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In this class we have identified as one of our objectives the ability to fully engage, in critical ways, popular culture and its influence upon our political selves, our political sensibilities. With our focus on “deep differences” we find ourselves examining both documentary and feature-length film texts.

In 300-500 words share whether or not you believe the assigned documentary film text has the potential to transform one’s political sensibilities and how the documentary film text compares to the feature-length non-documentary film text that examines the same historical political movement and/or figure. And, if you believe that your personal political sensibilities have been (re)shaped or transformed by a particular film and/or style of film, say so. Again, the objective here is to share your thoughts pertaining to the major thesis presented in Democracy and Difference.

Elements of federal bureaucracy

In 100-250 words, explain each element, and discuss how it affects or influences the U.S. political system.

Civil servants

Government corporation

Cabinet departments

Independent regulatory agencies

Independent executive agencies

Merit system

Public administration

Spoils system

Privatization

Negotiated rulemaking

Step 2: Completethe public policy matrix to explain and the compare the main policy types.

Types of public policy

Explanation or definition

How is it the same or different from the other types of policy?

Example of the type of policy

Distributive policy

Regulatory policy

Redistributive policy

Assignment Objectives: Enhance and/or improve critical thinking and media literacy skills by:

1. Developing a clear and concise thesis statement (an argument) in response to the

following question: Does the film have the power to transform political sensibilities?

2. Writing an outline for a five paragraph analytical essay building on a clear and

concise thesis statement, including topic sentences and secondary supports.

3. Identifying and explaining three scenes from the film text in support of the thesis

statement/argument.

4. Writing an introductory paragraph for the outlined analytical essay

Be sure to read thoroughly the writing conventions below before beginning this assignment.

Note: You are NOT writing a full essay; rather, you are outlining an analytical essay by completing the dialogue boxes below.

Writing a Critical Review (analytical) Essay

1. Every essay that you write for this course must have a clear thesis, placed (perhaps) somewhere near the end of the introductory paragraph. Simply stated, a THESIS (or ARGUMENT) expresses, preferably in a single sentence, the point you want to make about the text that is the subject of your essay. A THESIS should be an opinion or interpretation of the text, not merely a fact or observation. The best possible THESIS will answer some specific questions about the text. Very often the THESIS contains an outline of the major points to be covered in the essay. A possible thesis for an essay on character in Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come might read somewhat as follows:

The protagonist of THTC is not a hero in the epic sense of the word, but a self-centered young man bred of economic oppression and cultural dependency. The characters in this film have no real psychological depth, but are markers for a society of consumption and momentary glory.

(You might then go on to exemplify from the text and argue in favor or against this interpretation: your essay need not hold to only one perspective.)

What single, clear QUESTION does the above THESIS attempt to answer?

2. Each essay should be organized into five (5) paragraphs, each based on one of two to four major ideas, which will comprise the BODY of the essay. Each paragraph must have a topic sentence, often (but not always) towards the beginning of the paragraph, which clearly states the ARGUMENT or point to be made in the paragraph. Following the thesis set forth above, the first paragraph might begin with a sentence like “Ivan’s desires and his destiny are signaled in the opening shots of the film, where the friendly, jumbled interior of the bus is contrasted with Ivan’s first view of the outer world: a world of shiny white cars and beautiful women.” Avoid topic sentences that fail to make an interpretative statement about the work or that merely state something any reader might observe; for example, “The first characters we see are country people on a bus to town.”

3. Underline the THESIS and each TOPIC SENTENCE in every critical review essay you submit. This exercise will force you to make certain that you have expressed and developed the ideas in your essay clearly and logically. (In other words, do not do this exercise five minutes before you submit the essay but, rather, as you are working on the very first draft.)

4. Always use present tense verbs in your critical review essays about film texts. Present tense is the verb tense of analysis. Past tense, on the other hand, is the tense of narration. In each essay, you will be analyzing a particular text, not retelling or summarizing the story. If you find yourself slipping into past tense as you compose, you are probably narrating rather than analyzing.

5. Use specific passages from the text to support each point that you make in your essay. You may simply refer to an event in the text, or you may paraphrase what a character or the narrator says. But the best EVIDENCE will most often be direct quotes from the text.

The Introductory Paragraph – Some Approaches

In your essay, an opening or introductory paragraph may not always be the first one you write. But it will be the first one your readers read and you need to engage your readers’ attention and interest and present all you need to make your thesis clear and convincing.

I. Some Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Dictionary definitions: Define key terms and concepts in your opening paragraph, but don’t quote directly from the dictionary to do so. Use a dictionary – more than one dictionary – to formulate the definition in your own words.

