Transcript The Elections of 2008 and 2010

Capstone: Political Controversies
Caps 4360.18
Dr. Brian William Smith
Course Description
• This course emphasizes the evaluative skills
associated with the analysis of a current social
problem.
• The research skills needed to propose a
feasible solution
• The communication skills necessary to present
that solution.
Why is this course different from other
Capstone Sections?
• A political controversy that can be solved through
collective action
• A real political controversy rather than an ethical
or moral controversy.
• A political controversy that actual decision makers
are actively discussing.
• A political controversy that has a clear level of
analysis (local, state, federal)
What is Capstone?
• The Capstone to the General Education
Program
• The Application of skills learned at St.
Edward’s
• The application of the University’s mission
statement
What is Capstone in Reality
• Capstone is a job
• Capstone is only 2.5% of your overall GPA- the
same as any elective course.
• Dropping from a B to a C in Capstone will change
your GPA by 0.025 points
• Capstone does not factor into your major GPA
• 100% of all St. Edward’s graduates pass this
course.
What this means
• You have to do it
• You may not like it
• Write your paper
• I will help you get through it
Despite assertions to the contrary,
Capstone is not a research paper as
much as it is a policy advocacy paper.
OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS
COURSE CONTENT
Office Hours
• The University Requires faculty hold 5 hours a
week
• I hold 16 hours a week
Office Hours
• When
– Monday and Wednesday 10-2
– Tuesday and Thursday 11-2
– And by appointment
• Where
– Doyle 226B
• Phone – 428-1294
• Email- [email protected]
CLEARLY STATED LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes I
• Define an appropriate and current problem that is being
actively discussed by real decision makers at a specific level
of government.
• Identify the stakeholders or major players in the controversy;
• Identify the opposing positions held by these parties
regarding how to solve the problem
Learning Outcomes II
• Identify the issues associated with the controversy, the arguments made
by stakeholders, and the plans each side is making to ensure their position
is the one enacted;
• Evaluate the argumentation of each position, including an analysis of logic
and evidence;
• Evaluate each position from the perspective of moral reasoning, including
an analysis of values, obligations, consequences, and normative
principles;
Learning Outcomes III
• Conduct both library research and field research (interviews
with experts);
• Propose and defend a feasible solution based on critical
analysis of your library and field research;
• Participate in a civic engagement activity that supports your
proposed solution;
• Effectively communicate the problem, research, and proposed
solutions, both in writing and orally in class presentations, for
an audience of intelligent, but non-expert readers.
COURSE POLICIES
Grading
• 1 proposal
• 4 papers
• 2 oral presentations
• Research file and other assignments
Required Stuff
• Capstone Handbook Buy or it or get it on line
Research File
• Should ultimately be bulging
• Keep EVERYTHING:.
• Sources should show signs of use
• Must have a research file to pass!
• It looks like
Attendance/Extra Credit/Late Assignments
• Only for the Oral Presentations (1% deduction
from the final grade for each miss)
• No
• No
Academic Integrity
According to the University Handbook:
St. Edward's University expects academic honesty from all students; consequently, all work
submitted for grading in a course must be created as the result of your own thought and
effort. Representing work as your own when it is not a result of your own thought and
effort is a violation of the St. Edward's Academic Honesty policy. The normal penalty for
a student who is dishonest in any work is to receive a mark of F for that course.
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty and may result in the same penalty. In cases
of mitigating circumstances, the instructor has the option to assign a lesser penalty. A
student who has been assigned the grade of F because of academic dishonesty does not
have the option of withdrawing from the course.
I encourage students to study collaboratively (ie, in groups), however, I expect
students to do their own work on the assigned exercises
What Everyone Cares about
THE PAPER
When Assignments are due
Paper
Topic Proposal
Submission 1
Submission 2
Submission 3
Final Submission
Due Date
1/28/2013
2/13/2013
3/8/2013
4/10/2013
5/3/2013
What’s Involved in the Capstone Project?
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Topic Selection
Thesis Question-driven essay
Writing and extensive revision
Thinking through an idea in depth
Presenting both sides of an issue neutrally
Presenting and Analyzing Arguments and Evidence
Presenting and Analyzing a Values Conflict
Field Research (Interviews and Civic Engagement)
Final Conclusion (in light of fieldwork)
Oral Presentation
Research File
THE PAPER
Topic Proposal
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Worksheet.
Overview ONLY!
