Description

Directions: Complete a 3 to 4 page paper on a topic related to American national government. Your paper must follow the guidelines below. Additionally, I have listed some suggested topics. All topics must be approved. Use the two mandatory course book to start your research.
Please submit a topic proposal for approval via Blackboard that includes your topic and a brief overview by Week 3.

Guidelines:
• 3 to 4 pages in length

• 12 point font size

• Times New Roman

• Double Spaced

• Use Footnotes or MLA Format

• Citations throughout text to support writing & key facts

• Works Cited Page

• Organized

• Grammatically correct

• Meets requirements of rubric (see next page)

Possible Topics: This is just a suggested list. Feel free to develop your own topic.

Elections

The Economy

Foreign Policy

The Military

Health Care

Energy

The Environment

Civil Liberties

Socioeconomic Policy

Homeland Security

Education

Trade
Research Paper Rubric Bryant
200-175 Points

• Strong thesis clearly developed; well organized, well written, and focused.

• Citation throughout work to support writing & key points

• Utilizes a variety of resources: books, academic journals, periodical, online databases, and primary sources

• Writer’s knowledge of the subject is strong

• Grammatically correct with transitions between paragraphs

• Footnotes or MLA Format / Works Cited
174- 149 Points • Consistent, developed thesis (not immediately clear); well organized, well written, and focused on t

• Citation throughout work to support writing & key points

• Utilizes a variety of resources: books, academic journals, periodical, online databases, and primary sources

• Writer’ knowledge of the subject may be weak or vague at times

• Lacks the ability to organize and present information effectively

• Grammatically correct with transitions between paragraphs

• Footnotes or MLA Format / Works Cited
(some mistakes)
148- 123 Points • Partially, developed a thesis (not immediately clear); acceptable organization, lacks focus

• Limited use of citation

• Limited variety of resources: books, academic journals, periodical, online databases, and primary sources

• Writer’s knowledge of the subject is weak

• Lacks the ability to organize and present information in a cohesive style

• Minor grammatically errors with transitions between paragraphs

• Some errors in Footnotes or MLA & Works Cited
124-99 Points • Confused & poorly developed thesis; unorganized, and not focused

• Does not utilizes a variety of resources: books, academic journals, periodical, online databases, and primary sources

• The weak response that lacks detail; no real use of citation/knowledge of the subject is weak and vague

• Not effectively organized /Grammatically incorrect

• Ineffective use of Footnotes or MLA & Works Cited