America’s Democracy: Your Report Card
clw0dq8
week_5_-_instructor_guidance.docxAMERICAN GOVERNMENT: VOTING AND VOTER TURNOUT
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt (Voting Quotes)
Week Five Instructor Guidance
Voting and Voter Turnout This week will not focus on any new material but will instead expand upon the readings you completed last week to allow more time for you to focus on the completion of your final project.
Specifically, the focus of our first discussion this week will be on voter turnout and voter ID laws. Voting is the process by which our democracy decides who will be elected to serve in different elected offices. Most notably is the election of the president every four years (which we discussed last week when we talked about the Electoral College), but midterm and other elections also elect the United States’ representatives, senators, justices, and various other local elected positions as well. In many of these elections, particularly the midterm elections, voter turnout in the United States is significantly low. Political parties are struggling to energize voters and encourage them to go to the polls to vote. There have also been issues (most notably the Bush v. Gore election in 2000) with the reliability of votes. Each state has different laws regarding how elections, polling, and voting take place and some have enacted voter ID laws in an effort to curb issues with voter fraud.
The videos below touch on the concepts of voter fraud and voter ID laws that we will discuss in the first discussion question this week.
Are Voter ID Laws Really a Bad Idea
(News, 2014)
https://youtu.be/ZuiS6Cqe2JU?list=PLWclzFN9x80o5nnuvysW0ioa3zzzktTgH
Is Voter Fraud a Major Problem?
(Turks, 2014)
https://youtu.be/5kLnSVPTtVw?list=PLWclzFN9x80o5nnuvysW0ioa3zzzktTgH
Why are Voter ID Laws so Controversial?
(Frontline PBS, 2014)
WEEK FIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Discussion #1 – Voter ID Laws and Turnout
1st Post Due by Day 3 – Thursday
For Discussion #1 you will analyze voter ID initiatives and how they impact voter turnout. The purpose of this assignment is to draw your own conclusions about voter ID laws and electoral participation. Your response should address the entire discussion prompt. One of the key aspects of this discussion is to cite your sources. For example, if you claim that voter fraud is a problem in the U.S., you need to cite at least two reliable, academic scholarly sources, the support or provide evidence to back up the argument you are making. The same is true if you argue there is no voter fraud – always use and cite scholarly sources to support your arguments, and ensure you have cited in both the body of the post, as well as in reference at the end in APA format. Your initial post should be at least 300 words, and written in paragraph form in your own words. Support your position with at least two of the assigned resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library databases. Include APA in-text citations in the body of your post and references at the end, to support or provide evidence to back up your arguments as you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your position, and cite them properly.
Respond to Peers: By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates' initial posts. Your peer responses should be substantive and at least 100 words each. Please feel free to reach out to your instructor if you have questions.
Week Five Quiz
Due by Day 3- Thursday
This quiz covers the material from the textbook in Chapters 10 and 11. Please be sure to note that it is due on Thursday and plan accordingly. You have two attempts to complete the quiz. Your last score is the one that is recorded in the gradebook.
Final Paper – America’s Democracy: Your Report Card
Due by Day 7 - Monday
In this concluding assignment you will build upon the content you created in your four weekly Learning Activities. You will build upon that information as you analyze key features of the U.S. national government in order to demonstrate what you have learned over the last five weeks. Also, you will describe one take-away point from this course in a thesis statement, which summarizes the view developed throughout the paper. Please be sure to utilize the POL 201 Model Paper Templateto complete this assignment.
It is important to understand that this paper is not simply a cut and paste of your four Learning Activities. While the research you have completed can serve as a strong base it is important that you implement any comments from the instructor, as well as further expand on the material. Appropriate transitions and headings are needed to ensure a cohesive paper.
I recommend the using these six steps in order to compose a high-quality Final Paper:
1. Read the assignment prompt closely. This might sound obvious, but take your time and don’t rush through this step.
2. Read the grading rubric. This is how your assignment will be evaluated.
3. Review your weekly Learning Activity Worksheets. These assignments outline the topics that will be discussed in the Final Paper. Review the work you’ve already done and the sources you’ve used to prepare for this assignment. Be sure to review and incorporate the instructor feedback on this assignment and apply it in your final paper.
4. Reflect on what you have learned in order to generate a concise thesis statement. It would be helpful to review your “practice” thesis statement from Section 2 of the Week Four Learning Activity, and any feedback related to it provided by the instructor. You may also want to consider using the Thesis generator tool provided in the Ashford Writing Center.
5. Follow the directives provided in the assignment prompt in order to begin composing a first draft. After you’ve completed a first draft, ensure that your response fulfills all the assignment requirements.
6. Revise and proofread as necessary. I suggest using the grading rubric to guide your revisions.
Here is a summary of the Final Paper requirements. Please see the assignment prompt for more details. Your Final Paper must:
1. Be at least six pages long, 12-point font, double-spaced (excluding required title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA guidelines.
2. Utilize and cite a minimum of eight scholarly sources, in addition to the text book if it is occasionally used as well.
3. Include an APA formatted title page.
4. Begin with an introductory paragraph, culminating in a concise thesis statement that demonstrates the central view or analytical position that will be developed throughout the paper.
5. End with a concluding paragraph that reaffirms the thesis statement.
6. Use and properly cite at least eight pieces of scholarly research (in addition to the text book if used), including at least six peer- reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the Ashford Library databases.
7. Include a reference page that lists your sources in alphabetical order according to APA format requirements.
It is highly suggested that you review the POL201 research guide to help you with the research for your paper.
