You should choose one of the topics listed below for your term paper. If you would rather write on a subject other than one of these, you must get your professor’s approval. The issues are posited in a way that you must take a position on the issue that you select. Take a position on the issue with which you are comfortable in your own personal philosophy and present an argument justifying your position. THERE IS NO CORRECT ANSWER IN TERMS OF YOUR GRADE. YOU WILL BE GRADED ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR AGRUMENT, THE DEGREE TO WHICH YOU HAVE MASTERED THE FACTS RELEVANT TO THE ISSUE AND HOW WELL YOU KNOW THE ARGUMENTS ON ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUE. (See the Essay Grading Checklist below.) Although your paper will represent your point of view, you must argue from facts and present supporting materials drawn from your personal research. For example, it is not enough merely to state which side of the argument you favor. You must show your familiarity with the issue by documenting the arguments and showing why you took the position that you did. You must show your knowledge of background of the issue. You must make your arguments in terms of the issues and facts that are commonly stated in the public debate on the issue. The best beginning point is your textbook and you should use materials that are cited there to orient yourself. You must cite at least seven different sources, beyond the textbook, in your paper. You may use the popular press (news magazines like Time and Newsweek and newspapers like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for some of these sources). I have given you a list of sources for each of the topics. Going through these will help to orient you on each topic. Your paper should be about six pages in length (typed, double-spaced and with at least 200 words on each a page, for a total of 1200 words). In the presentation of your paper, you are expected to employ an acceptable footnoting style. It does not make a difference what footnote style you use, as long as you are consistent. You might also consult Kate Turabian, A Manual of Style (9th Edition, 2018). These will give you the basics in the use of reference materials and how to cite them. You might think about buying the book, as it should be of use to you throughout you academic career here at the university. The following reference guides are a good place to get started with your analysis of the issue. All will be found in the reference section of the library. In addition, of course you can use the internet for your research. Readers Guide to Periodical Literature; Social Science Index; Public Affairs Information Index; The New York Times Index. You will be graded on your initial paper. It will then be handed back to you. If you are satisfied with your grade, you need not rewrite the paper. If you rewrite the paper, incorporating the improvements suggested by your associate instructor, it will be graded a second time. The second grade will then be your final grade for each paper. Your initial paper is due by March 21, 2022.. You must not plagiarize. If you use quotations from research materials, they must be enclosed in quotation marks and footnoted. If you present materials that are not yours as your own work, you will FAIL this course. Research Topics 1. Statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.? The United State began as 13 states clustered along the eastern seaboard of North America. Since then we have added another 37 states in a country that stretches across the continent. There have been proposals to continue the process of adding new states with the focus on Puerto Rico, that occupies the legal status of a commonwealth, and the District of Columbia, the urban area in which the center of our federal government is located. There is also some discussion of the possibility that the island of Guam, which the United States acquired as a result of the Spanish American War (1898). Puerto Rico was also acquired as a outcome of that conflict. Guam has been defined legally as an unincorporated territory of the United States. As such, Guam’s inhabitants enjoy the status of American citizens, but they cannot vote for president unless they move to an existing state of the union. The residents of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are in a similar situation. On August 1, 1950, President Truman signed into law the Guam Organic Act of 1950, which gave the Chamorro people certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. However, an attempt to bestow commonwealth status on Guam failed. As a commonwealth, a status enjoyed by Puerto Rico and the Norther Marianna Islands, Guam would have been given certain self-governing rights that Guam does not have under the present situation.. Write an essay on the possibility of Guam, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico becoming states. What are the political arguments for and against this? How does the situation differ between the three entities in the possibilities of them becoming states? References: https://www.guampedia.com/guams-political-status/#:~:text=Today%2C%20Guam’s%20official%20political%20status,if%20they%20remain%20in%20Guam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Guam#:~:text=Citizens%20of%20Guam%20may%20not%20vote%20in%20general%20elections%20for%20President.&text=The%20act%20requires%20that%20all,absentee%20ballot%20in%20federal%20elections. https://www.procon.org/headlines/dc-and-puerto-rico-statehood/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statehood_movement_in_Puerto_Rico#:~:text=The%20statehood%20movement%20in%20Puerto,state%20of%20the%20United%20States.&text=These%20are%20non%2Dbinding%2C%20as,of%20voters%20opting%20for%20statehood. https://www.pr51st.com/ https://www.history.com/news/how-the-united-states-ended-up-with-guam 2. School Vouchers The idea of school vouchers has been with us for many years. The issue has centered historically around the matter of whether or not the states should provide funds for private elementary and secondary schools. Public schools were established in the United States as far back as 1635, but it was not until the 19th Century that the state began to fund public schools. There were several arguments for this. For example, with the flood of immigrants coming to America, it was necessary the teach their children English. Further, the expanding economy demanded an literate workforce to man the burgeoning factories. The first high schools were established in the 1820s, but by the end of the 19th Century a majority of teenage children were attending high school. The Catholic Church established a system of religious schools in the U.S. in the 19th Century as a means to provide a religious education to American Catholics. These schools range from the regular K12 schools to a number of noted Universities. Presently, there are about 750,000 students attending these institutions affiliated with the Church, from elementary schools through higher education. This number is dwarfed by the 51 million students who attend K12 public schools. Another 20 million attend our colleges and universities. After World War II the voucher movement began to gather steam. Advocates of religious educational institutions expanded their demands for providing publicly funded vouchers to parents who choose to have their children attend private schools. Support for such policies came from conservatives, like economist Milton Friedman. In the South, there was support for segregated Protestant religious schools there were established in reaction to the court-ordered integration of public schools. There is currently conservative agitation for school vouchers in Michigan. The Republican State Legislature has passed a voucher system that Governor Gretchen Whitmer intends to veto. The proponents of the legislation promise to take the issue to a referendum of the Michigan voters. It is necessary to get a petition signed with 340,000 valid signatures in order to put the matter on the November ballot. If it passes it will become law and cannot be vetoed by the Governor. Write an essay on school vouchers. What are the arguments on both sides of the issue? How do you feel about the issue? Why? References: https://www.procon.org/headlines/school-vouchers-top-4-pros-and-cons/ https://www.schoolchoicefacts.