Signature Assignment Topic
The United States of America utilizes a federalist system of government where power is shared between
the states and the federal government. When there are disagreements between state and federal
governments such as with laws, the courts decide who was given the authority under the Constitution –
the states or the federal government.
Select an issue that has been decided or will be decided by the high courts especially the Supreme Court.
1) Explain the court’s decision on the issue or if the case hasn’t been heard yet, what are the
arguments from both sides? (Research)
2) What does the research say are the strengths, weaknesses/challenges with the sharing of power
in our federalist system? (Research)
3) The supreme court decides to hear very few cases each year. What kind of cases does the
supreme court hear? Why does the supreme court choose to hear cases? (Research)
4) Out of the reasons discussed above what does the research suggest about why the Supreme
course heard or will hear this case or why do you believe the court heard or will hear the case
discussed in your paper? (research and/or your opinion)
5) What are your thoughts on the success and effectiveness of our system of federalism? (your
opinion)
GOVT 2305 STUDENTS: Federal Government students must select a case between the federal
government and any state within the U.S. Federalism does NOT include cases between the U.S. and
international countries.
GOVT 2306 STUDENTS: Texas Government students must select a case between any place in Texas and
the U.S. government or between Texas and another state.
Page 1 of 7
GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOME ASSESSMENT PLAN, “SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT(S)”
Part 1
Assignment Title GOVT 2306 Signature Assignment
Aligned Outcomes Critical Thinking; Social Responsibility; Personal Responsibility; Written Communication
Description Paper Criteria
• Topic selection— A current governmental or political (not historical) issue
or problem of importance
• Content— address the various sides of the issue with the student drawing
personal conclusions based on their own analysis of the issue, and
demonstrating an understanding of its complexities. Compare and contrast
the different viewpoints of sources used on your topic taking into account
the limits of a position. Present an informed evaluation of the evidence
and different viewpoint surrounding the topic.
• Paper length – your paper should be at minimum (no maximum) of 750
words long (not counting headings). The paper should be typewritten and
double-spaced, and based on information from a minimum of three
sources (no maximum).
• Writing style—with few or no typographical errors, misspelled words, and
grammatical errors. Use proper paragraphing and improve your writing
style by revising the paper as many times as necessary.
• Citations—anytime you borrow someone’s ideas, paraphrase or quote
them, cite all sources using an appropriate method approved by the
instructor. Analyze and question your sources assumptions.
• A bibliography or “work cited” page also using an appropriate method
approved by the instructor.
You will probably want to utilize San Jac’s article databases to use for your research and
references. In order to do this,
➢ Go to www.sanjac.edu
➢ Click on Student Services
➢ Click on Libraries
➢ Click on Article Databases
➢ Click on Alphabetical Lists
➢ Academic Search Complete or JSTOR or any other database that you wish to explore
➢ Type in your student information to login (your name and G#)
➢ In the search box, Type in the topic that you wish to explore
➢ You can widen or narrow your search by utilizing those settings such as clicking, “full
text articles” etc.
➢ After you read or select an article, you can click on Cite Source, Chicago Style, AuthorDate Style, and it will give you the citation for your reference already in the correct
format.
➢ For more help, ask San Jac’s librarians. The library hours are posted on the website
under the link titled Libraries.
Page 2 of 7
Citations—anytime you borrow someone’s ideas, paraphrase or quote them, cite all sources using
Kate Turabian’s, Chicago Manual of Style for Writers of Theses, Papers, and Dissertations. I am
hyperlinking a copy of the American Political Science Style Manual (APSA) for citations that use the
appropriate author-date format style.
• Use academic sources only.
• Reference List: Include a reference list page using Kate Turabian’s Chicago Manual of Style (you
will receive a packet with this information). Use Author-Date style for citations & reference list.
Instructions for Submission
Your paper must be submitted on Blackboard in 2 places 1) common assignment and 2)
turnitin.com.
Instructions for Late Submissions & Additional Grading Policies
****Late Papers lose 10 points the day after they are due and 2 points are lost for each
additional day until they are turned in.