Do not go into depth.
Get the arguments right!
In prose form, this becomes the introduction
to Submission Two.
• Must be completed before you can begin
submission 1
Submission One – 10%
Paper One
1. Annotated Bibliography
2. Topic Worksheet
Submission 1: Annotated Bibliography
• A feasibility study
• Requires pro and con resources
• Books, scholarly articles, websites and government
resources
• No “helper” sources (limited journalistic sources
and magazines allowed, but NO Wikipedia, NO
Taking Sides or Controversial Issues citations etc.)
• Include: MLA Works Cited plus “annotations”
(comments on each source’s authority, and on how
you will use each source)
Submission Two – 25%
• Usually around 15-20 pages, including
introduction written from the Research
Proposal.
• Includes Intro, Social Problems, and more
thorough History of the controversy.
• Identifies stakeholders more completely.
• Discusses issues, arguments, and evidence in
depth.
• Balanced, neutral presentation.
Submission Three – 15%
• Approx 6-8 new pages
• Analysis of the arguments and evidence
presented in Submission Two (Analysis of
Argumentation)
• Analysis of the values presented in Submission
Two (Moral reasoning)
• Concludes with your tentative solution to the
controversy.
Final Submission– 30%
• Revised Submission 2 and 3.
• Civic engagement and interviews
• Revised Final Conclusion and Solution
• Appendix and Works cited
Midterm Oral Report– 5%
• Right after Spring Break
• 7-10 minutes including Q & A. Timed.
• Introduces topic and controversy, stakeholders,
arguments, value conflict.
• Required Powerpoint presentation.
Final Oral Report 7.5%
• 10-15 minutes in length
• Recap of social problems
• Covers final solution
• Summary of Civic Engagement and Interviews
• Required Powerpoint presentation.
PROHIBITED TOPICS
High School Topics
• School Prayer
• Gun Control
• Death Penalty
• Drinking age
• Legalizing Drugs
• Obesity
• Abortion
You had your chance to write on these 4 years ago.
Court Issues
• These are issues that will be resolved by the
courts
– Abortion
– Affirmative Action
– Internet Regulation
– Free Speech Issues (obscenity, flag burning and
the like)
Ethical/Moral Issues
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Cloning
Euthanasia
Same sex marriage/civil unions
Animal rights, animal testing
Human Trafficking
These are based on our beliefs about what is
right and wrong, and very little else
One Sided
• Any topic that is one-sided
– Human Trafficking
– Gangs
– Obesity
• Good Topics have two clearly developed sides.
You shouldn’t fish for information
• Something that does not have any legitimate
opposition or support is not a controversy
If You can only write on one of these
topics
• you should drop the course and take it with
another instructor.
Or
• Select something more appropriate for this
course
WHAT A POLITICAL CONTROVERSY
ENTAILS
Why Political Controversies?
• Real Policy analysis involves real (not
theoretical) policy dilemmas and the
controversies associated with them
• Real Policy analysis involves understanding the
politics of decision making and the role of
institutions
A Political controversy can be solved
through collective action (policy)
• Examples of Collective Action
– Legislation
– Referendum
– Amendments
• What is not Collective Action
– Court Decisions
– Executive orders
– Bureaucratic Actions
A Political Controversy has a clear level
of analysis
• There are 87,000+ governments in the United
States
• The Federal Government is only 1 of them
• A political controversy lurks in one of these
governments
Political Controversies are Public, not
private
• Government cannot create policy without
legal or Constitutional justification
• Certain Controversies remain private
– I am allowed to be a bigot (free speech)
– The Boy Scouts can restrict their membership
(discrimination)
Political Controversies deal with the
actions of the United States government
• The policies of IGO’s (UN, EU) are not resolved through
collective action nor are they fully binding
• The policies of NGO’s or Non-profits are generally private, not
public policy- e.g. the NCAA is a voluntary organization
• Laws within a nation, are outside the sovereignty of the
United States.
• Exceptions are the responses of the U.S. Government to the
groups above (both sides must be U.S. based)
A Political Controversy must be current
• Real Decision makers must be discussing it at
some level of government
• Some Dead Topics
– Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research
– Repealing the Patriot Act
– Abolishing No Child Left Behind
– Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
A Political Controversy has at least 2
clearly defined sides
• Something that does not have any legitimate
opposition or support is not a controversy
• Examples of topics that do not have two
legitimate sides
– Human Trafficking
– Gangs