Discussion: The way you view government.

Submit a 3-5 page paper (Times New Roman, 12 point font, heading should be single spaced body should be double spaced) containing the following information:

Where you are from and how you think your hometown/family has affected the way you view government.

Choose 1 or 2 issues we’ve discussed in class or that is covered in the text (minimum wage, affirmative action, healthcare, gender inequality, gun rights…) and argue in support or opposition of the issue. Present not just your opinions but the facts to support your position.

Include the appropriate law that coincides with your position and court case(s) that coincide with your claim.

Lastly, include which member of Congress your Senator and/or your member of the House of Representatives (in Washington, DC) that either agrees with your stance on the issue(s) you selected or does not agree with you and why he or she feels the way they do.

For example, if you feel minimum wage in this country should be increased, tell me whether your representative (either your Senator or Member of the House) also thinks minimum wage in this country should be increased and why; or tell me if your representative thinks minimum wage in this country should not be increased and why, then argue why he or she is wrong based on your research of the facts.

We all have two Senators that represent us in Washington, DC. Each person also has a representative that is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives also in Washington, DC.

As we’ve discussed in class they serve specific districts so you will have to research who represents you based on your zip code.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.