Overview • Format: 3-page minimum double space of written literature (excludes t

Overview • Format: 3-page minimum double space of written literature (excludes title page and references). The writing must fill an entire third page or points will be deducted (~5-20 points). A good paper will be more towards 5 pages. Please do not write over 10 pages. • Research: 3-5 scholarly sources (More information in “Citation/References Instructions” and throughout this document) • Submission Rule: It must be submitted as a Word document ONLY (no PDFs, RTF, Pages, Google Drive, or Cloud links) due to the SafeAssign software. You will be sent an email with a limited time frame to re-submit for a 20-point deduction. You will receive a zero if you miss the allotted time. This also applies to papers that are submitted as a blank page. • The paper will be run through SafeAssign (See details below). I do check the time stamp and anything after 11:59 PM (even one second after) is considered late. Components of the Paper • Title Page o Include your name, POLS 2302, written assignment, a unique title, semester, professor name, and date of your submission o The title page can just be centered in the middle of the page – nothing fancy. I am not picky here! o You will receive a 10-point deduction if you do not have a title page • Introduction o Paragraph 1: The introductory paragraph must be at least 3-5 sentences long. Within your introductory paragraph, you will need a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines out your paper. Failure to have an adequate introductory paragraph will result in a major point deduction. ▪ If you struggle with an introductory paragraph, come back to it after you have finished your paper. It is a lot easier to write then! • Main Body o Paragraph 2: Present a topic you studied this semester that you found most interesting and/or important. You must first extensively explain the topic (i.e. definition or process). You will then explain why you found the topic interesting and/or important. Be very clear in your writing full of examples and potential sources to compliment the rubric. Simply do not just regurgitate information. o Paragraph 3: You will repeat the process from paragraph 2 with a completely different topic. o Paragraph 4: You will repeat the process from paragraph 2 with a completely different topic than paragraphs 2 and 3. o Rules for paragraphs 2-4: ▪ You will have THREE different paragraphs in all with a different topic for each. The subjects cannot be closely related (i.e. Baze v. Rees, Gregg v. Georgia, Georgia v. Furman) because I want to see that you have learned. ▪ The subjects should be specific and not broad. For instance, you cannot write about how the legislative process is important. Instead, focus on a specific area, such as the public hearing phase. In addition, what clause of the First Amendment do you find interesting? This is more specific than the entire First Amendment. • If you are not specific, you may leave out important information. Important information can result in a deduction of points (i.e. discussing the entire 1st Amendment and leaving freedom of speech out). ▪ Only ONE topic can come from the US founding review. ▪ The three subject areas you discuss MUST be from POLS 2302. Use your notes as a guide. The only approved topic from Exam 4 will be foreign policy. You may not discuss anything Texas related. • i.e. we didn’t learn about social media, campaigns, federalism, etc. When in doubt, email me! ▪ I love to see scholarly sources in this section for a stronger paper. In addition, I can tell when you use another source for a definition, which will need to be cited. In addition, you must cite any new material if you are trying to make a point (this includes recent news stories/court cases we didn’t mention in class!). • Identifying a problem and a solution o Paragraph 5: Identify, discuss, and describe a specific contemporary political problem related to the federal government. In other words, you will need to write about a problem you believe needs to be changed within our government. Essentially, what do you think needs to be improved? What would you like to see changed? ▪ Again, use your notes, course-level objectives, or the schedule of assignments to help you out. ▪ You may absolutely write on something that we discussed this semester if you would like. ▪ This topic cannot relate to one of the three interesting topics because students usually miss information in one of the paragraphs. If you do, please get it approved. ▪ You MUST include at least TWO scholarly sources in this section. o Paragraph 6: Construct and communicate a solution to the problem you identified (above). Make sure to develop and express your solution in the form of an argument that is supported by well-document, and properly cited, facts and data. ▪ You MUST have at least one citation in this paragraph. It must be a different author/article from your problem paragraph. ▪ If there is no way to fix your problem, then you need to extensively explain why it cannot be fixed with a citation that shows you researched. Failure to do so will result in major point deductions • Conclusion o Paragraph 7: Conclusion paragraph. Be sure to have a good conclusion that is at least 3-5 sentences long. Failure to include a conclusion paragraph will result in a 15-point deduction. General Advice • Your written assignment should be typed and double spaced with a 12-point New Times Roman font and one-inch margins top, bottom, and side o There will be a 5-point deduction if you do not use New Times Roman o If you use inappropriate margins, I will set it to one-inch and take deductions off if it does not meet page length requirements. Deductions can range from 5-20 points. • Correct grammar, capitalization, and complete sentences is a crucial aspect of the grading rubric o You may write in 1st person since this is a reflective assignment. You may also write in 3rd person if you would prefer. o References to court cases must be italicized OR underlined. Failure to do so will result in a 3-point deduction every time you mention a court case • It is OKAY to have more paragraphs if you would like, depending on how much you write. You just need to please have minimum what I have provided. • Do not over think. This assignment really is THAT EASY!!!!! I look for critical thinking, thorough explanation, and the ability to attempt citations since this is a research paper. Proofreading ▪ We do not proofread papers. I would suggest the Writing Center here at Lamar University for assistance in this area. They have virtual appointments. ▪ Dr. Collins can give you feedback on your topics. Please email me a bulleted list of what you are thinking. It can just be a basic list or you can have a brief summary of what you would discuss for each topic. I will accept emails until November 10th at 2:00 PM. Academic Honesty Statement Carefully read the Course Management Policies, “Academic Honesty Statement” for additional guidelines for your written assignments. Any cut and paste or plagiarism 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, this includes papers posted a minute or more late. Students have ONLY one chance to upload papers to Safe Assign and the version that is uploaded is the version that will be graded. Students are NOT allowed to submit papers they have written for any other course including written assignments and papers submitted. If a student is retaking POLS 2302 for a grade replacement, the student is NOT allowed to submit a paper previously submitted in any POLS 2301/2 course or any other course. Submission of a paper previously submitted by you or any other student in any other course will appear in SafeAssign and be considered by the instructor to be plagiarized. A paper submitted in this course – written by the student or any other person – that appears in any other course will result in an assignment score of zero. Your name and work will be submitted into a permanent file marked “plagiarism” and may be used by the instructor or subsequent instructors for evidence of one-time or repeated plagiarism and may be used as evidence of academic dishonesty resulting in expulsion from Lamar University. The Use of AI Tools This course assumes that all work submitted will be generated by the student themselves. Students should not have a person/entity complete work for them. The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) are not permitted in this class; therefore, any use of AI tools (to complete assignments, projects or assessments, writers, software, or other paper generating programs) for work in this class is considered plagiarism since the work is not your own. Using AI chatbots or virtual assistants to seek answers or assistance during exams, quizzes, in or out of class assignments, or projects is prohibited. Manipulating AI systems or algorithms to bypass security measures, access unauthorized information, or compromise the integrity academic assessments is prohibited. Work written by an AI writing tool is not your original work and such is not acceptable in this class. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in a zero given for the assignment in question. Additionally, using fake sources, fake quotes or fake page numbers is also considered plagiarism and will result in a zero for the assignment. FINAL Reminder of the Layout ▪ Title Page ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph ▪ Paragraph 1: Introduction 2: Topic #1 3: Topic #2 4: Topic #3 5: Problem paragraph 6: Solution paragraph 7: Conclusion