I have divided the
class into four work groups of four or five students each. Every group
will assign each of its research questions to one of its members. Within each
group, every student will ask another to review her or his paper. The
reviewer’s name should appear on the paper, along with that of the author.
- Essays should be double‑spaced and no more than six pages long.
(Use twelve-point type.) I will not read past the sixth page.
- Use secondary sources to establish context. Use primary
sources for the bulk of your research. Seek information in scholarly
journals and government
publications. Wherever possible, rely on hard data such as
election returns and polling results. Do not just rely on news
media accounts, which may be inaccurate.
- Cite your sources, using proper format, such as Turabian.
- Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors
will count against you.
- Submit essays to the Sakai dropbox by 5 PM on Friday, 15 November.
(Yes, you have two extra days.)
Papers will drop a gradepoint for one day’s lateness, a letter
grade after that. I will grant no extensions except for illness or
emergency.
Arneson, Bare, Bell, Donyo
- Why did the Senate reject the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? Does it have a chance at a comeback?
- Why did President Obama delay the ACA
employer mandate? Did he have the
legal authority to do so? Explain
the controversy.
- Explain the fate of President Obama’s
effort to expand Medicaid. Consider
state action and the Supreme Court decision in NFIB v. Sebelius.
- How did the presidential candidates use
Twitter in 2012?
Gissinger, Lee, Lemmons, Rooney,
Huesing
- Who supports and opposes the Common Core
State Standards Initiative? Is it
gaining or losing ground? Explain.
- Who is supporting the ABLE Act (HR 647/
S 313) and why? What are its
prospects for passage?
- In 2012, former governors lost Senate
races in Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
Why? Consider the
differences between senatorial and gubernatorial elections.
- Tell why disability advocates disagree
with Teach for America on the issue of “highly qualified teachers.” Explain what has happened in Congress,
and describe prospects for future legislative action.
- Explain the fate of statewide marijuana
ballot measures in 2012.
Cameron, Hidalgo-Wohlleben, McCracken,
Hyatt, Miele
- Since the 1960s, some states have gone
from being mostly Democratic to mostly Republican. (Examples include Texas and Georgia.) Others have gone the other way. (Examples include Vermont and New
Hampshire.) Pick one state that has
switched party allegiance and explain why. In your answer, pay careful
attention to demographic and economic change.
- Why did the Kyoto Protocol never win
Senate approval?
- What is likely to happen in McCutcheon v. FEC?
- Why did the Benghazi attack have so
little impact on the 2012 election?
Might it affect Hillary Clinton if she runs for president?
- Explain the conflict between Louisiana
and the federal government over the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Huang, Krey, Finn, Plummer,
Straus
- Some say that Simpson-Mazzoli
represented a failure of immigration reform. How well did it work?
- On May 18, 2008, Barack Obama said,
“We're not going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run
around Congress.” How does his performance measure against that pledge?
- Tell how CMC alum Steve Bullock became
governor of Montana.
- Explain the impact of Shelby County v. Holder.
- Explain allegations of vote suppression
in the 2012 campaign. Was there
intentional vote suppression? What
was the impact on the election?