For your course paper, you will need to discuss which of the three branches of government (legislative, executive, or judicial) you believe is the most powerful and why. You will need to use specific examples and draw on both information from the course and personal research. Examples can include: court cases, how power has developed, studies on the impact of actions/decision, etc. You must use at least 4 outside academic sources for this paper (this means sources that are not part of your assigned reading), you may access academic sources via the library website.
Your sources cited/ bibliography/ works cited page must be a separate page at the end of the paper (this does not count toward your page length).
Breakdown
• 5 Points: Followed prompt.
o + 5 points: Addressed all parts of the prompt, made a compelling and well-reasoned argument, and used concrete evidence and examples.
o + 3.5 points: Addressed most parts of the prompt, did not make a compelling and well-reasoned argument or did not use concrete evidence and examples.
o + 1.5 point: Did not address most parts of the prompt, did not make a compelling and well-reasoned argument and did not use concrete evidence and examples.
o 0 points: Failed to follow prompt, did not make a compelling and well-reasoned argument and did not use concrete evidence and/or examples.
• 3 Points: Followed instructions regarding formatting.
o + 3 points: Followed instructions with regard to formatting exactly.
o + 1.5 point: Followed most of the instructions with regard to formatting.
o 0 points: Did not follow instructions with regard to formatting.
• 2 Points: Used scholarly / academic sources.
o + 2 points: Used at least four academic sources and included correctly formatted information about them on a separate works cited page.
o 0 points: Did not use at least two academic sources and/or did not include correctly formatted information about them on a separate works cited page.
• 3 Points: Grammar and syntax,
o + 3 points: Had less than 5 errors related to grammar or syntax.
o + 1.5 point: Had more than 5 but less than 10 errors related to grammar or syntax.
o 0 points: Had more than 10 errors related to grammar or syntax.
• 2 Point: Turned it in via the Turn-it-in link by the correct date, and turned in the correct paper (seriously, make sure you turn in the paper for this class).
General Tips:
When referring to a branch, capitalize Legislative Branch, Legislature, etc.
Be as clear and concise as possible. Don’t say in twenty words what you can say in ten.
When you are overly verbose sentences often lose clarity, and meaning. This is actually an indicator that you didn’t fully research the subject or spend time on the paper.
Use the correct terminology, if you are talking about the Judicial Branch, call it that. This is of the utmost importance in academic writing, word and term choice matters.
Use an active voice in your paper.
For information about passive v. active voice click this link: Active v. Passive Voice (Links to an external site.)
I do not mind if your paper is written in the first person, this may help you with using an active voice.
Make sure your thesis statement is clear and strong.
Anytime you reference information that isn’t your original idea or considered common knowledge, you should provide a citation.
I should see citations sprinkled in your paper like confetti.
Your textbook does not count as one of your two outside sources, because it is not an outside source.
Do not fall into the trap of spending the entire paper explaining information instead of making an/a argument(s) to support your thesis. I don’t need you to explain to me how the Legislative Branch works, I need you to explain to me why you believe specific powers, etc. make them more powerful than the other two branches of government (or whatever branch you have chosen).
Grammar & Syntax Tips:
Make sure you aren’t using sentence fragments, a prevalent problem. Sentences should always have a subject, and more often than not, the subject should be apparent.
Example 1: Brian took his dog to the park for a walk. He was tired after an hour and they went home.
Who is “he” in the second sentence? Be specific.
Example 2: Looking forward to seeing you.
In order to turn the sentence fragment into a sentence make it “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
Syntax refers to the construction of your sentences, this includes all grammar and writing elements. Your sentences should be constructed in such a way that they flow and the meaning they are conveying is clear.
In other words, your sentences should not be awkward or difficult to understand.
Do not use contractions, they are not acceptable in formal academic writing. Contractions are: don’t, can’t, isn’t, weren’t, they’re, we’re, etc.
Instead say: do not, cannot, is not, they are, we are, etc.
Don’t be afraid to use commas, commas are your friend.
If you aren’t completely confident that you understand how and when to use semicolons, don’t use them. Semicolons are usually unnecessary and when used incorrectly draw attention to other errors.