identify a current social/political issue that impacts your community (the issue must be one that can be addressed at the state or local level), and write as if you are writing to a state or local elected official (you do not have to send the letter to your official, although you may do so if you wish!). This will assess your ability to identify issues in your community, and your ability to select an appropriate elected official to contact about the issue.
- In your paper, you should identify the issue and clearly explain the impact the issue has on you/your community. This should make it clear to your elected official why they should care/spend resources to address the concern.
- Based on the issue you are addressing, you should address your paper to an appropriate elected official (so this should be one at the state or local level). In your introduction, you should respectfully introduce yourself and the community you reside. (Note: while you are writing as if you are contacting an elected official, you will still include references and in-text citations.)
- You should then propose a plausible solution(s) to your elected official for what should be done to address this issue (this could also include who your official would contact on your behalf to address the issue).
You should draw from the chapters covered in the course as a whole, and you should clearly make connections to at least three chapters in your course text. To give you an idea of how to draw from the course holistically, one of these chapters can be for why you felt the elected official you chose was the appropriate official (i.e. chapters that covered Legislatures, Governors, local officials such as mayor, etc.).
Format:
- Your final paper should be between 800 and 1000 words (excluding references), double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. Your paper must be submitted as a Word document. I may be unable to open any submissions that are not Word documents, which would result in a zero for the paper.
- Your paper should draw from at least three chapters in your course text. Each referenced chapter should be cited using MLA format. You are welcome to use outside sources (this will likely help you completely respond to the prompt when identifying an issue), but all sources should be cited using MLA format, and in-text citations should be included throughout the paper.