****Papers not submitted on Blackboard under Turnitin are subject to receive a zero.
Common Assignment Rubric
RUBRIC Total
Points
1) Presentation of multiple research-based arguments
/30
2) Properly formatted in-text citations for sources used as
evidence (last name of author, year of publication, page #)
Example: (Fields, 1998, 36) /15
3) Chicago Style- Reference List /10
4) Punctuation /7.5
5) Grammar /7.5
Page 3 of 7
2) Organization & Clarity /5
7) Chicago Style- Title Page /5
8) Proper Page Numbering /5
9) Double-spaced /5
10) 1 inch margins /5
11) Times New Roman, size 12 font, black ink /5
Grade:
Guidelines for Formatting Paper
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
Spacing: Body of paper is double-spaced except for block quotes
Margins: 1 inch all around
Title Page (see sample below)
Reference List (see sample below)
Headings and subheadings are optional, but must be in correct format if used
Block Quotes. For in text quotations or paraphrasing that is longer than 5 lines, you must treat as a block
quote, which is indented and single spaced. (see sample in packet)
Authors of web pages. If not readily apparent, try to find and provide the name(s) of authors or corporate
author(s) responsible for the content such as an agency’s name. The objective is to attribute the content and
to tell you reader who provided the information. It is better to explain web pages without apparent authorship
than to provide insufficient information, leaving your reader wondering.
Page 4 of 7
Dates for electronic resources. Include the date you accessed this website parenthetically at the end, for
example: Accessed March 19, 2004.
Pagination in electronic resources. When citing an online publication with an equivalent print version, obtain
and provide the page numbers used in the print version. In documents without page numbers, add a
descriptive locator such as section heading or whatever is need to allow your reader to find the resource.
Special Fonts. Italicize titles of periodicals and books.
Page numbers for general paper:
1) There should be NO page number on the Title Page
2) On the 1st page of the actual paper, the number 1 should be centered in the footer at the bottom of
the page.
3) On subsequent pages of the paper, the digit/number only should be placed in the header at the top
right corner of the page.
This is a research-based paper and therefore, the arguments that you present and use should be researchbased and should be cited because they are not your own. All citations and paraphrasing should be cited
using the appropriate (author-date) style with a page number included in parenthesis when deemed
necessary according to Turabian’s guidelines. You will lose significant points if you do not consistently cite
research-based arguments throughout your paper. You will lose significant points if you do not present
multiple sides, views, or arguments.
SAMPLES:
BLOCK QUOTE
prose quotation of five or more lines should be “blocked.” The block quotation is singled-spaced and takes no quotation marks, but
you should leave an extra line space immediately before and after. Indent the entire quotation .5” (the same as you would the start
of a new paragraph).
Rose eloquently sums up his argument in the following quotation:
In a society of control, a politics of conduct is designed into the fabric of existence itself, into the organization of space,
time, visibility, circuits of communication. And these enwrap each individual life decision and action—about labour [sic],
purchases, debts, credits, lifestyle, contracts and the like—in a web of incitements, rewards, current sanctions and ore
boding of future sanctions which serve to enjoin citizens to maintain particular types of control over their conduct. These
assemblages which entail the securitization of identity are not unified, but dispersed, not hierarchical but rhizomatic, not
totalized but connected in a web or relays and relations.(246)
Title Page
• Class papers will either include a title page or include the title on the first page of the text. Use the
following guidelines should your instructor or context require a title page:
o The title should be centered a third of the way down the page.
o Your name and class information should follow several lines later.
o For subtitles, end the title line with a colon and place the subtitle on the line below the title.
Page 5 of 7
CMS Title Page
References
• Label the first page of your your comprehensive list of sources “References” (for Author Date style).
• Leave two blank lines between “References” and your first entry.
• Single-space within the same entry.
• Indent .5 “ at the start of the 2nd line and each line thereafter within the same entry.
• Leave one blank line between remaining entries.
• List entries in letter-by-letter alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry.
• Use “and,” not an ampersand, “&,” for multi-author entries.
o For two to three authors, write out all names.
o For four to ten authors, write out all names in the bibliography but only the first author’s name plus
“et al.” in notes and parenthetical citations.
o When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in
shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text.
Page 6 of 7
CMS References Page
Page 7 of 7