2. Generalizations about “life,” “society,” “people today,” etc.: You don’t want to begin your essay with the kind of statement that teeters on that fine line between opinion (those ideas you will go on to prove) and belief (those ideas unprovable with the evidence offered by the text). Rather than a statement like, “Almost every man has a sense of pride and will go to war to prove it,” try something more specific to the text you are analyzing. “The character of Roland exemplifies how personal pride and personal valor do not always lead to the most fortunate conclusion.”

3. The painfully obvious: Avoid opening statements like “Dante’s Inferno is about a journey to hell,” or “Roland is the hero of The Song of Roland,” unless such statements are in some way controversial and challenging to traditional interpretations of the text. Try to avoid any kind of tautological formula – “something is something else” – in the opening sentence, especially, but also elsewhere as an “argument.”

4. Try to distinguish between historical or biographical fact: “Dante’s Inferno was written in fourteenth-century Italy,” and interpretation, especially when you are considering the intention of an author: “Dante wrote his Inferno to expose the problem of Florentine political corruption to the world.” The latter may be a part of your theory or thesis (or conclusion) but if you use it as a statement of fact (an “intentional fallacy”) you will have to prove it rather than merely argue it – a slippery and difficult and perhaps not particularly useful task. Beware also of using vague or imprecise generalizations of terms such as “dramatic,” “realistic,” or “critical,” which differ in their literary and historical significance.

II. Challenges to Meet

1. Try for a (syntactically) shapely and relevant opening sentence: be thoughtful and original and persuasive. Always look for interesting ways into your essay: an epigraph, perhaps, or an important episode that seems to set the stage for what you want to say, or a succinct comparison with another well-known work, which will help your reader understand the point you want to make.

2. Always (particularly in a comparative essay) identify your texts early on. (Usually with full title, full authors’ names, and date/period of publication.)

3. Think of your thesis statement as the logical goal of the first paragraph. Everything you say here should lead towards (or from) that thesis. Anything that doesn’t lead in that direction – unless you are presenting a view different from yours, which you want to argue against—doesn’t belong in your paragraph. Think of the paragraph as a funnel, where the contents are being concentrated and filtered to one end.

0. Using proper MLA bibliographic formatting, cite the film text in the box to the right:

1.Develop a thesis statement pertaining to the assigned film text and whether or not it, the film, in your view has the power to transform one’s political sensibilities. Your argument should express your point of view regarding the politics of difference, political sensibilities, and political transformation(s) as related to the film. Remember, you’re writing (developing) an analytical essay. Submit your thesis statement in the box located to the right. Be sure to proofread your work.

2. Develop three (3) topic sentences that articulate the major ideas that will comprise the body of your essay. Remember that your topic sentences should clearly state the argument or point to be made in the respective paragraphs and must map back to your thesis statement. Submit your topic sentences in the box located to the right. Be sure to proofread your work.

3. Identify three (3) scenes from the film that support your thesis statement. Briefly explain your choices of scenes and how the scenes specifically support your thesis statement. Also, provide the exact time the scenes begin and end within the film text. Submit your reply in the box located to the right. Be sure to proofread your work.

4. Lastly, fully develop your introductory paragraph. Remember that the best possible thesis will answer some specific question about the text. In this case a question related to the film’s power to transform political sensibilities regarding difference. Your thesis statement should appear parenthetically within the paragraph you present. Submit your answer in the box located to the right. Be sure to proofread your work.

In a past era, while members of congress from the two political parties differed as to their position on many major domestic and foreign policy issues, they frequently would reach compromises which each could live with and enact legislation to address many of our nation’s more controversial problems. These days neither house of congress seems able to respond with solutions to the majority of our nation’s most pressing problems, failing in recent years to enact little meaningful legislation to address a whole series of national issues. We call this legislative inaction “congressional gridlock”. It most frequently occurs when the president and the majority in one or both houses of congress are of different political parties.

Assignment:

(1) Identify and explain in some detail the causes for congressional gridlock and any solutions you come across in doing your research.

(2) Provide at least two examples of how gridlock in recent years has prevented the passage of specific pieces of legislation intended to address one or more of our nation’s most pressing problems. These problems include infrastructure, tax reform, immigration, healthcare, entitlement reform, gun violence, income stagnation, global climate change, budget deficits, the national debt and a strong national defense and other major issues upon which the two political party have differing positions and seem unable to reach a legislative compromise that become law.

Writing Guidelines:

4-5 double spaced pages of text

Write in complete sentences and paragraphs. Bullet points or lists will not be accepted.

