INSTRUCTIONS
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I am using Dylan S. McLean, Ph.D. (University of West Georgia) assignment, as I consider it a great assignment and opportunity for developing some critical skills, such as political thinking, and political engagement.
In this assignment, students are tasked with writing a position paper, in the form of a constituent letter, to their senators or representative in the U. S. House of Representatives.
Overview
Regular Americans routinely write letters to their representatives in Washington, D.C. (Your house representative, or one of your two state senators). The purpose of these letters is to express support for, or opposition to, particular policy issues that the U.S. Congress is dealing with. In other words, the letter is an attempt to persuade the congressperson that he or she should adopt the position of the letter writer. If the letter writer successfully does this, then the representative will cast votes in Congress that their constituent letter writer would agree with.
You will need to give some thought to what makes a strong position paper. First, you should choose your topic carefully. You will naturally write a stronger letter if it deals with an issue that you actually care about. You should select a very specific topic, in the form of a specific bill, or other specific piece of legislation, that the U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering. Second, effective persuasion will require more than your opinion; you will need to present at least two items of evidence that support your position. Third, you will need to ensure that your letter demonstrates an understanding of the American system of government and the role that your representative plays in it.
The letter must:
- Take a position and argue for/against a bill/legislation/public policy that is of a particular interest/concern to you as a constituent member and more importantly, a citizen-voter.
- Offer a clear position statement supported by at least two facts or two items of evidence. Use citation for those.
- Demonstrate a clear and precise understanding of the roles of Congress vis-a-vis other branches of government, and the workings in a federal system of government.
Also:
1. Be addressed to Your Member of Congress’s proper Washington D. C. address. The following links can assist in researching your U. S. House Representative and bills/legislation/public policy.
http://www.house.gov/representatives https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/ http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ https://www.congress.gov/members
2. Be error free (spelling, capitalization, grammar usage, formatting etc.)
3. Letter submission on the due date. LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
4. I will check for plagiarism
5. At least 500 words in length
6. Typed and in a formal letter format. For example: http://www.savvy-business-correspondence.com/BlockBizLetter.html
7. Formatted: Times New Roman- 12 point font, single-spaced, and 1 inch margins.
You must put your name on the paper; papers without a name will get automatically a 1 letter grade reduction. You must submit your paper electronically, via blackboard. Please upload your essay in .doc or .pdf formats. Also, (just in case) email me a copy of the letter too.