PSC 201 Homework: Set Essay Questions

by Jeremy Lewis, revised 19 Oct. '07.

Choose ONE of the following set questions -- or write a paper on your own topic (with more sources).

New, Fall 2007: the final copy of set essays and short epapers for 200 level courses should now be

reduced to single-spaced (2.5 pp.) which is more readable on a laptop computer.

Ensure paragraphs begin with a tab indentation (for readability).

Then select all (Ctrl-A), copy (Ctrl-C) and past (Ctrl-V) into the body of an email.

The subject line (copied in the first line of the text) should list course#, name, and essay or paper.

Do not send the original Word DOC file any longer, for these short papers. (Many people used to forget to Attach them.)

Use course materials fully -- and a few external hardcopy sources. Online sources may also be useful, if they are of good quality.

Legislative Case Study. Take a bill from at least several years ago and research how and why it failed or (better) became law. [Use a few external sources. Hints: use online Congressional Quarterly Almanac and CQ Weekly Reports, and National Journal, then congressional hearings and reports if available, and New York Times index, Washington Post, Congressional web pages (search for bill); journals on web. Lexis/Nexis search of articles often with full text is available at ASU.]
Have voters' identification with parties realigned over the past generation -- and if so, why?
In what ways are US elections, campaigns, and voter turnout exceptional?
Is there a balance between the interest groups that lobby Congress, and if not, why does it matter?
Contrast the powers of the presidency during a national security crisis with the powers of the office during routine policymaking.

Advice:

Hint: in an analytic introduction, explain the scope of your essay and the causal factors to be considered, perhaps specify time periods you are discussing, and define your terms.
Then deal with each factor in a separate paragraph proceeding from most important to lesser.
Conclude with an answer telling us something about the causes of political behavior

-- not just a trite (beauty queen stereotype) answer about the US being a happy place to inhabit!

Be sure your conclusion is consistent with your argument, type up sources, correct spelling and grammar, and you're ready to turn it in.
If you have good charts or data tables, certainly include them as an appendix -- just be sure to use them in the text.
Both set essay and paper should be typed in APSA style. Remember to type your name and the course and title in the email subject line.
Endnotes and references should be on separate pages at the end of either an essay or a paper.
To force a new page for references, press Ctrl-Enter -- don't just insert a large number of new lines.
Less valuable sources: may assist your essay but should not dominate it. Web sources can be useful -- especially those from official sites -- but should be used with care. Journalistic sources (e.g. Newsweek or US News) also should not be the main basis of the essay.
Working to deadline? Each late essay will face a deduction of points.