Module 03/M3_AssignmentInstructions.html
Module 3: Essay Assignment: Government’s Impact on Our Lives
Overview
The Essay assignment is where you will have an opportunity to explore concepts from this module in more depth. You will have to do some careful thinking and put together reasoned and complete responses to the questions posed.
Instructions
-
-
- You are to write a 3-5 page argumentative essay on any one of the following essay questions. This essay is worth 50 points.
-
- Nowadays, almost all members of Congress have websites along with the President. The Internet is a contemporary form of outreach to constituents, peers, the media, and others. Explore the sites of several Congressional members, the President and the White House by using the links below. Then, write an essay on how members of Congress and the President are using this modern technology to fulfill traditional objectives like outreach to constituents, getting their message across, and reaching all types of voters. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. US House of Representatives US Senate US White House
- Impeachment became more than an academic subject when the House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton on charges related to his sexual affair with a presidential intern. Although Clinton was not convicted in a subsequent Senate vote, the process served to revive impeachment as a contemporary political instrument. Explore the websites below and write an essay on the implications of impeachment for the powers and office of the presidency. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. Presidential Impeachment Proceedings The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Impeachment Legal Standard and Procedure
- Explore the websites below as background for writing an essay on whether the President of the United States has too much or too little power. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. Presidential Power and Limitations Presidential Powers Presidential Powers: An Introduction
- Go to the Legal Information Institute’s “Gallery of Justices” below, read the biographies, and then write an essay on what similarities and differences you see in in the Justices’ different paths to the Supreme Court. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. US Supreme Court Biographies
- Public opinion often views bureaucracy as corrupt. What exactly are some of the ethical issues dealt with in government? The US Office of Governmental Ethics is the agency which receives and processes charges of corruption and unethical activities by the nation’s bureaucrats. Explore this site and then write an essay about the scope of ethics enforcement in the federal government, citing some illustrative cases, and come to a conclusion about ethics policy and further reform thereof. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. U.S. Office of Government Ethics
- Pick a governmental function performed by both the federal and state levels of government, such as environmental regulation, energy development, or support of education. Then go to the websites below and explore this function first at the federal level, then at your state’s level (you will have to locate your own state’s executive branch websites). Write an essay on the similarities and differences between what government bureaucracy does at both the federal and state levels of government. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully. Federal Website Locator USA.gov: Branches of Government
-
Deliverable:
-
-
-
- 3-5 page (800-1500 words) essay stating and supporting a clear opinion or argument. Make sure you read the Short Essay Rubric carefully for all the elements you are required to include in the essay, including appropriate examples, explanations and reasons from your reading, at least three appropriate concepts from the textbook and/or module, current news events and at least two references.
- Put your name, date, and module # on the essay.
- Put the complete essay question you chose at the beginning of the essay (don’t paraphrase it); leave out the websites; single space this question and include an extra space between the question and the body of the essay.
- Use Times New Roman, 12 pt black font, 1-inch margins; double-space the body of the essay, indent new paragraphs by 1/2 inch, and don’t include extra spaces between paragraphs; you don’t need to include a title page or abstract.
- The essay must use college level English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.
- Use ONLY Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or save your document as a Rich Text File (.rtf).
- The essay must use APA formatting, referencing, and citations; a reference page must be included. For more information and models of APA formatting, see the APA Toolkit in the Syllabus Module.
-
-
See an example of a Short Essay here.
See the Schedule and Course Rubrics in the Syllabus Module for due dates and grading information.