Political Science 1

Winter/Summer 2012

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

Welcome to your paper assignment!!!

How well do you understand the debate over the role of the media?  Or the process of selecting judges?  Or campaign finance reform?  Or whether the Presidency really is an "imperial" presidency?  The object of this assignment is to become intimately familiar with the debates over two political issues.

Assignment

Your assignment is to compare and contrast the debates offered in the DiClerico book.  You must write two brief review essays on two chapters in this book in which you compare and contrast the positions of the two authors, while also arguing who you believe is most persuasive and why.

Each essay should be at least 2 FULL PAGES (double-spaced) and NO LONGER than 2 1/2 pages.  This is tough for some students who like to write, and write, and write...without really saying a whole lot.  The page length requires you to get to the point of your argument.  

MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING THE 11th EDITION.  Earlier editions have different authors to many of these articles (even if they deal with the same topic).  You will not receive credit for papers analyzing authors other than the ones assigned in the 11th edition.

Compare and Contrast Checklist:

Have you opened with an introduction that lays out what this review essay seeks to accomplish?

Is there a good hook that catches the interest of the reader of your paper from the very beginning?

Have you fully explained the two author's positions?

Have you used specific examples to illustrate their arguments?

Have you analyzed what their specific differences are?   (Comparing is easy; make sure you also contrast!)

Have you stated to the reader who you believe offers the most persuasive argument and why?

Do you have a conclusion that sums up the paper?

Have you proofread your paper for grammatical and spelling errors?

How to Write This Paper

Students often assume that a compare and contrast essay only needs a summary of the two articles and a conclusion that sums up their own position.  THIS IS A FALSE ASSUMPTION!!!  A compare and contrast essay needs to show the reader exactly where the authors agree and disagree.  Thus you should write your paper in a point-counterpoint format.  For instance:  

"In regards to the first point, Author 'A' believes this, but Author 'B' counters with  this.  Author 'B' has the upper hand because....  As to the second point, Author 'A' argues...."  

In this way, you are drawing out specific points from their debate to show their contrasting positions.

Using Quotes and Plagiarism

I DO want you to use lots of examples from the DiClerico readings, but I DO NOT want you to use any quotes!!!  All examples should be substantially paraphrased in your own words; and since I have read these articles, I am going to know if you are just lifting sentences out of them - so don't test me on this.  You will receive an "F" on your paper for plagiarism, and possibly an "F" in the class for gross infractions of this rule.

PROOFREAD and "spell check" your work as spelling and grammatical errors will affect the overall presentation of your essay - and thus your overall grade.  A paper that is filled with grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors will NOT pass.

Due Dates

PAPER #1 - FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 - Choose one of the following chapters:  Ch 2; Ch 3 (pp.44-51 or 52-57); Ch 14 (pp. 245-256); Ch 15 (pp. 274-284). 

PAPER #2 - SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 - Choose one of the following chapters:  Ch 5 (pp. 79-88); Ch 7 (pp. 111-118); Ch 10 (167-177); Ch 11 (179-184 or 181-188); Ch 12; Ch 13 (pp. 219-234)

Submitting Your Paper:  E-mail your papers to either my Angel account or the poli_sci1_wvc@yahoo.com account.  If you e-mail me your paper as an attachment, it must be in MS-Word.  Also, you must PASTE your paper directly into the body of the e-mail message (which prevents potential complications if and when attachments don't open.)

Late policy:  Papers are marked down 1/3 of a grade each day that they are late.  Late papers are defined as those which are e-mailed to me after 11:59 pm of the day they are due.

Points:  110 points for EACH paper.