Instructions:
Select your essay topic by visiting website and reading articles from one of the chapter options below
Write a short essay (two or three paragraphs: minimum 6 sentences) include the following:
explain why you decided to research that topic
how does it relate to the chapter(s) covered in this module
discuss whether you consider this site a good tool for learning about American politics.
Read your answers and use spell check before submiting them. You can only submit this assignment once. Paste your final essay in the dropbox below or attach as a Word document.
Note: Written Requirement: All assignments must be written using proper English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Four (4) points will be deducted for each spelling, grammatical, and/or punctuation error.
Work that contains more than five (5) spelling, grammatical, and/or punctuation errors; or work that does not meet the minimum number of sentences required will receive a grade of F ('0' points).
Chapter Options:
Chapter 9: Congress
National Committee for Effective Congress provides a broad range of national and international political information. To learn what are the current predictions on electoral races at the U.S. Senate, or vist for information on electoral races in the House of Representatives.
Earmarks are language that members of Congress insert into legislation that dedicates funds for specific uses, many whose broad benefits can be questioned. tracks your representatives and the bills in Congress they introduce, providing estimates of their costs or savings when available.
The Library of Congress "Thomas" website is an excellent source of information on current legislation. To find about present bills at the 113th Congress
Chapter 10: The Presidency
The War Powers Resolution was passed in 1973 to define and limit the president's power during times of war. Read the full text of the resolution at this web-site: You could also visit any of the links provided on related topics at the end of the resolution's text
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections provides Information on upcoming and past presidetial elections.
By visiting this cite you can also experiment with the electoral college calculator to see how your state could affect the electoral outcome
The first lady is an important resource for the president in his role as head of state. Read about current and past first ladies by visiting the web-site
Chapter 11: Bureaucracy
Project on Government Oversight is an independent, not-for-profit organization that seeks to make gvernment more accountable by investigating corruption and misconduct. The group examines all types of government bureaucracies. Read the articles discussing some of the present issues under investigation.
The Department of Homeland Security was created after 9/11 to promote bureaucratic communication and domestic security. See what the department is doing to protect America from foreign threats by visiting
Chapter 12: The Federal Courts
The web-site for U.S. Supreme Court Media has a great search engine for finding information on landmark cases as Marbury v. Madison, Miranda v. Arizona, Roe v. Wade; and the most recent cases of Fisher v. University of Texas , Shelby County v. Holder; and Hollingsworth v. Perry. To find information on any of these cases visit
The U.S. court system consists of trial, appellate, and supreme courts.
The U.S. Courts web-site provides a look at the different types of courts in the federal judiciary. To learn about the federal court system visit.