The essay must be two pages in length (one-inch margins/double spaced/Times New Roman, 12-point font). This means two full pages of text. There is no penalty if the essay is slightly over two pages, but there will be a penalty if the essay is close to three pages long, or if it is not close to two pages. Students are required to write an essay that will assess comprehension of the material (topic) and other learning objectives.
Essay topic: Pick one of two options (only one, not both). Remember to write the essay as if you are answering a question.
- Do values and beliefs affect ethical decision making in Texas government and politics? What is the most important ethical problem facing Texas? How does this relate to the country at large?
- Current events and politics: you can write about one event or multiple events that fall into one main theme. Answer why the event(s) is(are) important to Texas (and if possible, to the country at large as well). You can consider tying this to social and/or personal responsibility if you need help with the argument for this essay (part of the four core objectives listed in the syllabus).
Marking will be based on the following criteria:
- Quality of argument: how well you articulate your argument, and how well you address the essay topic. Do you use and cite references properly?
- Clarity of argument: meaning good sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar.
- Did you remember to include a title page, references and a bibliography of all cited sources (a minimum of two sources, examples include the textbook, a journal article, a newspaper article, or another book)?
Also include a title page and a bibliography with the essay (remember they do not count towards the two pages). Any academic referencing style is acceptable, as long as you are consistent. I recommend Purdue OWL to anyone who has any referencing questions – https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ – or when in doubt, go with my preferred referencing style (Chicago/Turabian); http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html
FYI: Do not list Wikipedia as a source. You can use it as a tool, but not as a source. For an example of why, see the link below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_is_not_a_reliable_source
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