While some of you have a very strong foundation to build your paper on, others need considerable improvement, focus, effort, and restructuring in some cases. Unfortunately, at this point, if some of your final papers follow the path of your outlines they won’t receive a passing score. Allow me to be blunt because it’s exceedingly prudent and warranted at this point. If the recommended corrections and adjustments aren’t made, some of your papers will receive an “F”. When this happens, it’s rooted in one consistently recurring problem. You’re not linking your selected policy consistently and substantively to the four content components that the Final Paper is built around. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at them and what you should be looking for in your resources.
Historical and Constitutional Basis of the American Government’s Structure – How is the federal government structured? What gives it the structure it has? What’s the basis for its authority in the area your policy focuses on? Is there a link between the Constitution or the Bill of Rights and your policy?
How Checks and Balances will directly come into play – Are the checks and balances between the branches involved? If so, how? Which branch developed and passed the law that led to the policy? Which branch is responsible for implementing it? Have there been any courts cases related to it? Is there or has there been a struggle between the branches for control over it? Has one branch sought to amend or rescind it, while another has blocked that?
How Public Policy, Elections, AND the Media impacts the chosen topic/policy – Is your policy something that’s been discussed for a long time? Does it build on or fill in a gap in previous public policy? Has it been covered in the media? What’s the coverage like? What’s the coverage suggest or say about it? Was media coverage a prominent part of getting the policy passed?
How voting and the election process impact the chosen topic/policy – Has the policy or the issue it addresses come up in campaigns? Has there been a vote on it at the ballot box? Has it been a prominent issue in a specific campaign? Did the results of an election lead to some specific action on the policy?
Title page (see Introduction to APA (Links to an external site.))
Introduction (half page) (see Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.))
Describe the paper’s overall thesis.
Provide an overview of main points.
First Main Point (one to one and a half pages) describes the historical and Constitutional basis of American government’s structure and how this relates to the policy.
Describe the main point.
Support the main point with research.
Second Main Point (one to one and a half pages) explains how the policy is involved within the process of checks and balances.
Describe the main point.
Support the main point with research.
Third Main Point (one to one and a half pages) describes how the policy relates to public policy and elections and how the policy is portrayed by the media.
Describe the main point.
Support the main point with research.
Fourth Main Point (one to one and a half pages) explains how the policy impacts voting and the election process.
Describe the main point.
Support the main point with research.
Conclusion(see Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.))
Review your main points.
Review your overall thesis.
References page (see Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.))