“Who governs; and to what ends?”
In this assignment you will investigate one area of policy and use that example in an attempt to answer the questions above.
Your tasks: You will be required to research and write a polished paper. The paper should be approximately 10 pages not including your references.
The Paper: The structure of your paper should follow the outline below. Approximate lengths for each section are provided to give you a sense of how much detail you should be providing in each section.
Introduction (about 2 pages): In this section you will establish context for your paper. Your introduction should include the following components ordered in a way that makes sense (not necessarily the order in which they are listed below):
Overview of the aims of political science research in general (see the two questions above)
Introduction/overview of the competing theoretical frameworks of political science that we have studied
Brief background of your specific policy/program
A clear statement of which theoretical framework best fits the way your policy/program evolved
Legislative/program history (about 2-3 pages): In this section you will trace the development of your policy/program from when it was first being created to when it was implemented (if your policy/program was terminated, include details about how/why it ended). Include in this section:
Description of the major provisions of the law/policy/program
Explanation of the reasoning behind it (why it was developed in the first place)
Details about the major players (people, agencies, etc.) involved in the process (both for and against the policy/program)
Explanation of how it was implemented (and how it ended if it no longer exists)
Evaluation of how effective it was/has been
Theoretical analysis of policy (about 2-3 pages): In this section you will analyze the history of your policy/program using the framework that you believe best fits. Be sure to SHOW how it fits, not just tell. This will involve reviewing some of the programmatic elements you discussed in the previous section.
Implications (about 2 pages): In this section you will draw your conclusions. Wrap up the paper and discuss what your example implies for the two fundamental questions of political science.
References: It is expected that you have a minimum of seven (7) reliable sources. Sources such as Wikipedia, encyclopedias, do not count toward your seven. We will go over what is and is not an acceptable source in class.
Citation format: You should use the format approved by the American Political Science Association (APSA). It is very similar to the Chicago style you have been required to use in other history classes. A link to the APSA citation handbook is here:
http://www.apsanet.org/media/PDFs/Publications/APSAStyleManual2006
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