Using the course textbook and 4 outside sources (such as books, websites or articles) you’ll be writing a 3-5 page essay on a political issue you choose — with a focus on your ideological viewpoint. 

The idea behind this assignment is for you to explore your topic and explain liberal and conservative views of that topic.  Start by reading Chap.1 and focus in on Political Ideologies (Section 1.5). Refer to what you learn about ideologies from the book and identify your own ideological viewpoint on your topic by integrating ideas that you learn about from the articles. 

Then you’re going to flip things around and explain what the opposite sides’ viewpoint is, based again on ideology. Before you start the project read the instructions at the bottom of this page.

Here are some political issues for you to choose from.  Also, I’ve added some things to consider about each one.  (If you’d like to pick a topic that is not listed here, please check with me.)

• Universal Healthcare: remember that a program like this will involve large amounts of spending by the federal government that will have to be paid for by higher taxes
• Abortion Rights: keep in mind that federalism means that the states generally can write the laws that they want to and that religious beliefs are what the book means by “traditional values”
• Gun Control: The Second Amendment to the Constitution is the biggest roadblock to making changes in this area, along with the fact that most Americans do not want to be controlled by the federal government
• Climate Change/Environment: again, this is a policy area that involves how much power the federal government is able to use and would probably require increased federal spending

Be sure to quote and/or cite the ideas you draw from your articles and book rather than relying just on your own opinion.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this assignment.

Research your issue: You will need to find at least 4 sources that you will use along with the textbook. These can be books, articles or even websites. If you need help getting started, here are some very good sources for news and information:

• Los Angeles Times: 
• New York Times: 
• Washington Post: 
• Slate

You definitely want to be sure to use the AmGov textbook to explain key concepts, especially ideology and political culture (you’ll lose points if you do not make direct references to the book)!  Go to the  website and scroll down to click on Articles and Databases to get free access to the newspapers I’ve listed above and to help you find other sources.  If you need help, just click on Ask a Librarian!  

Instructions:

First, pick a current political issue and explain whether you are taking an economic or social liberal stance, or an economic or social conservative stance.  Why do you think your viewpoint puts you in that group? You want to use the information that you have found in both the book and your other sources here.  Take a look at Figure 1.4 in the textbook – it will really help you answer this.

Next, think about another ideological perspective on this same issue.  What would someone arguing for the other side of this debate have to say about it? Is that position liberal or conservative?  Refer to the information in Section 1.5 book to explain why. 

Then, discuss what sort of solution can you see to the problem you have identified.  You should cite or quote your articles again here, and maybe the book too.  Conclude your paper by discussing the pros and cons of the liberal and conservative ways of approaching the issue you’ve chosen. 

You must make direct reference to the Barbour textbook, in addition to your four outside sources throughout your paper.  Please use simple, embedded references that will look like this (Barbour, pg. 96) whenever you quote the text or paraphrase ideas that you’re referring to.  Be sure to list all sources other than Barbour with full citations!  (You may use either APA or MLA style for your citations.)

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