Constitutional Principles help

Module 01/M1_AssignmentInstructions.html

Module 1 Essay Assignment: Constitutional Principles

Overview

The Essay 1 Assignment gives you an opportunity to explore concepts from this module in more depth. You will have to do some careful thinking and put together reasoned and complete responses to the questions posed. 

Instructions

• You are to write a 3-5 page argumentative essay that answers any one of the following questions. This essay is worth 50 points.

• The United States Constitution is the basis of our current government, and it has undergone many interpretations over the decades. Take a look at the links below and select one section of the Constitution (an article or amendment).  Review how this section of the Constitution has been elaborated or interpreted by the Supreme Court over the years. Then, write an essay on how the Supreme Court has interpreted and elaborated on this section over the years. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

The United States Constitution Online The US Constitution (annotations and cases)  Library of Congress: Primary Documents of the United States

• The theme of the living Constitution finds expression in today's Internet discussions of the American Constitution compared to the constitutions of other nations. Review the US Constitution and the constitutions of at least three other countries and then write an essay which compares the similarities and differences among the American Constitution and foreign Constitutions. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

The United States Constitution Online Constitute Project 

• The websites below examine the underlying ideas that form the ideal of federalism, including the ideals of liberty and republicanism (representative government). They examine political philosophies that converged into American federalism and provide commentaries about the meaning of this structure of government. Explore these websites and then write an essay on the relationship of federalism to liberty, and explain how federalism and liberty are relevant to contemporary policy issues. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

American Federalism Federalism via US Constitution Online

Deliverable:

• 3-5 page (800-1500 words) essay stating and supporting a clear opinion or argument.  Make sure you read the Short Essay Rubric carefully for all the elements you are required to include in the essay, including appropriate examples, explanations and reasons from your reading, at least three appropriate concepts from the textbook and/or module, current news events and at least two references. Instructions for accessing the grading rubrics are found here.
• Put your name, date, and module # on the essay.
• Put the complete essay question you chose at the beginning of the essay (don’t paraphrase it); leave out the websites; single space this question and include an extra space between the question and the body of the essay.
• Use Times New Roman, 12 pt black font, 1-inch margins; double-space the body of the essay, indent new paragraphs by 1/2 inch, and don't include extra spaces between paragraphs; you don't need to include a title page or abstract.
• The essay must use college level English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.
• Use ONLY Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or save your document as a Rich Text File (.rtf).
• The essay must use APA formatting, referencing, and citations; a reference page must be included. For more information and models of APA formatting, see the APA Toolkit in the Syllabus Module.

See an example of a Short Essay here.

See the Schedule and Course Rubrics in the Syllabus Module for due dates and grading information.