When grading written assignments, I will primarily be looking for the following elements: 

 Relevance and thoroughness: The arguments and statements in your written assignment should be directly related to the assignment topic. Papers containing unrelated or marginally related arguments and statements will receive lower scores. In writing your paper, be sure to keep your writing focused on what is being asked in the assignment, and try to avoid vague or overly general discussions. 

 Textual support: Much of the content of this course consists of primary writings of historically significant political philosophers. In preparing your written assignments, you can demonstrate your understanding of these authors and texts through relevant textual references. A very effective paper will selectively use quotes from the original texts to help build and support your own arguments or explanations. Try to avoid excessive use of quotes, however, as these papers should display your writing abilities, rather than your copying abilities. Papers containing minimal or no discussion of the relevant authors and texts will receive lower scores. 

 Style: Your written assignments should be generally readable and free from common writing problems, such as run-on sentences or paragraphs and improper citations. Additionally, an excellent paper will be generally well structured with all arguments presented in a logical and flowing order. 

 Spelling and grammar: While I do not specifically grade on spelling and grammar, I expect written assignments to be generally free from spelling and grammatical errors. Written assignments with problems of unreadability due to excessive errors of spelling and grammar will receive lower scores. 

 

Discussion:  There are 8 Discussion Questions on Canvas, basically one bi-weekly.  These are to be answered in roughly 300 words.  They are your thoughts (after reviewing the material).  Once an initial answer is posted, you will have access to others’ posts.  Please reply to at least one other student’s post with a follow-up question, additional thought, disagreement, etc.  Please respond if I ask you a question in your thread.  For each discussion question, you will get 12 points for the initial post of adequate size and thought and 6 points for adequate replies.  If you feel that you’d like to pad your grade, replying to your replies will certainly be noted if there are ever those “Can you round my 89.1% to a 90%?” questions.  Initial posts are due on Fridays, all responses are due by Sundays.

Choose one of the pages from this module to write about (Framing & Party Realignment).  Ask any questions you have, share your thoughts, discuss your insecurities.

To get you started.  Ever heard of framing before?  Did you know that every story, every time we speak, it has to be framed in some way?  Were you shocked by either Gillette?  What were your takeaways from the responses? What about that party alignment and re-alignment?  Do you, like me, wish that they would have just changed names instead of switching all around in ideology?  Kind of hard to realize that the “same parties” have danced all around the political spectrum?

The American Political System – POLI 102 Fall 2018 Assignment #2  Due 12/1 via SAFEASSIGN on the blackboard site.  Maximum 4 single space pages.  Check the syllabus for late paper policy.

The “institutional principle” argues that the rules that are adopted in the political system shape the outcome.  Given that so many think Congress is dysfunctional, you will consider arguments about how to reform the legislative branch electoral system.  Specifically, you’ll write about ranked choice voting (also called instant runoff -IRV), multi-member rather than single member districts, and primary elections.

The purpose of the assignment is twofold: 

a) Critically analyze proposals to reform our election systems

b) Experience reading at least one academic political science article.

Assume that you are an advisor to a politician who must decide whether to support changes to the electoral system.  Write a memo to that politicianin which you describe and explain the advantages and disadvantages of ranked choice voting reforms (IRV), including the advantages and disadvantages of pairing this counting system with a shift to MMDs (multi-member districts), and how it differs from and could be combined with CA’s top 2 vote getter primary system.  

The following resources should be used:

1) AG textbook Chapter 11 (especially pages 442-452)

2) GC textbook on primary elections (p. 87-89 and 126-127)

3) Public policy analysis “Why Competition In the Politics Industry Is Failing America” By Gehl and Porter (google to find the PDF)

4) Academic peer-reviewed articles (choose ONE to browse and mention in your paper)

Using the “super Search” function on the Mesa Library website: search “instant runoff voting”

Check “full text online” and “scholarly (peer reviewed)” to the left.

