Category: Government

The goal of this assignment is to familiarize students with interest groups. Please follow the steps below to complete your assignment. 1. Select an interest group (AARP, AHIP, Coalition for Health Services Research, Emergency Nurses Association, Pharma) 2. Discuss how they are pushing their agenda (i.e., mechanisms used to influence policy makers), key obstacles, and spending (consult the Center for Responsible Politics, www.opensecrets.org) 3. Investigate the interest groups website and review their position statements, testimony, and consult media reports to obtain more information on the groups lobbying efforts. Submission Requirements: * Presentation is original work and logically organized. Followed current APA format including citation of references. * PowerPoint presentation with 5-8 slides were clear and easy to read. Speaker notes expanded upon and clarified content on the slides. * Incorporate a minimum of 4 current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. * Journal articles and books should be referenced according to current APA style.

• Minimum word count: 1,200, max 1,500
• Minimum of 6 sources (APA citations)- must be less than 10 years old

Describe connections you have made between your prior knowledge of the topic(s)

you chose and what you have learned in this course. How has this course helped

you to understand the ideas/process/structure/procedure etc. in new or different

ways? Will you be able to utilize your updated/new knowledge in your current or

future career? What do you see as obstacles or advances in the topic that are

significant and why? Think out of the box of what re-learning this material means

for you, your career, family and community.

Topics to choose from:

Texas Political Culture

Texas Constitution

Texas Political Parties/Elections/Campaigns

Texas Interest Groups

The Texas Legislature

The Texas Plural Executive and Bureaucracy

The Texas Judicial System

Texas Local government

Some recommended sites:

• Center for Responsive Politics https://www.opensecrets.org/
• Vote Smart https://votesmart.org/
• Texans for public justice http://www.tpj.org/
• Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/alcove9/usgov/intgroups.html
• TAMUC library databases: http://www.tamuc.edu/library/

1. Cover/Title page (title, name, date, course, etc.). This information should not appear anywhere else besides the cover page. No text from the paper should appear on the cover page.

2. Introductory Paragraph This should contain a brief description of three subject areas studied this semester that the student found most interesting and/or informative and why the student found these areas to be interesting and important. This should also include a statement about ONE contemporary political problem related to the course that will be discussed in greater detail later in the paper. Students can write in first person.

3. Body Paragraphs for each subject area Each paragraph should focus on the discussion of the three subject areas identified in the introduction. Citations and specific academic information gained from the course MUST be provided in both the paragraphs and in the works cited. The three subject areas discussed MUST be from POLS 2301 and cannot be topics studied in POLS 2302 (i.e., NONE OF THESE TOPICS ARE ALLOWED Congress, Presidency, Supreme Court/Judiciary (nothing on a branch of government at the federal or state levels), Governors, State Legislatures, Civil Rights, Economic/Foreign/Domestic Policy, Public Policies – including abortion, gun rights, education, immigration, Medicaid/Medicare, Bill of Rights, Supreme Court Cases, history concepts, etc.). Students should NOT write a history paper. Subject areas should focus on topics directly covered in the course. Please note, they SHOULD NOT BE ONE OF THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, Public Policies OR ANYTHING LISTED ABOVE. Please note, subject areas must pertain to POLS 2301. In other words, students cannot write on 3 articles in the US/TX Constitution, or three rights listed in the Bill of Rights. Rather, one topic could be the US Constitution, and the various articles of the US Constitution could be addressed and may be used to communicate knowledge of the one topic. Topics MUST be from different chapters of the textbook. Please be certain that topics are distinct so that knowledge can be demonstrated on three separate subjects. Topics should not be the name of a chapter in the textbook, instead, select something from a chapter to use as a topic (Think things like dual federalism, categorical grants, political knowledge, political socialization, political ideology, types of media, mobilization, general elections, primary elections, party identification, party conventions, electoral systems, IG strategies, etc., just to name a few). One of the topics must be from the TX chapters (Governing TX Ch 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 Topic must be TX specific so TX one party state, La Raza Unida, TX party conventions, Shivercrat, Special elections in TX, early voting in TX, turnout for a TX election, TX IG strategies, etc.). Topics should NOT all be from the TX chapters or all from ONE of the US Chapters.

