TERM

TERM PAPER INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW

Write a minimum 500-word double-spaced, MLA-formatted term paper addressing the instructions below. You do not need to seek outside sources, but if you do, you must include a “Works Cited” Page. If you only use the information I have given you, you do not need to include a “Works Cited” page.

Step 1. Become familiar with the Texas Plan, found at: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Restoring_The_Rule_Of_Law_01082016.pdf

Pay particular attention to pages 1-8 and 65-70. Be sure to know how the intervening pages provide specific justification for the necessity, as the governor sees it, for a convention.

Step 2. Review the following sources for criticisms of the plan and information about the US Constitution and federalism. These sources provide the material needed for your paper.

This site offers perspectives from the political Left and Right: https://lawliberty.org/texas-has-a-plan/ This site offers additional criticisms of the plan: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/01/12/gop-leaders-mostly-silent-abbotts-constitution-pla/

Your textbook is a source of information about federalism and the power-sharing relationship between Texas and the national government.

HERE”S the writing portion: Step 3. Using the above sources, consider the following issues for inclusion in your paper:

• Did Governor Abbot’s call for a convention have merit?

• Did the criticisms of his call for a convention have merit?

In answering these questions, please provide examples from the sources given (the links above and your textbook). Some examples can be the amendments being considered – explain why/why not those are important

Be clear in your response – evaluate the information and support your thesis(s) --- There are really TWO theses

(1) Governor Abbott’s call does/does not have merit.

(2) The criticisms of Abbot’s call do/do not have merit

Step 4. Prepare your final paper. Remember that the instructions call for your analysis and evaluation of the call for a convention to address proposed amendments to the US Constitution. Don’t just simply restate the arguments of the plan or its critics; I want to see you explain, compare, and evaluate!

RUBRIC

MLA formatting followed Spelling Punctuation Grammar	· 2 MLA, spelling, grammar errors 50 points	2-3 MLA, spelling, grammar errors 25 points	4+ MLA, spelling, grammar errors 0 points
Thesis #1 Fully supported with examples	Student supports thesis (Gov Abbot call for convention does/does not have merit Student uses examples from the given sources 50 points	Student has a thesis, but does not support it well or does not use examples from the given sources 25 points	Student does not have a thesis and does not address the question (Abbot’s call does/does not have merit 0 points
Thesis #2 Fully supported with examples	Student supports thesis (criticism do/do not have merit). Student uses examples from the given sources 50 points	Student has a thesis but does not support it well or does not use examples from the given sources 25 points	Student does not have a thesis and does not address the question (Criticisms do/do not have merit) 0 points
Synthesize the information (don’t just list information) Think about it critically	Overall, student evaluates and synthesizes the information well. Student writes clearly 50 points	Student does write clearly but does not evaluate and synthesize the information well. 25 points	Student writing is not clear 0 points
Arrange paragraphs in a logical order (each paragraph should have a topic sentence). Paper should have an introduction, body, and conclusion	Paragraphs are arranged in a logical sequence (intro, body, conclusion) 50 points	Intro, body, conclusion paragraphs are present but are not in a logical sequence. 25 points	These paragraphs are not clearly present. 0 points