SPC Role Interest Groups Play in The American Political System Research

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Research Paper Part 1 (50 points)

Due June 14, 2020

Grading Rubric for Research Paper – Part 1.docx

Select ONE of the following five topics:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Research Paper Part 1 Requirements

  1. Write an introduction paragraph about the selected topic.
    1. The paragraph should be in at least 200 words.
    2. Introduction should include a specific thesis statement at the end.
    3. The penalty for not following this requirement will range from 10% to 30%.
  2. Write a detailed outline in the APA writing format (6th ed.).
    1. Your outline should be detailed, not simply heading and subheading topics.
    2. For each main body part of the paper, you should should provide a sub-thesis statement and supporting details.
    3. An outline is the structure of a paper/essay that you usually write after brainstorming. It should take you a few minutes or hours to write it. See the following video for information on how to write the outline Thesis and Outline (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
    4. The penalty for not following this requirement will range from 10% to 30%.
  3. Write an annotated bibliography in the APA writing format (6th ed.)
    1. Click HERE for additional help with APA (6th ed.) in-text citations and references (SPC Online Library).
    2. The annotated bibliography should include at least five (5) scholarly sources retrieved from St. Petersburg College Online Library.
      1. After clicking on the hyperlink, enter key words related to your research paper topic. Then click “Search”. Thousands of sources will appear. Lastly, select the article that are relevant and needed for your paper.
    3. An annotated bibliography should include the references in the APA format (6th ed.) and annotations for each reference.
      1. An annotation is a brief summary of the article and its contribution (the information it provides) to your paper
    4. Each of the five annotations should be in at least 100 words.
    5. The penalty for not following this requirement will range from 10% to 40%.