American National Government

Term Paper:

Note: American National Government is a course that requires a writing assignment of 2,000 words, per the Gordon Rule. Students must complete the 2,000 word requirement in order to receive a passing grade.

Choose from the following topics:

• Renewable Energy
• Electoral College
• Women’s Rights
• National Debt Ceiling
• War Powers Resolution

Instructions for the Term Paper are as follows:

Write an argumentative paper, clearly favoring one side of the controversy.

Papers must be at least 2,000 words in length.

Papers must be written in Modern Language Association (MLA) format.

Your thesis should clearly indicate which side of the controversy you support.

Do not write your paper in first person.

Plagiarism is unacceptable; it is a serious intellectual offense. Detection of plagiarism will result in a grade of F on your paper.

Papers must have citations within the text and include a Works Cited page.

Papers must have at least three sources in all, including one electronic source and one book source.

Late Papers – 1 point will be deducted for each week that your paper is late, and failure to turn in a paper will result in failing the course.

The drop box to submit the final draft of your paper is under Lessons in ANGEL.

Enjoy the writing!

Extra Credit

There are 3 extra credit points offered for improving your writing. Follow the steps below.

Submit your Term Paper to Smarthinking at least one week before the due date.

When you receive the Smarthinking Markup Essay (within 24-48 hours), make all of the recommended corrections to your writing. Submit the final draft of your Term Paper and the Smarthinking Markup Essay into the Term Paper Drop Box by the due date. The Smarthinking link is under the Notices tab in ANGEL.

Note: Extra credit will not be applied if recommended corrections are not made. If no corrections are recommended by Smarthinking (on your Markup Essay) extra credit will still be applied as long as both the final draft of your paper and the Smarthinking Markup Essay are submitted into Term Paper Drop Box.  

MLA Review

It is the responsibility of each student to review the Modern Language Association (MLA) writing format on their own. There are several examples of MLA format available online or at the SPC library. There is also assistance available at all SPC Tutoring Centers or through Smarthinking in ANGEL. Proper MLA format is worth 5 points of the Term Paper grade.

Term Papers will be graded as follows:

3 points     Opening paragraph – clear central idea and thesis

3 points     Organization – supportive facts, original thought, logical progression and flow

3 points     Writing Style – clear, concise, focused, and convincing

3 points     Mechanics – spelling, punctuation, and grammar

3 points     Conclusion – clearly summarized and correlated to thesis

5 points     MLA – title, header, line spacing, in-text citation, and Works Cited page

________

20 points     Total   

Last Completed Projects