U.S. Government – Fall 2015
Ben Davis University
President Research Paper
Due Date: Friday, October 9th, 2015 – No late papers accepted!
Welcome to the president paper writing process! The process includes pre-research, research, writing and critical thinking skills. You will need to follow the steps and the due dates that are outlined for you. The process will be much easier if you complete each step thoroughly and on time. Keep all your work and the handouts throughout the entire process. You are to bring your materials to class daily.
You will receive a grade for the writing process and the paper. Below are requirements to be included in the paper.
Total length of paper: 3-4 pages, typed
Biographical, education, experience, and credentials – 1 page MAXIMUM
Opinion. Was your president’s tenure in office a success or failure? Defend your opinion using research. This part should be the remaining 2+ pages of your paper. Your thesis statement should also be based on this portion of the paper. Some guiding questions for this part:
What were the key domestic policy issues during his presidency?
What were the key foreign policy issues during his presidency?
Were there wars? How did he perform as “Commander in Chief”?
How were cultural or social issues handled?
How did the president handle the economy? How did the economy perform during his presidency?
Was he popular or unpopular? Honest or dishonest? Explain.
What major events or crisis’ occurred during his presidency? How did he respond and was the response successful?
How do historians rank your president? Do you agree or disagree with historians? Why or why not?
President Selection
Presidents will be randomly selected
Students may not change, switch, or trade presidents
Timeline & Milestones
August 28, 2015: Paper format setup, share in Google Docs (20 point homework assignment)
September 4, 2015: Reference page completed with 4-5 references (20 point homework assignment)
September 18, 2015: Thesis statement completed (20 point homework assignment)
October 9, 2015: Final paper due (100 point paper assignment)
Grading & Plagiarism: The BDU Writing Across the Curriculum Rubric will be used for grading. All papers suspected of plagiarism will be run through a software program to detect plagiarism and/or copied and pasted into Google. Any paper found to contain plagiarism will receive a “0”.
MLA Format: Taken directly from the Purdue Owl. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/747/
General Guidelines
Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).
Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor’s guidelines.)
Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).
Formatting the First Page of Your Paper
Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in “After Apple Picking”
Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)
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