You will choose a form of political participation other than voting to research. (I chose to cover protesting and The Movement for Black Lives))

PAPER CONTENTS: On the next page you will find the contents you need to include in your
completed paper. For each section, except for the introduction section, you need to use subheadings.
Refer to the provided APSA Style Guide for examples of how to properly use subheadings. You will
want to come up with more creative subheadings than simply “Section 1” or “Section 2”. Good
subheadings will be brief (3-4 words maximum) and provide an accurate or clever description of
what is to follow in the section. Furthermore, do not deviate from the organizational flow I provide
below. This provides the organization for your paper. 

INTRODUCTION SECTION (1-2 paragraphs): In the introduction section you will need to identify some
form of political participation other than voting. Introduce this activity to the reader. What is it?
What does it entail? Provide a brief history of this activity in the United States. You will also need to
provide a brief “road map” letting the reader know what you will be discussing throughout the
paper. Here you are establishing the purpose of your paper, and you are providing an explanation of
the issue at hand.

 SECTION 1 (~2-3 PAGES): Provide a brief literature review of the political science scholarship (3-5
peer-reviewed academic sources) surrounding your chosen political activity. Focus on:
1. Patterns: Who engages in this behavior? What groups of people are more likely to practice
this form of political participation? When are people most likely to perform this activity?
2. Reach a conclusion: What does all of this say about the action you are writing about? 

SECTION 2 (~2-3 PAGES): Discuss how ideological and partisan groups encourage collective action
by utilizing the form of participation you chose to write about. Specifically:
1. Choose and briefly describe some kind of political controversy or issue.
2. Identify, describe, and analyze the differences between liberals and conservatives regarding
this issue.
3. Discuss the various groups, such as political parties and interest groups, who make up the
“liberal” and “conservative” positions for the issue, and describe how these groups
encourage the form of political participation your paper is focused on. Are there differences
in how these groups mobilize their respective supporters?   

  SECTION 3 (~2-3 PAGES): Discuss how people use this activity to lobby the government in regards to
the issue you selected in Section 2.
1. Making sure to cover recent developments, analyze the role Congress plays in your issue.
What power does the Constitution grant Congress in regards to this issue, and what, if
anything, has Congress done in recent years regarding this issue?
a. Identify and discuss how people interact with Congress through the form of political
participation you chose.
b. When, if ever, have people been successful in lobbying Congress in this way? How
should that success be defined?
2. Making sure to cover recent developments, analyze the role the executive branch plays in
your issue. What power does the Constitution grant the president in regards to this issue, and
what, if anything, have presidents done in recent years regarding this issue?
3. Make an assessment regarding the relative success of people lobbying the government
through the form of participation you chose. 

CONCLUSION SECTION (1-2 paragraphs): In this section, you need to wrap your paper up and bring
everything back together. Don’t just regurgitate what you’ve already written. Is this form of
participation worth it? Do you engage in this activity? Would you? Would you encourage others to
do so? Why or why not?