Group Research Assignment

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?