U.S. Government Mr. Flanagan SCOTUS Research Paper Assignment As we have discussed, the US political processes and institutions shape the outcome of government. Much of the on-going discussion about policy issues, however, fails to take into account the ways court cases shape policies. You will be expected to write a 5 page research paper on an issue in US politics or government through the lens of a Supreme Court case. The goal of the paper is for you, based on research you have done, to advocate whether the court involved (SCOTUS or a lower court) was correct in its decision. In order to advocate one side or the other, you also will provide multiple well warranted arguments about why the court decision was correct or incorrect. This is NOT a report on the court case. You will NOT spend time laying out the facts of the case; rather, you will focus your analysis on the logic used by the courts and/or the outcome on government policies after the decision. The analysis you provide and arguments you use must be grounded in the literature about the issue. Rough Drafts: Rough drafts are not mandatory but strongly encouraged. I am available for dialogue about your paper either in person or via email. I will read rough drafts as many times as you would like. However, in order to give comprehensive feedback, November 18 is the latest date I will accept rough drafts for extensive comment. If you do not take advantage of this option, you can still come by and talk with me after (as well as before) the 18th. Rough drafts do not have to be complete when I look at them. However, you must have quotes and paraphrased ideas properly cited in the rough draft to allow me to give you feedback on source diversity. If you hand me a partial rough draft, please know that my feedback is only on those pages I read and not on the general direction of the paper. Final Draft of Paper: The final draft of this paper will be due on December 4th before 8:50 am. You will submit the paper on Rangernet. You also will bring a hard copy of the paper to class. The individual research paper will be worth 200 points total. Paper Requirements: A strong paper will demonstrate a solid understanding of the issue, clearly articulate your perspective on the topic, discuss what the government should or should not do related to the topic, and effectively use evidence to support your points. The paper should be 5 pages in length, based on a 12 point Times-Roman font with 1 inch margins and double spaced. Please note that the 5 page minimum means writing to the end of the 5th page. You must use Chicago or MLA formatting for citations and endnotes/bibliography. You must include at least 10 diverse sources, although a good paper will include more. The appropriate number depends on the reliability of the sources, the balance of views represented, and the type of sources (media, academic journals, texts, etc.). I recommend using several sources that reflect a combination of academic works (books and/or articles), opinion pieces (from newspapers and journals), government documents and news articles (for example from the New York Times, the CNN website, or others). Use of sources means more than just adding them to the bibliography. A good paper will clearly incorporate information and ideas from those sources. A good paper will also reflect that you have read and thought critically about materials related to your topic. Direct quotes and ideas must be properly cited. Failure to do so is plagiarism and will be treated as such. No Chat GPT text can be included in the final research paper. Any check-in must be cited properly. The student is responsible for the veracity of the information provided. ChatGPT does not count as a source in the source requirement. Remember that a good research paper sets out a concise thesis statement that is defended throughout the paper. Background information or a history of the issue should be kept to a minimum and incorporated only when it helps you to prove an argument or support your thesis statement. While some of the topics have moral components to them, the purpose of the research paper is to explore government policy and law related to the topics. The focal points of your research and arguments then should discuss the policy component to these topics. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions but there are well documented and well supported answers. Remember as with any academic paper, you should avoid using first person. Grading Rubric for Research Papers: There will be 4 (Four) grade checks throughout the semester worth 80 points of the 200 points: Your grade will be based on the following major points. Th+e questions under each point are like those I will ask to assess the quality of the work. As you write your paper, ask yourself whether you have adequately addressed each of these areas. Strength of your argument on the nature of the problem Is it logical? Is it well-explained? Does it reflect a solid understanding of the context in the U.S. Governmental System? Does the analysis reflect careful consideration or does it merely provide surface analysis? Strength of your argument(s) in support of your thesis Does both your thesis and solution follow from the nature of the problem? Is your perspective reasonable given the support you present? Do the examples used support your thesis? Does it take into account alternative solutions to the problem? Effectiveness in marshaling evidence Are concepts and points illustrated with material from the U.S. and/or international contexts? Is there sufficient evidence used to illustrate your major arguments? Are the references well-chosen for this task? Is there a diversity of types of sources used to support your argument? Clarity of Presentation Is it well-written? Is it well-organized? Is it well-documented? Are the arguments clearly state and concepts thoroughly explained? All papers should answer the following (you should not spend equal time on all of these elements but they should serve as a guide for what content to include): Was SCOTUS correct in its majority decision? Why or why not? Remember SCOTUS is not right or wrong just because it’s SCOTUS. When you do your research and make your arguments they should focus on the substance of the issues in the case. If your argument is that SCOTUS majority was incorrect, what are some of the negative consequences of this decision? If your argument is that SCOTUS majority was correct, what are some of the positive consequences of this decision? SCOTUS decisions do not exist in a vacuum. Congress can play a role in mitigating or enhancing the effects of the Court on particular issues. Depending on the side you take, what law should Congress pass or what executive action should Congress mandate to remedy negative consequences or enhance positive consequences of the Court’s decision? Remember you are taking a position and advocating throughout the paper – so this is not a paper where you review both sides of an issue; instead, you will take a position on the correctness of the majority opinion and expand on that position. To address the consequences and solutions part of the prompt, you should think about researching using think tanks who would have experts who would explain what they think should be done to address the results of the court case. Use the court case name as a search term along with the issues at stake in the case.
