Assignment
For this essay, please identify and select a federal administrative agency you are interested in investigating in more detail. If you need help selecting an agency.
After you have done this, learn as much as you can about your selected agency by, for example, visiting the agency's official website, reading press stories concerning your agency, finding academic articles discussing your agency, etc. Finally, please answer the following questions:
1. What is the scope of your agency's jurisdiction? In other words, what was your agency created to do and what clientele was your agency designed to serve? What types of professions are employed by your agency?
2. When was your agency created and what political atmosphere (or circumstances) led to your agency's creation?
3. Which Congressional committees (or subcommittees) exercise the most control and oversight over your agency?
4. Identify at least one media-reported story involving your agency? What was your agency's role in the story? Was the media treatment of your agency positive or negative? Did this media attention cause your agency to change in any way?
5. Identify and describe at least one political controversy (this must be something different than question 4) involving your agency. Was this a scandal from within the agency? Or, on the other hand, did the nature of this controversy involve circumstances outside of your agency's control? How did this controversy resolve? What effects, if any, did the controversy have on your agency?
6. Identify at least one reading in our class so far (either from the text or from the weekly discussion posting readings) that helps you understand your agency, its functions, and its challenges. Why is this reading relevant to your agency?
Your essay must be between 8 and 10 pages in length, should be double-spaced, with normal margins and font (Times New Roman). Please include citations (either as footnotes or endnotes). Please do not cite to Wikipedia (however, you may use Wikipedia to guide you to other, more appropriate, citations).