4. Political Problem Paragraph(s)- Identify, discuss, and describe a specific contemporary political problem examined/studied in POLS 2301. The problem and solution should not be covered in the textbook (no party polarization, voter suppression, monuments, voter turnout, lobbying, education funding, trust, knowledge, efficacy etc.). The problem must be something that can be solved by the government, and the paper should state how the problem can be solved using research think things like immigration reform, drugs, guns, medical costs/coverage, etc.

5. Political Problem Solution Paragraph(s) Construct/communicate a solution to the problem identified and explain how the government can solve/address the problem. It would be helpful if the problem is related to one of the topics covered this semester, but it does not have to be. Make sure to develop/express the solution in the form of an argument that is supported by well-documented and properly cited facts/data.

6. Concluding paragraph to summarize the paper.

7. Include a Works Cited A good paper must have at least 3-5 scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook(s) that must be cited within the paper. Please note, course lectures/videos, etc. cannot be used as citations in the paper. The textbooks should be used to demonstrate knowledge of the subjects. Other textbooks cannot be used for this assignment, this includes online, printed, open resource (OER) or other textbooks. Sources should be listed in alphabetical order by the authors last name. Full citation information must be given, this includes author, title, publication date, publication source, page numbers, access date and FULL URL beginning with https:// (for online sources). For journal articles, please include a stable link to the full article. Sources CANNOT be behind a paywall.

8. Include In Text Citations All sources listed in the works cited MUST be directly cited in the paper with a DIRECT quote with page numbers. An example of a proper in-text citation is: (Carlin, et al 77). An example of a proper citation for the Works Cited page is Carlin, Diana B, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith. 2024. Remember the First Ladies. Cognella Press. For in text citations, use the authors last name, if there is not an author, use a shortened version of the title. If there are any questions, email the instructor.

Citations must be provided in both the body of the paper and in a Works Cited section at the end of the paper. The Works Cited section should be detailed and the citations should appear in alphabetical order by the authors last name. Use authors last names, first names (and middle initials, if available); for sources, use et al to credit fourth through last authors. The full article title should not be in the text of the paper, ONLY use the authors last name in text and page number.

In text citations MUST include direct quotes and page numbers of where the quotes were taken from. Failure to include page numbers will result in an automatic 5-point deduction on the paper (5 of the 15 points the paper is worth). Citations using journal articles must also include the stable link to access the journal article. This is NOT optional. Sources that are behind paywalls should not be used, if the instructor cannot fully access the source, the source should not be used.

Failure to include any sources is an automatic zero. Failure to include in text citations is an automatic 50% deduction. Only using the textbook is an automatic 50% deduction. Internet citations MUST include the FULL URL, title, author, publication date, page numbers – (if listed), and access date.

AI of any sort is not allowed, nor is Wikipedia/Encyclopedia/Dictionary/Spark Notes and other similar sources (listed below) are NOT allowed and will result in an assignment score of zero. Please see the full list of sources that cannot be used below, students who have questions about whether a source is appropriate should email the link to the instructor for guidance.

Students must cite sources. Textbook readings with page numbers (or chapter headings and subheadings for digital textbooks without page numbers) and citation; and outside scholarly research must be included in the assignment. Excellent scholarly sources include journals, newspapers, NPR, magazines like The Atlantic, other articles, etc.

Political Science as a field has adopted the ; this is required for citations; this most closely follows the Chicago manual of style. All sources must be properly, thoroughly, and consistently cited. Sources Careful attention to grammar, spelling, and the mechanics of presentation is expected.

