U.S. National Government

Should you wish you can submit a paper for extra credit in this course. The paper should be 4-5 pages in length, not including a bibliography citing at least three sources you consulted to get your information.

The topic needs to be something from the current political arena (on the national level). It can be a foreign policy issue facing the executive branch, a legislative proposal (or potential proposal) facing Congress, or an issue recently dealt with by the Supreme Court.

The paper should describe why the issue you have chosen is controversial. In other words, what are the arguments for and against it, who is supporting these positions and why.

While I expect you will have a personal opinion on the topic you choose-I do not want that to come through in this paper. Present an objective account of the issue and the positions being taken.

Toward that end make sure the sources you get your information from are balanced and do not represent only one political position.

The paper must be submitted electronically, in the body of an e-mail, I will not take it as an attachment. If you have specific questions about ideas e-mail me and we will get you started.

The papers are graded from 0-10, the number grade it receives will be added to your overall course average.