RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC SUBMISSION

RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC SUBMISSION
**The law/executive order you choose must be submitted by February 5th/6th**
• When submitting the topic, clearly identify the law/executive order you have chosen to write about.

• Submit 4-5 sentences detailing what your research will be focusing on. This will form the basis of your hypothesis. Be aware, the death paper topic is not allowed, but I am going to use it as an example.
o Just stating the death penalty would not be sufficient.
o The submission should look similar to the following, “The legality of the death penalty has been debated for decades. When examining the United States Constitution, one can argue that the death penalty violates the 8th Amendment's statute banning cruel and unusual punishment. Throughout the years, the United States Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the death penalty does not violate the 8th Amendment, and that the power to determine death penalty options resides with the states. In light of recent events, particularly the botched execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma, the U.S. Supreme Court needs to revisit whether or not the death penalty does in fact violate the 8th Amendment.”

• All topics must be submitted through the assignment section on BlackBoard
o Go to the course on BlackBoard àclick Assignments on the left side window pane à click Research Paper Topic Submission à click Write Submission to directly input the topic or click Browse My Computer to attach it.
▪ Please be advised, you are better off writing and saving the topic submission and then cutting and pasting it into the write submission box.
▪ If submitting as an attachment, BlackBoard has difficulty reading Mac files, Google Docs, or Microsoft One Drive. Please submit in a PDF format or a Microsoft Word DOC format.

RESEARCH PAPER OBJECTIVES
• Explain and develop your own ideas on the American political system through hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, and mathematical and interpretive analysis.

• Identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in the students own work, as well as in the work of other researchers.

• Develop well-reasoned arguments in support of a conclusion or point of view by the development of qualitative and quantitative research questions.

EXPECTATIONS:
• Choose a law/executive order, develop a hypothesis and conduct research that will either validate or invalidate your hypothesis (Do not use pronouns- I, you, we, etc. when writing a research paper)
o Hypothesis- a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

• Identify the type of analysis you will be using to conduct the research that will either validate or invalidate the hypothesis. (i.e., surveys, interviews, observational studies, oral histories, case studies, government documents, or public records)

o Do not state something as fact when you do not have evidence to substantiate the argument.
o Be aware that this is a Political Science course and not a History course. The paper must focus on a law/Executive Order from the last 10-15 years. I do not want to see an extensive historical analysis in the paper.
o Assume the reader has background information on the topic. There is no need to define things like terrorism, global warming, etc.
o This paper is not just about explaining a law or Executive Order. It is more important to analyze the law/EO and determine whether or not it is meeting its goals/objectives, does it need to be reformed, what were the unintended consequences, etc.
o Always, try to utilize primary source material and interpret the primary source material yourself. You are capable of reading a document and formulating your own conclusions.
o Utilize secondary source material to serve as evidence to back up your central arguments.
o When using source material in your research paper, it must be cited with internal citations even if it is not a direct quote. Failure to use internal citations will result in points being deducted from the paper.
o A minimum of 5 sources are required (1 primary source, 2-3 scholarly articles, 1 data source, 1 reputable news outlet)
o Wikipedia is not a valid source and should not be used under any circumstances. Failure to adhere will result in a 20-point grade reduction.

• Most importantly, do not let the hypothesis guide your research. Rather, let the research guide your conclusion.

RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC SUBMISSION
**All research papers are due by March 25th/26th. This gives you ample time so there will be no exceptions for late papers.**
• All topics must be submitted through the assignment section on BlackBoard

o Go to the course on BlackBoard àclick Assignments on the left side window pane à click Research Paper Submission à click Write Submission to directly input the topic or click Browse My Computer to attach it.
▪ Please be advised, you are better off writing and saving the topic submission and then cutting and pasting it into the write submission box.

▪ If submitting as an attachment, BlackBoard has difficulty reading Mac files, Google Docs, or Microsoft One Drive. Please submit in a PDF format or a Microsoft Word DOC format.

o Make sure to use Calibri or Times New Roman font 12

o 3 FULL pages minimum

o APA or MLA writing style format

o Complete bibliography/works cited (be advised that this does not count as one of the 5 pages)