This week's assignment focuses on creating an outline for the final research paper, emphasizing the importance of structure and required elements like the introduction, main points, and conclusion. The outline must address implications for federalism, civil rights, and civil liberties, along with evidence to support claims, and it should be formatted according to APA style. Additionally, the final paper should analyze a selected constitutional topic, require extensive research, and include numerous scholarly sources.

1. This week’s written assignment is important preparation for the
Final Paper. You will construct an outline of your Final Paper
that will ensure you have all of the required elements.
You are expected to write an outline, not a draft of your final
paper. Drafts of your paper will NOT meet the requirements of
this assignment
.
Prepare
: Please review the necessary course text chapters, articles, and
multimedia. Conduct additional research necessary to complete
the assignment.
Reflect
: The end of the course is rapidly approaching, and now is a
great time to begin working on your Final Research Paper. This
assignment will give you an opportunity to create a detailed
outline of your paper, which will help you to establish a
structure for your final paper. Your outline will be reviewed by
your instructor and the feedback provided will certainly help
you create a better final product.
Remember, the main point of your outline is to help you
organize your thoughts and research. The outline should serve
as the backbone of your paper and should provide the building
blocks for your Final Research Paper.
Write
: Make sure to read over the instructions for the Final Research
Paper, which are located in Week Five of your online course or
in the Course Components section of this course guide. As
explained in those instructions, your paper should have seven
major sections. For this assignment, you will need to create an
outline in a Word document. Review the
Sample Outline
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from the
Ashford Writing Center

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Your outline must include the following:
Title page
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in APA format
Introduction and Thesis
Introduce
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the main topic and provide a brief preview of main points.
Include a
thesis statement
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that identifies how the concepts of federalism, civil liberties,
and civil rights are implicated and affected by your selected
topic.
Main Point 1: Identify implications for federalism related to the
topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact of
federalism on the selected topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact of
federalism on the selected topic.
Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or
paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the
impacts of federalism on the selected topic. Be sure to provide
an
in-text citation.
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In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you
added above.
So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this

3. evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence
important to share?
Main Point 2: Identify implications for civil rights related to the
topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact on
the civil rights associated with the selected topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact on
the civil rights associated with the selected topic.
Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or
paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the
impacts on the civil rights associated with the selected topic. Be
sure to provide an
in-text citation.
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In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you
added above.
So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this
evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence
important to share?
Main Point 3: Identify implications for civil liberties related to
the topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact on
the civil liberties associated with the selected topic.
Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact on
the civil liberties associated with the selected topic.
Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or
paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the
impacts on the civil liberties associated with the selected topic.
Be sure to provide an
in-text citation.
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you
added above.
So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this

4. evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence
important to share?
Conclusion
In a sentence or two,
conclude
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by reviewing your main points and overall thesis.
References Page
Include a complete
list of references
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utilized within the outline in APA format.
The paper must be two to three pages in length (not including
title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style.
You must use at least three scholarly sources, not counting your
textbook, from the Ashford University Library to support your
claims.
My paper is on freedom of religion
Final paper instructions
In the Final Research Paper, you will use your critical thinking
skills to analyze and evaluate a current events topic that has
constitutional and political implications.
Select one topic from the following list of three constitutional
issues. The topic you select should also be used as the topic for
your Week Two and Three written assignments:
Religious freedom
Free speech
Privacy rights
The thesis of the paper will be a statement identifying how the

5. concepts of federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights are
implicated in and affected by this topic.
Utilize the feedback from your Week Two and Three
Assignments to create a more thorough outline to form your
Final Research Paper. The paper must include five main
sections:
Introductory paragraph that provides a brief background
regarding the topic and introduces the main thesis.
In-depth discussion of the implications for federalism related to
the topic.
Explain how and why federalism has a positive and negative
impact on the selected topic.
Provide one real-world positive example.
Provide one real-world negative example.
Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly
sources to support your explanation.
In-depth discussion of the implications for civil rights related to
the topic.
Explain how and why civil rights are positively and negatively
affected by the selected topic.
Provide one real-world positive example.
Provide one real-world negative example.
Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly
sources to support your explanation.
In-depth discussion of the implications for civil liberties related
to the topic.
Explain how and why civil liberties are positively and
negatively affected by the selected topic.
Provide one real-world positive example.
Provide one real-world negative example.
Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly
sources to support your explanation.
Concluding paragraph that summarizes the main findings and
restates the thesis.
The paper must be 10-12 pages in length (excluding title and
reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You

6. must use at least six scholarly resources (at least five of which
can be found in the Ashford University Library) other than the
textbook to support your claims. Cite your sources within the
text of your paper and on the reference page. For information
regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the
Ashford Writing Center.
The Final Research Paper:
Must be 10-12 double-spaced pages in length (excluding title
and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as
outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct
thesis statement.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
Must use at least six scholarly resources, including a minimum
of five from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center
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Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to
APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.