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAu62QBhC7ARIsALXijXT-JtaaCExSK2HeoJUP-698xs6SdaxcWk5dScGuZgRBAzDmfoj6KwcaAjNvEALw_wcB https://detroit.chalkbeat.org/2021/11/1/22758182/michigan-voucher-proponents-plan-petition-to-circumvent-veto 3. Term Limits Term limits for elected officials have long been debated. A number of states, including Michigan, have adopted them for many political offices. Examine and evaluate the arguments for and against term limits for elected officials. After reviewing these arguments state what you think about term limits. Should they be more widely adopted, or should they be avoided? Why? References: https://crcmich.org/PUBLICAT/2010s/2018/rpt401_Term_Limits.pdf. https://crcmich.org/press-releases/twenty-five-years-later-term-limits-have-failed-to-deliver-on-their-promise-but-theyre-probably-here-to-stay. https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/Truth-Term-Limits.html. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reasons-to-oppose-congressional-term-limits/ 4. The Electoral College In 2016 Donald J. Trump was elected when he got a majority of the vote in the Electoral College, although he lost the popular vote by several million votes. This situation has occurred a number of times in our history. Given the evolving demographics of our states, we are likely to face such a situation again in future elections. Write an essay on the Electoral College that addresses whether or not you support keeping it, reforming it or abolishing it. Be sure to lay out why you take the position you do on the issue. References: https://www.freshu.io/diana-pope/the-best-arguments-against-the-electoral-college https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-biggest-argument-for-keeping-the-electoral-college-relies-on-a-myth-2019-09-10 http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/why-every-argument-for-preserving-the-electoral-college-is-wrong-warren-cnn.html https://www.nytimes.com/article/electoral-college-explained.html 5. Critical Race Theory Critical Race Theory (CRT) is much in the news these days. It has become a political issue that has provoked political debate and has led to some conservative political leaders to propose that its teaching be banned from school curricula in more than 25 states. Some 16 state governments have already adopted some sort of legislation that bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools and or institutions of higher education. However, most of the emphasis on restricting the teaching of it focuses on Kindergarten through 12th grade schools What is Critical Race Theory? And, Why is it so controversial? The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) defines Critical Race Theory as “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society — from education and housing to employment and healthcare. Critical Race Theory recognizes that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice. It is embedded in laws, policies and institutions that uphold and reproduce racial inequalities. According to CRT, societal issues like Black Americans’ higher mortality rate, outsized exposure to police violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, denial of affordable housing, and the rates of the death of Black women in childbirth are not unrelated anomalies.” (https://www.naacpldf.org/critical-race-theory-faq/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0p2QBhDvARIsAACSOOOSHGfo8rD7z2ItnRARJwDtbh5O9G6QHDsa2EXFuSsUXZA3ddh2hbAaAqenEALw_wcB) Conservative objections center on opposition to the interpretation of CRT in identifying inherent racism as being pervasive in American society and they often argue that teaching it in school may lead to such things as developing guilt among white students. Opponents to the actions to regulate the curricula in K-12 schools and higher education argue that, first of all, CRT is a set of ideas that and examined in higher education and not in the K-12 schools and that nowhere is it taught at that level and that, in any case, state legislatures are not qualified to set school curricula. When Governor Greg Abbot of Texas signed a new law that restricts how race related issues are taught in Texas schools, but did not mention CRT, he stated that “more must be done … to abolish critical race theory in Texas.” https://www.the74million.org/article/what-is-and-isnt-critical-race-theory-a-closer-look-at-the-discipline-texas-governor-wants-to-abolish/ Write an essay that assesses the controversy over CRT. What is the situation across the nation with CRT as a policy issue? Assess the major arguments on the issues. Explain your own attitude on the matter. References: https://www.naacpldf.org/critical-race-theory-faq/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0p2QBhDvARIsAACSOOOSHGfo8rD7z2ItnRARJwDtbh5O9G6QHDsa2EXFuSsUXZA3ddh2hbAaAqenEALw_wcB https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/banning-critical-race-theory-and-anti-racism-education-harms-society/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0p2QBhDvARIsAACSOOMu5yjKUlqzRc1uIaYDD_PU3xid-FuJ3KSXuhGMhLC0V-4-QV_fdawaAutKEALw_wcB https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory.html https://www.naacpldf.org/critical-race-theory-faq/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0p2QBhDvARIsAACSOOOSHGfo8rD7z2ItnRARJwDtbh5O9G6QHDsa2EXFuSsUXZA3ddh2hbAaAqenEALw_wcB https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory.html . Grading Criteria For Research Essay ____. 1. Does your essay include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion? ____. 2. Does your essay have a clear thesis statement? ____. 3. Does the body tie-in logically to the introduction? ____. 4. Does the body include appropriate arguments in support of the thesis? ____. 5. Does your essay address the assigned subject? ____. 6. Does your essay show adequate research? ____. 7. Does your essay anticipate counter-arguments where appropriate? (Note: a supporting argument may be a rebuttal to a counter-argument). ____. 8. Does your essay show correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation? ____. 9. Does your essay avoid factual and analytical errors? ____. 10. Is your conclusion logically related to the body? Total Points (Total points possible = 50).