Using any of these websites will result in an automatic zero on the paper:

Wikipedia and other similar sources are not reliable sources of information. Any citation of Wikipedia, Dictionary.com (or any Dictionary related website whether it is listed below or not), E-Encyclopedia (or any Encyclopedia website even if they appear in library databases NO ENCYCLOPEDIA source whatsoever may be used), NO articles off of lawyers or law offices homepages, no law review articles or medical journals should be used either – academia.edu, academy4sc.org, airtract.com, akademie.dw.com, American Battlefield Trust, american-historama.org, Americanhistory2, americanhistorycentral.com, aplustopper, Ask.com, AZCentral.com, AZquotes.com, befriendtheconstitution.org, bensguide.gpo.gov, billofrightsinstitute.org, biography.com, Blackboard/class videos, Brainyquotes.com, britannica.com, BuzzFeed, Cambridge Core (cite the actual articles from here and the respective journals), Chartercollege.edu, ChatGPT (and similar sources), Chegg, Civicsforlife.org, Cliff Notes, Collegeamericangovernment.org, Constitutingamerica.org, Constitution.org, ConstitutionCenter.org, ConstitutionalCenter.org, Constitutionfacts.com, Constitutionlaws.com, Constitution.laws.com, Constitutionus.com, Constitutionweekusa.com, Courses.lumenlearning.com, Definitions.uslegal.com, diffen.com, differencebetween.net, dk.usembassy.gov, Easy Sociology, Economicshelp.org, Elsevier.blog, exploros.com, facinghistory.org,federalism.org/encyclopedia/, findlaw.com, freedomworks.org, gale.com, globalcitizen.org, globalissues.org, graduateway.com, greatergood.com, gunlaws.com, Hein online (please cite the actual articles and their sources instead), historians.org, historycentral.com, history.com, history.net,historytools.org, honestproscons.com, howstuffworks.com, idea.int, infoplease.com, infowars.com, Investopedia, judiciallearningcenter.org, Khan Academy, law.cornell.edu/wex, lawexplores.com, Law review articles, legaldictionary.net and legallanguage.com (or any legal vocabulary website), liberties.eu, library.fiveable,me, library guides/libguides.ala.org (cite sources from them), livescience.com, lumen learning, mirandawarning.org, missourilawyershelp.org, National Geographic Education, nationalparalegal.edu, nationalhumanitiescenter.org, nature.com (cite journals from here),ndstudies.gov, nowcomment.com, OER sources of any sort, OERTX repository, open.lib.umn.edu/americangovernment, OpenStax, opportunityhome.org, Oxford Bibliographies (use sources from it not the source itself); Oxford Handbooks, people.com, plato.stanford.edu, Poets, politicalsphere.com, preservearticles.com, presidentialsystem.org, pressbooks.online.ucf.edu, principlesofdemocracy.org, procon.org, Quimbee.com, quotationspage.com, Reference.com, Researchgates.net (cite the actual articles from here from the journals and NOT from research gate), Salem Press Encyclopedia, scholastic.com, sciencedirect.com (cite articles from journals and not from this source), Self.com, Shmoop.com, shortform.com, slideserve.com, Socialsci.libretexts.org, Socialstudieshelp.com, Softschools.com, Spark Notes, spn.org, Study.com, studysmarter.co.uk, tandfonline.com (cite the articles and journals from here not just the website), teachingamericanhistory.com, techtarget.com, teachthrive.com, texaspoliticalscience.com, thebalance.com, theepochtimes.com, thefulcrum.us, thelawdictionary.org, theoryofknowledge.net, The Odyssey, thepoliticalguide.com, thestoryoftexas.com, thetrace.org, thoughtco.com, totallyhistory.com, transparencyusa.org, U4 Expert Answer, Universalclass.com. USA.gov, usgovtpoli.commons.gc.cuny.edu, usa.usembassy.de/government, USconstitution.net, USConstitution.org, USCourts.gov, UShistory.org, UShistoryscene.com, uloop, USlegal.com, Uspresidentialelectionnews.com, The Bible, theodysseytonline.com, tshaonline.org., theusaonline.com, vitana.org, Vocabulary.com, Webinars, Wisegeek.com, womenshistory.org, worldatlas.com, World Fact Book, youtube.com, any Almanac, Atlas, Blogs, Major Motion Pictures/Netflix Shows or TV series, Policies from Members of Congress, Opinion Pieces, Works published specifically for other countries so for example a piece published about US parties in other countries is not going to be good to use, Book Reviews Law Review articles, Medical Journals, Textbooks except the two for our class, or anything similar in the research paper or other assignment in this course will result in an automatic score of 0 (zero).

Scholarly sources are REQUIRED, students need 3-5 sources BEYOND the textbook. Remember, sources should support points in the paper and current sources must be used for the problem/solution. Scholarly sources include journal articles, books, government websites, and SOME news organization websites (op-eds/opinion type articles cannot be used). Students may NOT cite textbooks in the paper besides the book(s) for this course, which should be used sparingly for citations, students should find outside information to cite. The textbook does NOT count as one of the three required sources. The LU Librarys website and Google Scholar are great resources for journal articles, books and other research but please be good stewards of information, opinion pieces, op-eds, letters to the editor, factbooks, quote generators/sources, law reviews, book/article reviews and encyclopedia references are NOT scholarly. Students using books must have full access and provide a link to the full text of the book being used.

Carefully read the Course Management Policies, Academic Honesty Statement for additional guidelines for the written assignment. Any cut and paste, plagiarized, or Wiki cited posts/sources (or anything listed above) in the papers will result in an automatic grade of zero for the overall assignment and possible expulsion from the course and Lamar University. NO late papers will be accepted at all. Students have ONLY one chance to upload papers to Blackboard and the version that is uploaded is the version that will be graded.

I do have a template that we are suppose to use and also have the policy path we can choose from – we can us AI but we have to include the URL link.

Your paper should be 5 pages in length It should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double spaced, with normal, one-inch margins How to Submit Your Paper Is the U.S. political system as democratic as it should be? Why or why not? If not, how could the system be improved, in your opinion, to be made more democratic? To answer this topic, focus on TWO of the following aspects of the U.S. system. The Senate The Supreme Court The U.S. election system Use the following readings for your research. If you are choosing the Senate: Primarily use the readings contained in Module 3 Also locate one other reliable source using Credo Reference If you are choosing the Supreme Court: Primarily use the readings from Module 5 Also locate one other reliable source using Credo Reference If you are choosing the U.S. election system: Primarily use the readings from Module 7. Also locate one other reliable source using Credo Reference or CQ Researcher Some Further Instructions In your paper, you should explain in clear detail the sources you’re using. In your paper, you should incorporate quotes and facts from your sources throughout your paragraphs, using APA style in-text citations to do so Remember, you do NOT just want to plop a quote, or a citation, at the end of a paragraph. Instead, you want to INCORPORATE the ideas and quotes from your sources THROUGHOUT your paragraphs. In doing this, you should ALSO be incorporating in-text citations each time you use an idea, fact, or quote from a source. So do NOT simply plop a citation at the end of a paragraph Your paper should contain a rational argument of your own. No matter what, you must not simply state what you believe. You should support your position with reasons to show that your position is the most rational one to take. (In other words, you must give an argument, not an opinion.) Then, your paper should offer a counter-argument paragraph. That is, offer a potential objection that someone could have to the stance youve chosen. Let’s say you are arguing that there’s something undemocratic about the Supreme Court. An objection would go against your position, and try to find weaknesses in your argument That kind of paragraph would begin: “However, some might argue against my position that …” Then, have a paragraph in which you respond to the potential objection to defend yourself. Why are you still right? Are there any aspects of the objection youd be willing to agree with? Why or why not?

For this News Briefing Quest Assignment, you will choose and analyze a U.S. political news article found on the website RealClearPolitics. 1st Paragraph: Summarize the most important information from the article in your own words. As noted in the syllabus, TurnItIn will be used on all assignments to detect plagiarism. (See Academic Honesty policy in the syllabus.) For assistance on how to summarize appropriately, visit Purdue Purdue OWL: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. 2nd Paragraph: Relate the article to the topic and readings of the level you are currently completing. In this assignment, you should connect your article and discuss the content related to Level 7 (Voting & Elections) or Level 8 (The Media). 3rd Paragraph: Present your own informed opinion about the political issue and include the link to the article you selected. Instructions: Go to RealClearPolitics. Pick a news article on a U.S. political issue not older than seven days from the day you complete this assignment. Include the weblink at the end of your assignment. This is required. Structure your 3 paragraphs according to the outline above. This News Briefing Quest Assignment should relate to the course content from Level 7 (Voting & Elections) or Level 8 (The Media). The total word count for the assignment should be 500-750 words. Do not write about the same U.S. politics issue twice in this class. Submissions No submissions yet. Drag and drop to upload your assignment below.

Directions: Write a 5 to 8 paragraph paper on the topic chosen in the list under the item “Choose a Research Topic”. The paper needs to be written either in MLA format using in-text citation and include either a Works Cited or Reference page. You are to use at least 3 sources. These sources need to be scholarly sources. Write a 5 to 8 paragraph research paper in MLA. Submit the paper as a Word Document (.doc or docx). Submit actual Word Documents and NOT Links. Plagiarized papers or papers that make extensive use of AI will receive a “0”. The Grade for this paper will go toward the Writing Assignments portion of the grade. The topic chosen is “Hispanic Civil Rights”

For this assignment, students will listen to five of the mini-lectures. While I strongly encourage you to listen to all the Mini-Lectures (many of the questions on the Module Quiz come directly from the Mini-Lectures), for this assignment, you just need listen and address any five of the Mini-Lectures available in Module One (notice the mini-lectures are designated with “ML”).

Now, begin to participate in this assignment. This assignment is in the form of a Discussion Board.

Open the Discussion Board below.

First, write your initial response. (To earn a better grade, students should make the initial response prior to the last day this assignment is available. This is very important as it will allow students the opportunity to reply to classmates (another requirement of this assignment). Students are encouraged to use the Sample Format for writing this initial post. Do not upload the format as an electronic file; instead, follow the format as you answer the questions in the space provided.

In the body of the of the response, answer the following questions.

1. Label which mini-lecture you listened to. List two things you learned in this Mini-Lecture.
2. Label which mini-lecture you listened to. List two things you learned in this Mini-Lecture.
3. Label which mini-lecture you listened to. List two things you learned in this Mini-Lecture.
4. Label which mini-lecture you listened to. List two things you learned in this Mini-Lecture.
5. Label which mini-lecture you listened to. List two things you learned in this Mini-Lecture.
6. List one thing that surprised you. Why did this surprise you? Explain.

7. Connect one thing you learned in this module to something in the current news (related to Texas). Clearly explain the connection between the issue in the article and the issue in the module. Explain the issue in the article. Copy and paste the website you read for this news. The reader should be able to see which website you used.

8. Finally, what is one question you have about the material? Explain. (This is not an optional question. Understanding what we don’t know and asking questions is an important skill to develop–for both our education and for our “real” life. We’re practicing this skill.

As always on these assignments, explain–explain–explain. Don’t be brief. Think critically. Ask questions.

After making your initial response, you will be able to see your classmates’ posts.

To complete this assignment, respond to a minimum of three classmates’ responses. Do you have questions for them? Can you answer their question (see the issue in #3). Again, think critically. And, again, don’t be brief.

(To receive the most points possible on the Grading Rubric, students must write the initial response prior to the last date this assignment is available and reply to a minimum of three classmates’ responses.

This assignment is worth 25 points

Mini Lecture Videos

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vml-iI3JuU&list=PLTbtTPWSHfTfBzBLDSn7MSctDQALCHO_y&index=2&t=12s
2. https://youtu.be/nVrDYoqLUOQ
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HRYos7IZ5k&list=PLTbtTPWSHfTfBzBLDSn7MSctDQALCHO_y&index=2&t=5s
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnaCEKT2n5Q&list=PLTbtTPWSHfTfBzBLDSn7MSctDQALCHO_y&index=2&t=4s
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDRXD2BOKAU&list=PLTbtTPWSHfTdHdjVFLKc8GHPV7t1n_Dsf&index=2

sources

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/

https://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

Text Book

https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Political_Science_and_Civics/Texas_Government_(Teas_Jefferies_Shomaker_Watson_and_Gilmour)

Must use APA format, and citations must be from (S) The Enduring Democracy Kenneth J. Dautrich, David A. Yalof, Christina E. Bejarano, 2020 Sage ISBN. 13: 978-1-544-36447-6

Discuss the US regulatory framework. In your discussion, highlight the roles of the Constitution, federal regulatory agencies, the court, and state governments.