Be original – All papers submitted in this class are reviewed via Turnitin.com, a proprietary software database that identifies unoriginal material in papers. Please review the syllabus statement regarding the penalty for plagiarism. Your instructor can provide you with additional information.

Your country just overthrew its dictator, and you are the newly elected President. Unfortunately, due to the divisions in the country and the years of war, economic, military, and political structures are non-existent. A group of loyalists to the old dictator have been detonating bombs, murdering civilians, assassinating leaders, and terrorizing towns with help from a neighboring country’s dictator.

Create a comprehensive plan for your new government. While creating this government identify the governing style, functions of various branches of government, principles that govern leaders, the maintaining of public good, which economic structure is most beneficial to your citizens, at least two domestic programs, ways to create national unity, ways to combat terrorism and violence, and international organizations to join. (See rubric for specific ways to meet the requirements of the paper.)

Paper headings:

Introduction (1 paragraph)

Introduce your country

Briefly outline all of the parts of the paper

Domestic Concerns (1-2 pages)

Identify governing style and principles that correlate to this style

Identify the branches of government and its functions

Development of two public good domestic programs and how they will meet the public good

Economic structure and reason why this should be used

Socializing citizens is noted with rationale for how it creates national unity

Foreign Concerns (1-2 pages)

Two international organizations are noted, one for economics and one for security

Descriptions of both organizations

Rationales for joining these organizations

Steps to joining

Two ways your country will combat the neighboring country’s terrorist threat and the domestic thre
at

Two ways these will be effective

Conclusion (1 paragraph)

Summarize information

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 3-4 pages (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)

Week 7 Assignment: Essay – Creating Your Ideal State (1)

Week 7 Assignment: Essay – Creating Your Ideal State (1)

CriteriaRatingsPts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeGoverning style and principles of the government.

20.0 ptsThe governing style is understandable and the principles support the choice of the governing style.

16.0 ptsThe governing style is unclear, the principles are unclear, or the governing style and principles do not support each other.

12.0 ptsMissing one part of the governing style and principles.

0.0 ptsMissing both parts of the governing style and principles.

20.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeBranches of government and its functions.

20.0 ptsExplains each branch of government and the function of the particular branch and how they support the governing style.

16.0 ptsThe branches of government and their functions do not match, or the branches are discussed without talking about their functions AND how they support the governing style.

12.0 ptsOnly minimally discusses branches, and their functions or the branches do not support the governing style chosen.

0.0 ptsDoes not discuss the branches and their functions.

20.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMaintaining public good through at least two domestic programs

20.0 ptsTwo domestic programs are created clearly explaining how public good is maintained with these programs.

16.0 ptsTwo domestic programs are noted, but it’s unclear how they benefis the public good.

12.0 ptsOnly one domestic program is noted, or it is unclear how the public good is maintained.

0.0 ptsNo domestic program is noted.

20.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEconomic structure

15.0 ptsThe economic structure is named and supports the governing style with a rationale for using the structure.

12.0 ptsThe economic structure is named and supports the governing style, but the rationale is unclear.

9.0 ptsThe economic structure is named but does not support the governing style, and the rationale is unclear.

0.0 ptsThe economic structure is not addressed.

15.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePolitical socializing to create national unity

15.0 ptsThere is at least one method the new government will use to socialize citizens to create national unity and rationales for using these methods.

12.0 ptsThe method described will create national unity, but rationale is not provided.

9.0 ptsThe method described will not create national unity and rationale is not provided.

0.0 ptsNo method for national unity is addressed.

15.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeInternational organizations

25.0 ptsAt least two different international organizations, one economic and one for security, were identified with brief descriptions of the purposes of these organizations and steps on how to join.

20.0 ptsOnly one international organization is noted, obut descriptions and rationale are unclear andit is nclear on the steps to join.

15.0 ptsOnly one international organization was noted and no rationales and descriptions were given.

0.0 ptsInternational organizations were not addressed

25.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCombatting terrorism and violence

25.0 ptsTwo ways were offered to combat terrorism and violence (one to deal with international threat and one with domestic).Effective rationale for solutions were offered.

20.0 ptsTwo ways were offered to combat terrorism and violence (one to deal with international threat and one with domestic). Effective rationale for one or both solutions were not offered.

15.0 ptsOnly one way to combat violence and sound rationale on why to use that solution was offered.

0.0 ptsWays to combat violence is not noted.

25.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeScholarly resources

10.0 ptsUses both the book and, at least, one outside scholarly source.

8.0 ptsUses only the book or a scholarly source.

6.0 ptsUses only a scholarly source and the source is not scholarly.

0.0 ptsDoes not use the book or scholarly source.

10.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA