Description
Please follow all the guidelines and Grading Rubric
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Federal Government Assignment # 4:
Due: March 4, 2024, by 11:59 PM
Instructions:
For this writing assignment you will be required to closely follow the instructions. This is a
skill that employers look for, so this is a required element of the assignment. Do not skip
steps!!!!! The assignment should be double spaced, 12-point font-Times New Roman,
typewritten pages. Students will need to include the proper heading- name, instructor name,
course name, title, and page number(s). A reference should be included at the bottom of the page.
Students should follow guidelines from the APA manual, sixth edition or later for all references
and in text citations. When in doubt, CITE!
The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to identify one of your elected state-level
legislative representatives and the issues they have prioritized as your representative; then
compare the work they are doing with your personal political beliefs. Do you care about the
same issues that they do?
Step 1: Go to Who Are My Texas State Legislators to input your address and determine who
your elected Texas legislative representatives are. You must choose to write on either your
member of the Texas State House of Representatives OR your member of the Texas State
Senate.
Step 2: After selecting one of those state-level legislators, you will follow the link to his/her
personal website. On that page, you will find varied information about your legislator,
including links to that legislator’s most recently authored legislation.
Step 3: Go to VoteSmart Link of Texas Interest Groups to locate an interest group that
lobbies on behalf of an issue you care about. This can be any issue, from abortion to tax relief,
as long as it is an issue that interests you. Navigate on the page to find an issue category (like
“Campaign Finance and Elections” or “Foreign Aid”) that you are interested in. Then, under
that category heading, select one of the particular groups in that category to research. {Those
particular groups are located on the far right under the “SIG Name” heading.}
Step 4: Respond to the list of questions in sequential order. Each question should be answere d
completely and numbered accordingly in separate paragraphs (Q1 should be a paragraph, Q2
should be a paragraph). Once completed, submit the answers according to the instructions.
NOTE: This is not a position paper. You do not need to offer or support a thesis, but your
answers are required to be submitted in complete sentences, and in your own words. DO NOT
copy and paste from any of the websites you will utilize during this assignment. Part of the
challenge of this type of assignment is to strengthen your ability to discuss political issues
using your unique ‘voice’.
1
Based on the instructions above, answer ALL of the following questions.
Question 1:
a. What is the name of your chosen state-level legislator for this paper and
b. what is his/her office/position?
c. What is his/her 1 – race/ethnicity, 2 – gender, and 3 – religious affiliation?
d. What political party does s/he belong to?
e. Does s/he share your preferred party preference?
f. How long has s/he been in office?
Question 2:
a. Select and describe one piece of legislation authored by your representative during
the current regular legislative session. (If not currently in a regular session, you should
select one sponsored bill from your legislator from the most immediately recent
regular legislative session.
b.
If your legislator has not authored legislation before, you should describe his/her two
most recent sponsored bills).
Question 3:
a. Compare and contrast the mission and goals of your chosen interest group with
the political beliefs and legislative priorities of your chosen legislator, providing
AT LEAST one specific example of either agreement or disagreement between them.
b. Has your chosen interest group endorsed your elected legislator?
c. What, if any, role do you think this interest group had in getting your legislator
elected?
Question 4:
a. Reflection – Which of the marketable skills (Dallas College Marketable Skills – Dallas
College) did you develop in completing this project? You may select up to three or four
marketable skills from the website. Be sure to clearly articulate what the selected
marketable skills are.
b. Which were the most challenging?
c. What parts of the project present your best work in demonstrating marketable skills?
d. What would you think you need to continue developing?
2
Federal Government Extra Credit Assignment- Bill of Rights Institute
Instructions:
The length of each writing assignment is 300-400 words, double spaced, 12-point font-Times
New Roman, typewritten pages. Students will need to include the proper heading- name,
instructor name, course name, title, and page number(s). A reference should be included in the
assignment. Students should follow guidelines from the APA manual, sixth edition or later for all
references and in text citations. When in doubt, CITE!
Due:
March 3, 2024, by 11:59 PM.
Assignment:
Current Events Articles – Bill of Rights Institute
Based on your chapter readings, we know that civil liberties are due freedoms for every individual. The
Declaration of Independence declares that all men are given certain rights such as life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. Civil liberties are freedoms that the government cannot encroach upon. Using your
knowledge from the class readings and notes, click the link above and answer the following questions
about a current event.
1) Select a case/topic based on the current event from The Bill of Rights Institute (click the link
above).
2) What is the topic/title of your current event. Provide a brief overview of the story being
covered. In other words, what is the case/topic about?
3) What civil liberty is discussed in the case/topic? How is the civil liberty violated? Explain your
answer with reference to the amendment. At a minimum, you should introduce the amendment
and provide a brief overview of it. This is not a yes or no question, so please use your reading
materials to help you craft a well-thought-out response.
4) What is the outcome, or pending status, of the case/topic?
5) How does the case/topic link back to what you have been learning in the course? This is where
you use evidence from the readings and class notes to support your answers.
6) What is the most interesting takeaway from the course? In other words, what did you learn
from reading the case that you did not already know?
Additional Resources:
Purdue Online Writing Lab
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/ref
erence_list_books.html
1
Assignment Grading Rubric
Criteria
Ideas, Arguments & Analysis
– Ideas expressed include original thought, substantial
Feedback
depth, and are relevant to the topic. Assignment
consists of strong logical thinking, reasoning, and
analysis
Connection to the Course Material
-Viewpoints include evidence and examples that show
solid and direct connections to readings and/or other
course materials and are properly presented to support
YOUR stance
Organization & Clarity
-Writing is presented in a logical manner that
follows a structure that is easy to follow and
understand
Writing Quality
-Free of errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and
spelling
Additional Comments:
1
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
