In your research paper, you will describe how this law/policy developed and how

In your research paper, you will describe how this law/policy developed and how it involved several or all of the following: interest groups, voters, the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. Although you should summarize the law/policy’s provisions, I want your focus to be more on its history rather than on its content. Relate the law/policy to what you have learned in this course about our system of government. And here’s a hint: you may want to check parts of the textbook that we have not covered yet (especially Chapter 15) in the early stages of your work on the paper.
A note on Internet research (as you may have heard before): Wikipedia (and some other sites like it) cannot be sources for an academic paper. Now, I say this, even though I love Wikipedia! However, you might use Wikipedia as a starting point and as a tool to find other sources, then evaluate those sources and cite them accordingly. If you are unsure about the quality of your sources, just ask me. But Wikipedia will never be a reliable source, not because it doesn’t contain some good information (it does) but because it changes every second of every day and is often changed by people who have no credibility or expertise.
Potential resources for the paper include the ProQuest Environmental Science Package (if writing on environmental law/policy), the ProQuest Political Science database, and the SIRS Knowledge Source (within that, look at the ProQuest SIRS® Issues Researcher and the ProQuest SIRS Government Reporter), all available through the VGCC Library. (Please check with the Library, as databases change from time to time)
The paper’s length must be between 8-10 pages (including the Works Cited as one of those pages), double-spaced, 12 point font. Do not include a Title Page.
Start working on this paper at any time by letting me know which law/policy you would choose. You must submit your proposed topic/idea for the research paper by June 15, worth one point on your final course grade. You must submit at least three sources that you have found by June 26, worth one point on your final course grade. You must submit a rough outline of the paper by July 14, worth one point on your final course grade. The actual paper will be due on July 25 at 11:00 p.m. You will receive a maximum of 20 points for the paper itself. Papers will not be accepted late. Extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also, plagiarism (presenting the work of someone else as your own, without citing the source) will result in penalties up to a grade of zero points. Use the MLA Format for citation. A link to information on MLA Format is found in the course on Moodle.
Grading Rubric for Research Paper:
I. Content (70%) – A paper will get full credit for content if it meets the requirements of the assignment (covers all the main points, as they apply to the particular topic), uses proper terms and conveys facts accurately.
II. Grammar/Technical (10%) – A paper will get full credit for grammar if it uses proper sentence structure, subject/verb agreement, and pronoun reference.
III. Clarity/Style (10%) – A paper will get full credit for clarity and style if your instructor can understand what you mean because you have used correct spelling and word choice and the paper flows logically from one paragraph or section to the next.
IV. Citation (10%) – A paper will get full credit for citation if you correctly use MLA format and you use credible, appropriate sources.