Sort by newest if you like. Scroll through, find these titles, and choose one to browse, summarize, and include in your paper:

a) Frequency of monotonicity failure under Instant Runoff Voting: estimates based on a spatial model of elections

b) Closeness matters: monotonicity failure in IRV elections with three candidates

c) The paradox of grading systems.

d) Writing The Rules To Rank The Candidates: Examining The Impact Of Instant-Runoff Voting On Racial Group Turnout In San Francisco Mayoral Elections.

5) non-academic IRV and MMD resources (browse and use articles you find useful) :

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/13/poliquin-sues-maine-ranked-choice-system-964082

http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/alternative-voting-systems.aspx#rankedchoice

http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/ranked-choice-voting.aspx

https://www.rankedchoicevoting.org/

https://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2018/5/14/17352208/ranked-choice-voting-san-francisco

https://fairvote.app.box.com/v/APSA-Civility-Brief-2015

https://www.fairvote.org/multi_winner_rcv_example

http://www.umsl.edu/~kimballd/KimballRCV.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/10/opinion/house-representatives-size-multi-member.html

https://ballotpedia.org/State_legislative_chambers_that_use_multi-member_districts

6) Videos if useful

two videos on the blackboard site

Include AT LEAST 4 DIRECT QUOTES (these should include at least ONE from Gehl and Porter, ONE from the academic article you chose, and ONE from a non-academic resource).  Make sure you use IN TEXT citationsfor each quote and paraphrase using the following format:  “direct quote” (author, p.#).  Also, please make sure you include a sources cited listat the end so I can check to see that you know how to do this.  The mesa library has a list of resources:

http://www.sdmesa.edu/library/cite-sources/

I’ll grade using the following rubric: 

10% grammar and quotes (including correct format and reference list at the end)

10% academic article summary

40%  adv/disadv of IRV

40%  analysis of combination with MMD and/or Top-2 primary

Video about paper assignment- Critical Essay #2

(I screenshot the textbooks, and they are in the files.)

Should people be allowed to vote in federal elections over the Internet? How might this be done? What advantages might such a reform have (e.g. increasing voter turnout, convenience)? What problems might arise (e.g. fraud)? Could the problems be solved? If not, would the benefits outweigh the possible problems?

1. The term paper is expected to be 6-8, full double-spaced typewritten pages in length (the cover page, pictures, maps, diagrams and bibliography are not included in the page count) using a 12-point font, in an easy-to-read, typeface. Margins may be no larger than one inch. 
2. The cover sheet should identify your topic, and include your name, the date submitted, and your section instructor’s name. 
3. Each student will use a minimum of 5 scholarly resources. Encyclopedia (print or electronic) may be consulted, and included in your bibliography but cannot be one of your 5 resources. 
4. Every student’s paper must have a bibliography, prepared in APA or MLA format. 
5. The Internet should be searched for maps, plans, or photographic illustrations to support your narrative. A minimum of one Internet source must be included in your paper. However, Internet sources are limited to a total of three. 
6. The bibliography must contain a MINIMUM of: 
   1. Two primary resources 
   2. Three resources from the course
   3. One news source
   4. Two scholarly, academic journals

Review and compare these two documentaries: A. Femmes Aux Yeux Ouverts (Women with eyes open). B. “To Empower Women.”  

Anne-Laure Folly, who made documentary A said: “I simply wanted to show African women’s ability to reach the end of the twentieth century and to enter the twenty-first century positively, that is, by articulating a set of problems, questions, and answers that contribute to world development. I wanted to show that they participate fully in the questions that concern all women.” Do you think she succeeded? Why or why not? 

Documentary B gives a snippet of The Beijing Conference. What did you learn about the conference? what did the conference contribute to the lives of African women? How did it advance the cause of feminism?

include 2 other sources (will be provided) 

Must be 10 pages,  Size 12 font, 1 inch margins