Critical Thinking Essay
You are required to write either a critical thinking research paper on one of the topics below OR do the Civic Engagement Project detailed in next folder.
NOTE: The paper is worth a total of 100 points or 10% of your final grade.
Email SPC Writing Tutor if you need help with writing assignments.
Use Research Paper Grading Rubric1 for guidance.
The paper is due June 28, 2020.
Select ONE of the following five topics. (Not following this requirement would include a 20% penalty.)
Write a paper in which you discuss the role interest groups play in the American political system and how they attempt to shape public policy. After that, select a specific national piece of legislation during the Obama or Trump administration and identify two groups in favor of the legislation and two groups opposed to the legislation. Explain how the groups attempted to influence the passage or defeat of the legislation.
Write a paper in which you discuss in details the role of the president as chief legislator. Why is there conflict between Congress and the president while the president is performing the role of chief legislator? Select a specific instance of public policy conflict between Congress and President Obama or President Trump and explain the reasons for the conflict.
In the United States, we use the winner-take-all electoral system in electoral districts for Congress. Write a paper in which you discuss in details the winner-take-all system and the proportional system of representation.
For the proportional system, you should select a country that use the proportional system and briefly explain how it works in that country. Should the American winner-take-all system be abolished and replaced with a proportional system of representation? If yes, why? If no, why not? Do not discuss the presidential election process. Do not discuss the Electoral College. Focus on congressional (U.S. House) districts.
Over the years the balance of power between the nation and the states has shifted. Write a paper in which you discuss (in one or two paragraphs) how the Framers of the Constitution arranged government power between that nation and the states
. After that, discuss in details two periods in American history that impacted on the balance of power between the national government and the states. Within those two periods, specify what lead to the shift in power.
Explain how power shifted between the national government and the states and identify the level of government that gained the power. Identify the power that was gained. Do not discuss the period of transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. Discuss periods after ratification of the 1787 Constitution.
Compare and contrast the roles of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches with regard to one of the following current issues: 1) Immigration; OR 2) Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender (LGBT); OR 3) Digital Privacy. Be very specific in your analysis to include the principles of separation of powers and of the check-and-balance system.
Critical Thinking Research Paper Requirements
The paper is required to be written in the APA Writing format, 6th edition.
Click HERE for the basics of APA formatting. See also the sample paper below.
Click HERE for a sample paper in the APA format.
Click HERE for additional help with APA (6th ed.) in-text citations and references (SPC Online Library).
It should include a title page, abstract page, analysis, and reference page(s).
Penalties for not complying with this requirement will range from 10% to 40%.
Your research paper analysis should be in at least 1500 words.
The title page, abstract page, and reference page(s) don’t count toward the length requirement.
Penalties for not complying with this requirement will range from 10% to 60%.
Your analysis of the topic should be comprehensive and supported by extensive research.
Your analysis should include also related legislation and legislative process, court decisions, and other political and legal implications.
Your analysis should be supported by at least ten (10) sources of information. The textbook should not be used as a source of information.
Use St. Petersburg College Online Library to retrieve the sources for your paper.
Penalties for not complying with this requirement will range from 10% to 50%.
Your essay Turnitin originality report should not be higher than 30%.
Revise and resubmit your essay within the due date if it is necessary.
Penalties for not complying will range from 5% to 50% points.
Retrieving Turnitin Originality Reports in MyCourses Student Tutorial
Avoid copy-and-paste and unnecessary quotations.
You should use quotations only when the same idea cannot be stated differently or when doing so would diminish its academic value.
Use paraphrasing instead of quoting.
Provide in-text citations in the APA writing format when quoting and paraphrasing ideas of other authors.
Research papers without in-text citations and/or references will automatically receive failing grades.
See the following links for specific information on how to provide in-text citations and references.
Click HERE for help with APA in-text citations and references.
