1. You need to discuss background. Policies do not appear out of nowhere. They develop over time. They are recognized, considered, and addressed over time. You should discuss why the policy you are exploring was proposed when it was (i.e., why now, why not one, ten, or fifty years ago?). What now existed in the environment that was missing prior? What finally got things going? Use judgment: you need not cover the nation's history to provide adequate background.
2. You need to discuss dynamics. Initial proposals never survive intact (which is why there's a process!). What caused the changes? Did society or public opinion shift—and if so, why? To what are the changes attributable? —the people involved? —the positions they hold? —the President or the presidency? —the Congress or its nature? —the committee system? —the differences between the House and Senate? —the budget cycle? —the legislative process itself? What about political parties, interest groups and/or their campaign contributions, or the electoral cycle? Your policy may not involve all these factors, but it must involve several of them.

The single best source is Congressional Quarterly (CQ). They publish a Weekly Report and an annual Almanac that both focus on federal legislation. The almanac (if you can access it) is a good place to start as it references the weekly publication (NOTE: CQ Researcher may also help, but DON'T confuse this with their legislative sites). These may be supplemented by both academic journals (for theory and analysis) and news magazines (for detailed coverage and analysis). Both academic journals and news magazines are valuable sources. Supplement these with daily newspaper accounts and internet sources. There are also many Internet sources to assist you. Two trustworthy sites are Roll Call and The Hill. One caution—use discretion. There are no content restrictions on the Internet, and there is a lot of junk out there! Avoid personal sites in favor of sites attached to established organizations. Please consult: POLS 4113 Research Resources.

1. Project length (see below for each component)—partial pages (no matter how much) do not count. As noted above, minimums do not include any title pages; pictures, tables, charts/graphs covering more than 1/3 of a page; or bibliography. Deduction: 1 point per page.
2. Formatting—Your project must be divided into labeled sections (see component 2, below). Deduction: 1 point.
3. Formatting—12-point or smaller Times or Calibri font, double-spaced, 1-inch or smaller margins (If you use an older version of Word—2003 and earlier—you need to change the 1.25" default margins. For help with this, click here). Deduction: 1/2 point each for font, spacing, and margins.
4. Citations/References—Minimum number of references (see Project Components, below), APA style for citations/references. APA exceptions: Page numbering must begin with text, not cover page; Quotes of more than three lines must be single-spaced with 1/2" or 5 character additional margins (NOTE: too many long quotes harms your grade); All bibliographic entries must be single-spaced with one space between entries. Deduction: 1 point each for number and style.
5. File—must be submitted to Turnitin.com by the due date/time for each component. The file must be in either Word format (.doc or .docx) or WordPerfect format (.wpd). NOTE: if you use Microsoft Works, you must save your file as a Word (.doc or .docx) file and not as a Works (.wps) file (Turnitin.com does not accept Works files). Click here for help on saving a Works document as a Word file. Deduction: 1 point per day.

1. Annotated Bibliography—3 points. The purpose of this is to explore the major literature associated with your topic and to refine your specific proposal. Minimum 8 academic references in addition to any course readings (NOTE: 1 point deduction from project for each reference, beyond half, not used). In your "annotation", provide 1) a brief description of the literature, and 2) a discussion of why it is relevant to your work. Your references should be limited to MAJOR academic literature in the field (not just ANY literature—no newspaper or magazine articles for this part of your project). Use your texts as guides (Check endnotes and references).
2. Annotated Outline (2 page minimum)—2 points. The annotated outline is a formally ordered, descriptive account of each of the specific sections (see component #3, below, for a general outline) of your project. In other words, you will explain each section of your project. NOTES: 1) Be concise, don't overplan—an outline of 30+ sections and sub-sections for an 21-page paper (i.e., less than one page per section or sub-section) is not a good sign!  2) You must discuss how you will use the sources covered in your annotated bibliography.
3. Project—10 points. You must divide your project into sections. Groups must assign each section to a particular person.
   Sections (You need not have these exact headings, but you must have similar sections with some heading):
   • Introduction: What is your topic? Why did you select it? Why should anyone care? 1-3 pages.
   • Background/History: Provide readers with relevant history and context. Concentrate on fundamental #1 (above). 5-10 pages.
   • Analysis: Concentrate on fundamental #2 (above). Apply our class (but don't just repeat—build !). 5-10 pages.
   • Conclusion: Wrap up (but do not just summarize). What did you learn? Does it differ in any way from what we've learned in class? 1-3 pages.
   • Bibliography: Minimum of 11 references in addition to one or more class readings and at least 4 from academic books or refereed academic journals. All references must be cited in the project. At minimum, 50% of your references must be print (non-internet) references (online resources that also appear in print may count as print references if they are properly cited as such).
4. Presentation—10 points. Presentations will be 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon the number of presentations. You must provide an outline page for class—one class prior to your presentation. Presentations are class activities—two points of everyone's class participation will be determined during presentations.
5. Revision—10 points. Make significant use of feedback from me (on your project and presentation), and the from the class (on your presentation). You must make revisions to maintain your grade. A revision that is identical to, or substantially similar to, the project you submitted earlier will receive a lower grade. All prior project requirements apply to your revision as well.

(you may NOT use any policies discussed in our texts
or articles or used as examples on this site)

• The Clean Air Act (1970)
• The Clean Air Act Revision (1989)
• The Affordable Care Act (2009-2010)
• Medicare Act (1965)
• The Patriot Act (2001)
• The USA Freedom Act (2015)
• Lock & Dam Reauthorization/Waterway User Fee (1977-78)
• The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021)
• Any part of the "Build Back Better" bill (2021)
• Federal Budget -- due to the comprehensive nature of federal budgets, ALL annual budget and appropriation bills are ineligible
  

• The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
  The Budget and Control Act of 1974*
  First Step Act of 2018*
  The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
  Victims of Trafficking and Violence Progection Act of 2000
  Civil Rights Act of 1964*
  Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
  Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990*
  The Freedom Support Act of 1992*
  Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010*
  Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act of 2020
  Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
  Inflation Reduction Act of 2022*
  Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022*

• *Temporarily reserved pending approval. These topics may become available later on (but don't wait for them). Names in green are approved projects.