Final Paper

POLS 4402 Final Paper

Instructions: Choose ONE of the following prompts and write a 5-8 page paper on that subject. The prompts provided are broad and can be addressed in several ways. Therefore, I am not looking for a right or wrong answer to the question but rather for you to think critically about the American political party system. Each question is multi-faceted which means that students have the opportunity to write in both an expository and a persuasive manner. While I encourage you to incorporate current events and your own perspective into the paper, note that this should not be a pure opinion piece. Demonstrate that you’ve learned from this class by clearly referencing theories, concepts, and examples from the required readings. Remember to cite all sources, including those within the syllabus.

Paper formatting should be in the standard 12 point Times New Roman font, double- spaced, with normal margins. You may use any citation format (e.g., MLA, APA style). Papers should be uploaded to the Dropbox in D2L by 11:59pm Sunday December 9, 2018.

1) Describe campaign finance laws in the United States (Module 11). What factors (historical, political, social) were most influential in shaping the current set of regulations? Explain your position and provide relevant examples. Recent legislation has opened the gates for private donations, rather than taxpayer money, to finance presidential nominating conventions (Module 10). Weigh the pros and cons of this change. Who benefits most from nominating conventions: the parties, mass media, or the people? Explain your reasoning. Do PACs and Super PACs (i.e., independent expenditure committees) from special interest groups (Module 13) undermine the ideals of a representative democracy or are they instead a shining example of it? Supply current examples to back up your claims. What reforms of campaign finance laws, if any, do you anticipate in the future?

2) The strategic parties hypothesis (Module 9) states that resources should be allocated to close elections, where such efforts could mean the difference between winning and losing. In what ways did the strategic parties hypothesis succeed and fail in the 2016 presidential election? Explain. How does negative campaigning (Module 9) alter Downs’ calculus of voting (Module 5) both in primaries and the general election? Justify your position. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the American primary system (Module 10). Provide examples from recent elections to support your arguments. To whom are primaries most beneficial: national parties, individual states, candidates, or voters? Why?

3) Explain the ways in which judges, both at the state and federal levels, come to hold their positions (Module 16). Do you perceive any conflict of interest between these methods and the theoretical guiding principles of the law (i.e., producing unbiased rulings)? Why or why not? Public opinion can either help or hinder the agenda of government officials (Module 12). To what extent does the appointment process of judges erode public trust in the judicial branch? Justify your opinion. Speculate on the changing nature of Georgia’s electorate (Module 14). How did shifting demographics, as well as partisan leanings (Module 6), influence the 2018 midterm elections? Explain and cite relevant examples.

Note: To avoid plagiarism, students should rephrase information in their own words and students should cite all sources used. Students may not collaborate with one another on this assignment. Be aware that I will be checking for plagiarism as it applies to both outside sources and to within-class collaboration. Refer to the syllabus for more information about plagiarism and its consequences.

Grading Rubric

Critical Thought (45 points)

Arguments within the paper display a great deal of thought by the student, student has contemplated the issues and has provided deep insight to the questions raised, inclusion of required and supplemental material is well-balanced with the student’s personal arguments

Amount and quality of information provided (30 points)

Sources used are appropriate and relevant towards the student’s arguments, supplemental information provided is well incorporated into the overall position, direct quotations do not compromise the length of the paper

Organization (10 points)

Addresses all relevant questions raised, presents material in a way which is easy to comprehend, arguments of the paper flow and build upon one another

Mechanics/Linguistics (10 points)

Paper contains few grammatical errors, formatting guidelines are followed, student avoids the use of slang/abbreviations

Citation of sources (5 points)

Sources are properly cited, student has been careful to avoid plagiarism