a.
4 Philadelphia
5
6 b.
7 Trenton
8
9 c.
10 Berlin
11
12 d.
13 Camden
14
0.5 points
Question 47
1 Whose story is associated with the “American Dream”? He
wrote rags to riches stories that professed that if anyone just
worked hard enough, sacrificed and persevered, they could

28. achieve social and economic success.
2
3 a.
4 Horatio Alger
5
6 b.
7 William Thompson
8
9 c.
10 Andrew Carnegie
11
12 d.
13 Jeremy Lin
14
0.5 points
Question 48
1 What concept could be defined as “social expectations about
behavior with regard to social attitudes of social formed traits
of “masculinity” and “femininity”?
2
3 a.
4 status
5
6 b.
7 gender
8
9 c.
10 sex
11
12 d.
13 face
14
0.5 points
Question 49
1 In “Nickel and Dimed” Ehrenrich challenges the philosophy
of what drove the conservative legislative welfare reforms .

29. What statement below most closely can be associated with the
philosophy behind TANF legislation and reform in 1996?
2
3 a.
4 Once a person makes a livable wage, they can become more
productive, socially mobile and self-satisfied if they have
autonomy, education or training enough to feel a sense of
mastery in their environment, and have a sense of purpose.
5
6 b.
7 Work first. Regardless of pay, even the humblest of jobs are
morally uplifting and psychologically buoying.
8
9 c.
10 The most poor and vulnerable citizens deserve a safety
net.
11
12 d.
13 A “livable wage” is necessary for people to make ends meet
and to lift themselves out of poverty.
14
0.5 points
Question 50
1 Elijah Anderson describes what two types of orientation to
life in inner city communities in “The Code of the Street”?
2
3 a.
4 “moral” and “immoral”
5
6 b.
7 “established” and “newcomer”
8
9 c.
10 “street” and “decent”
11
12 d.

30. 13 “white” and “black”
14
0.5 points
POL 201 Week 4 Assignment
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections
The various political actors involved in the processes, activities,
and policies of the U.S. government each have evolving goals
and objectives. In addition, these actors have produced
differential effects, both positive and negative, on the
processes, activities, and policies of the federal government. In
this last weekly worksheet, you will assess the positive and
negative impacts of political parties, interest groups, or federal
elections on the national government. In addition, you will
recommend one option to enhance the positive impact and one
to diminish the negative impact. This final effort will conclude
the process of critically analyzing key features of our national
government and prepare you for completion of your Final Paper
in Week Five.
To complete the assignment, save the Week Four Learning
Activity Worksheet to your computer, fill it out, and submit it.
Develop a detailed outline of your fourth main point using the
Week Four Learning Activity Worksheet.
1. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections:
a. Provide a paragraph that briefly describes the one positive
impact and one negative impact of one of the following:
political parties, interest groups, or federal elections.
b. Provide a paragraph that recommends one option to
accentuate the positive impact and one to lessen the negative
impact.
2. Thesis Statement:
a. Provide a statement for the Final Paper that identifies the
main argument and purpose of the paper.
3. Scholarly Support: (For assistance with your research, the

31. Ashford University’s Library provides tutorials and recorded
webinars on a variety of topics. To access these helpful
resources look for the links located under the [email protected]
search box on the library home page. For help with writing,
please review the APA Style Aid, and Ashford Writing
Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography for additional help.)
a. Provide two credible sources in APA format to support your
main points.
b. Briefly discuss how these sources support your main points.
c. Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and
reliability.
View the POL201 Research Guide for help on how to find and
evaluate sources for assignments in this course.
POL 201 Week 3 Assignment
Branches of Government
The three branches of our government each play crucial roles in
the U.S. national government. Each branch has specific power,
duties, and responsibilities that are the most apparent features
of our system of separate powers. Nevertheless, each branch has
been critiqued for having definite strengths and weaknesses that
become obvious in certain situations. Analyzing these strengths
and weaknesses will enable you to evaluate and recommend
ways to enhance and correct these fundamental assets and
deficiencies of the branches of our national government.
To complete the assignment, save the Week Three Learning
Activity Worksheet to your computer, fill it out, and submit it.
Develop a detailed outline of your third main point using the
Week Three Learning Activity Worksheet.
1. Branches of Government:
a. Provide a paragraph that briefly describes one strength and
one weakness of one branch of our government: executive,
legislative, or judiciary.
b. Provide a paragraph that recommends one option to maintain

32. the strength and one to correct the weakness.
2. Scholarly Support: (For assistance with your research, the
Ashford University’s Library provides tutorials and recorded
webinars on a variety of topics. To access these helpful
resources look for the links located under the [email protected]
search box on the library home page. For help with writing,
please review the APA Style Aid, and Ashford Writing
Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography for additional help.)
a. Provide two credible sources in APA format to support your
main points.
b. Briefly discuss how these sources support your main points.
c. Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and
reliability.
View the POL201 Research Guide for help on how to find and
evaluate sources for assignments in this course.
POL 201 Week 2 Assignment
Federalism
This week, we continue completing the worksheets in
preparation for the Final Paper. One of the most important
structures in the national government is federalism.
Understanding the relationship between local, state, and
national level governments is critical in being able to
understand all of the key features of our national government.
Describe an advantage and a disadvantage to a national policy
that an agency in the federal bureaucracy must implement. In
addition, recommend an option to maintain the advantage and
one to improve the disadvantage.
To complete the assignment, save the Week Two Learning
Activity Worksheet to your computer, fill it out, and submit it.
Develop a detailed outline of your second main point using the
Week Two Learning Activity Worksheet.
1. Federal Policies:
a. Provide a paragraph that briefly describes one advantage and
one disadvantage to a national policy that must be implemented

33. by one agency of the federal bureaucracy.
b. Provide a paragraph that recommends one option to maintain
the advantage and one to improve the disadvantage.
2. Scholarly Support: (For assistance with your research, the
Ashford University’s Library provides tutorials and recorded
webinars on a variety of topics. To access these helpful
resources look for the links located under the [email protected]
search box on the library home page. For help with writing,
please review the APA Style Aid, and Ashford Writing
Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography for additional help.)
a. Provide two credible sources in APA format to support your
main points.
b. Briefly discuss how these sources support your main points.
c. Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and
reliability.
View the POL201 Research Guide for help on how to find and
evaluate sources for assignments in this course.