Candidate Research Paper Assignment Spring 2016: T/TH 8:00 a.m.
The Objective:
Students will be able to research a current candidate running for the office of
the President of the United States. They will evaluate the candidate based
upon the candidate’s background, work experience, and issue positions to
determine if they would be willing to support this candidate in the 2016
Elections.
The Why:
One of goals of this class is to encourage students to serve future generations
of Americans by engaging in our representative democracy. One of the
easiest ways to do this is to actually vote in our elections. This paper will
help each student to learn more about a candidate that they are interested in
so they can make an informed choice at the ballot box. It will allow
international students an opportunity to study a potential American leader in
depth thus learning more about American culture and ideas.
The Due Date:
Thursday, February 18 by the beginning of class
You will actually be turning it in twice (2x).
You need to bring a hard copy of your paper to class and hand it in.
You need to turn it in on-line prior to the start of your class. You do this by
going to our class on Blackboard, click on Course Materials/ Candidate
Research Paper/ and scroll down to find the Turn-it –In Link. Click on the
link and follow the on screen instructions.
Extra Credit Opportunity:
If you complete and turn in your paper on or before Thursday, February 11
by the beginning of class, you will receive +8 on your paper. You still
need to turn it in twice: bring me a hard copy and use the Blackboard
Turn-it-in Link.
The Specifics:
Research and write a three (3) to four (4) page paper on one of the declared
candidates running for the office of the President of the United States (as of
July 2015). A list of these candidates can be found through the link I have
posted on Blackboard. Please note: four parties have declared candidates –
Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Green.
1
You must have at least three (3) credible sources that are cited in your
paper using parenthetical citations.* You may use as many sources as you
would like, but you will be counted off if you do not have at least three.
You also need to include a Works Cited in MLA format. (The Works Cited
does not count as one of the pages of your paper for length purposes.)
