Students must submit a 4 to 5-page term paper by 11:59 PM on April 16, which accounts for 20% of their overall grade; late submissions are only accepted with a credible documented excuse. Papers must include citations for all referenced materials and demonstrate critical and analytical thinking on selected topics related to public policy, political philosophers, or a government-themed film. Grading criteria will focus on length, grammar, content, sources, and creative analysis.

1. Students will be expected to type at least 4 pages
(not counting Works Cited/References or Title pages)
but no more than 5
one and a half spaced
pages. The term paper will count as 20% of your overall grade
and due no later than Thursday 11:59PM on APRIL 16 .
NO LATE papers will be accepted (except in cases of
emergency or other pre-approved reasons where a
legitimate credible documented excuse
is provided via email).
ALL SOURCES MUST BE CITED IN THE BODY OF THE
PAPER FOR ALL FACTS, STATS, QUOTES, DATES, ETC.
ALONG WITH A WORKS CITED PAGE - STYLE IS YOUR
CHOICE! IF NO SOURCES ARE CITED I WILL NOT
ACCEPT THE PAPER!!!
Length, grammar/spelling/sentence structure, content, sources,
citations, and most importantly, creative/analytical thinking,
will determine your grade towards this term paper; I particularly
look for how well you demonstrate critical thought towards your
topic. Options for topics are the following so
choose just ONE!
* Research a specific public policy issue (examples: trade,
health care, domestic programs, taxes, foreign affairs with
particular country, etc. - anything pertinent in the national
news) that you think is very important for today's American
national government to address and discuss background,
pros/cons, etc. while backing up any of your own arguments

2. with strong evidence.
OR
* Select a major political philosopher in history (e.g. Aristotle,
DeTocqueville, Locke, Montesquieu, etc.) and provide your own
account of how they have contributed to America's political
development and perhaps still influence some American
political thought or processes today whether it's how American
institutions were setup/behave, political culture/beliefs, or any
other related topic that might particularly concern American
politics today.
Do not just focus on their historical roots, etc. but more on
contribution to American political thought.
OR
* The country's current political/cultural status as observed by
one of our nation's Founders (your choice; e.g. Jefferson,
Franklin, or 50+ others) written in their voice - tie in their
background, any quotes, stances on pertinent issues (e.g.
federalism, role of government), etc.
OR
* A thought piece on a
pre-approved
(by instructor) government-themed movie or documentary that
will entail further research on its veracity along with your own
analysis/creative critique on various (sub)topics portrayed or
discussed.