REQUIRED RESEARCH PAPER
Government 2305, Fall 2009
Purpose:
For this class you are required to write a research paper, worth 100
points. There are several goals that I
have in mind for you in writing this paper:
1.
The
primary purpose of the paper is to help the student gain a greater
understanding of the complexity of public policy issues at the national level. Most people do not understand the complexity
of trying to solve large issues in a diverse society. It is hoped that in analyzing the information
you find that you will have a greater understanding of this complexity.
2.
Secondly,
this assignment is designed to help the student to understand the process of
writing analytical research papers. In
essence, the student should approach the topic in a non-judgmental way,
carefully analyzing the topic and its complexities. This helps to assist in developing the
student’s ability to think critically about an issue, thus developing the
skills necessary to analyze future issues and be able to make wise decisions on
aspects of public policy that can directly affect the student’s life.
3.
Finally,
this paper seeks to assist the student in developing his or her skills in
conducting research to find relevant materials about the topic. In addition, it is designed to aid the
student in evaluating the merits of sources of information, thus being able to
find articles that carefully analyze an issue, thus helping to develop the
critical thinking skills mentioned in step 2 above.
The paper is due on Tuesday,
Format:
The papers are to be five to eight pages in length. It should be typed, double-spaced, standard
one-inch margins, standard 12-point fonts, and no extra spaces between
paragraphs. The paper will be graded not
only on content (that is, whether the students meet the requirements for a
particular paper), but also on writing style, grammar and spelling, logic,
coherence, thoroughness, and thoughtfulness.
You are required to provide
documentation of the sources used in writing your paper. Documentation should follow MLA (Modern
Language Association) guidelines. Information
regarding MLA guidelines can be found at this URL:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Research: You will also be evaluated on the merits of the
sources used in researching your paper.
For this project you are required
to provide at least two secondary sources of scholarly quality. To help you understand what is meant by “a
secondary source of scholarly quality” please refer to the URL listed below:
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/csmlibrary/tutorials/english/determineeng.html
Failure
to obtain articles of scholarly quality will result in a penalty of 5 points
off for each one that you are unable to provide.
You
may use as many other sources as you wish to gather information for this
project. There are many other locations
to find information relating to public policy issues to supplement the two
required sources, including magazines (such as Time or Newsweek) or newspapers or
even a general search of the Internet.
However, you need to be cautious of some of the information you may
gather on the Internet, because many of those sources cannot be verified.
Where
can you find sources of information that qualify as scholarly? One location is through the ACC’s library
Academic Search Complete. To start,
click on this URL:
http://library.austincc.edu/eresources/AtoZ.htm
Locate
the “Academic Search Complete” link on this page. If you are not at an ACC campus, you will then
have to first enter your
Another
good source of finding articles that fit the requirement for scholarly is to
use the Advanced Search feature of Google.
From the main www.google.com page
choose the “Advanced Search” option. On
the next page you will find a link to “Universities”. If you click on this link you will be taken
to a page which will show you a list of all universities in the United States. You can then choose one of those schools
(say, for example, the University of Texas), and from there type in keywords
which you wish to research. The search
then will only search the holdings published at the University of Texas to find
related articles. Many of the articles
found under this search qualify for being scholarly in nature.
We
will take a few minutes of time to go over both of these techniques in class so
that you understand the process of searching for appropriate articles for your
paper.
Topic:
You should choose a topic that is related to a national policy
issue. It may involve a process or
institution of U.S. Government. The choice
of the specific topic is up to the student, and should reflect your interest in
policy issues. You should try to present
what you feel are the most important aspects of the issues, as well as those
opinions you may find in other research on the topic.
If you have trouble deciding on a
topic, please see me and I will be happy to help you choose one. In addition, Chapters 15, 16, and 17 of your
textbook each deal with a variety of public policy issues currently being
addressed by the national government.
Although far from comprehensive, it would offer you a fine starting
place from which you may find something that you might be interested in. Although we will not be covering these
chapters until the end of the semester, you would be wise to go ahead and read
them in order to find valuable information on what makes up a policy issue.
If at any time you have any
questions about this project please feel free to seek my advice.
Keys to a Good Paper
Below are some conceptual ideas
that you should keep in mind while writing your paper. If you can follow these general guidelines on
what a paper should be then you will be able to have a good understanding of
the qualities that professors are looking for in a quality research paper.
Focus
1)
Does your
paper state a clear thesis?
2)
Does every
sentence in the paper help support, explain, or relate to your thesis?
Depth
1)
Is each
idea explained and described completely?
2)
Do you
include specific details and examples?
Organization
1)
Does the
introduction help the reader understand what the paper is about? (Does it state your thesis?)
2)
Does
every sentence link to the next with good transition words?
3)
Does each
paragraph link to the next with good transition words?
4)
Does
every sentence in a paragraph explain or describe on thing?
5)
Does the
conclusion summarize your support for your thesis?
Clarity and Fluency
1)
Can readers
understand all of the words easily because they are spelled correctly?
2)
Do
readers know when sentences begin and end?
3)
Are
sentences short and choppy, or long and rambling?
4)
Are all
sentences complete or did you include fragments?
5)
Do
sentences read the way people normally speak? (If you would not say it that way,
then don’t write it that way.)
For further information on the
process of writing a really good research paper you can refer to the two web
pages listed here:
http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/writingcenter/writproc.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/