Social and Political Sciences

First full draft due: Thursday, December 5^th @ 12:30pm – submitted to Canvas

Worth: 15% of your final grade

Final draft due: Monday, December 16^th @ 9:00am – submitted to Canvas

Worth: 20% of your final grade

Instructions: Using the template/outline I have provided (on Canvas, under the working outline assignment), develop a 12-15 page paper (not including list of works cited) that employs scholarly sources to analyze a topic related to the American Dream, including a fully developed discussion of the problem and related social policies. Where possible, the paper should integrate the issue with crime and justice (although this may not always be possible). These papers must integrate 12-15 scholarly sources and utilize appropriate citations (i.e., APA citation style) to give authors credit for their ideas.

Scholarly sources: Sources that are considered “scholarly” include peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, scholarly monographs (books presenting original research), chapters in edited academic books (look for university press), and government reports. Sources must report primary research, i.e., that conducted by the author herself. Avoid textbooks or encyclopedia entries of any sort. These are secondary sources, those reporting on others’ research.

Important: Students may use a maximum of ONE article from a law journal (if it has “law” in the title or is edited at a law school, there’s your hint). Law journals are generally not peer reviewed and do not usually present primary, or original research. Some exceptions to this rule will be extended for students working specifically on legally-oriented issues.

Students may use a maximum of ONE policy brief or bulletin (e.g., the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, published by the OJJDP). Briefs or bulletins are usually 2-3 pages long and summarize research.

Paper specifications: Papers should have a title, subheaders that are consistent with the template I have provided, your name, the title of the class, date of submission, and instructor’s name. Font should be 12 point, with double spacing, page numbers, and 1 inch margins. All citations should be in APA citation style, including in-text citations and a list of works cited at the end of the paper.

The four sub-headers are: (1) Introduction, (2) Issue analysis, (3) Analysis of related social policies, (4) Conclusion. We will discuss in class the purpose of each of these sections.

Writing assignments will be evaluated on the following qualities: demonstrated knowledge and mastery of the subject matter; appropriate depth and breadth of coverage; integration of high-quality, properly-cited scholarly sources; a strong thesis; logical organization of writing; unity, coherence, and style consistent with social scientific writing; clear writing with a minimum of grammatical and spelling errors; response to instructor feedback on prior drafts; and following instructions.

Late papers will receive a 5% reduction in value every 12 hours after the due date, starting at five minutes after the stated time the paper is due. An otherwise perfect paper that is 24 hours late would earn a 90 percent.

If you have not used the “stuff happens” clause before this final assignment, you may use it here to give yourself an additional 48 hours without penalty.