Political science

Topic:
You are free to choose any topic that deals with any aspect of American government and politics. Make sure you choose a topic that can be researched in depth.

If you choose an issue paper, be careful that you dont turn it into a subjective opinion piece. Back up your opinions, ideas with facts/data/statistics/etc.

If you have a hard time picking a topic, let me know and I will help you come up with one. Examples of some good topics are: 1) a historical description or analysis of the impact of a specific theme such as freedom, equality, etc, or a specific issue such as voting rights, civil rights, abortion, immigration, etc., on American government/politics, 2) examining the impact of federalism on American government/politics through the analysis of one of more issues, 3) analyze the relationship between the Presidency and Congress and their different roles and how those roles have meshed or been at odds through the years, or 4) comparing and contrasting our system of government with another country’s system of government.

General Requirements:
The research paper should be 4-5 pages in length, typed in black ink and on white paper, formatted in 11 or 12 point font, with 1 or 1.5 inch margins on all sides. Double space your paper and do not skip lines between paragraphs. Avoid lengthy quotations; paraphrase instead of quoting. Include a title page with a title, your name, and the course information. Papers that do not match the formatting guidelines will be returned without a grade.

Proofread your papers before turning them in to me. Poor grammar and spelling will negatively affect your grade.

Cite your sources using any standard citation method. This means you need to either have footnotes or endnotes. Also include a bibliography that lists all of your sources. If you need help with citation methods, consult the LoneStar College Library website for MLA and APA style guidelines (http://www.lonestar.edu/library/citation-help.htm). Always cite your sources and if you did not produce the information on your own, show where you retrieved it. If you did not have the idea on your own, show where you found it. Failure to cite your sources is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade for the assignment.

Sources:
You are required to use/reference a minimum of 5 sources. One source must be a book; one source must be a magazine/periodical/professional or academic journal; the rest of your sources can be from the Internet. However, your Internet sources must have some level of academic rigor to them (no Wikipedia or other sites like that for which it is hard to determine the validity of the information)