PURPOSE: Critical thinking, communication, and the ability to untangle ethical and cultural concerns
are vital skills which you will rely on once you leave Palo Alto College. You will choose one major
issue facing your community and discuss it in depth. This paper will require you to remember,
understand, and apply information from both class and the outside research you do for this paper.
In addition, you must analyze and evaluate this issue in order to create new ideas and solutions
pertaining to your issue.
INSTRUCTIONS: You will write a 6-8-page paper. To complete the assignment, you must choose an
issue facing your community. If you are having a difficult time coming up with an issue, come see
me, and we’ll figure something out together. The paper will be graded in accordance with the Palo
Alto College Critical Thinking, Communications (Written), Social Responsibility, and Personal
Responsibility rubrics.
The paper must be written with a word processor. You must upload the paper to Canvas as a Word
(.doc or .docx) file by 11:59 on August 11th. I will not grade papers that are not uploaded as .doc or
.docx files. Include a cover page which provides a paper title and your name. The cover page will not
count towards your page count. The rest of the text must be at least 6 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt.
Times New Roman font, and with 1-inch margins on all sides. You will need to use at least 10
reputable outside sources. Wikipedia, the textbook, and summary websites like procon.org are NOT
valid sources for this paper. If you have questions about a source’s validity, ask me!
You will need to adhere to the citation guidelines set forth by the American Political Science
Association. A PDF APSA style guide will be provided. You must also include a works cited section
on a separate page that will not count toward your page count.
Do not use the APSA Style Guide to format the paper. An editable template is provided.
I am always more than happy to look at drafts and give feedback along the way.
PAPER CONTENTS: Below you will find the contents I expect in your completed paper. For each
section, except for the introduction section, you need to use subheadings. Refer to the provided
APSA Style Guide for examples of how to properly use subheadings. You will want to come up with
more creative subheadings than simply “Section 1” or “Section 2”. Good subheadings will be brief
(3-4 words maximum) and provide an accurate or clever description of what is to follow in the
section.
Note: Make sure to answer each part of the prompt found below. In the Introduction, Section 1,
Section 2, Section 3, and Conclusion, there are specific prompts you must answer and address.
Ignoring any part of the prompt will lead to a significant loss of points.
INTRODUCTION SECTION (1-2 paragraphs): In the introduction section you will need to define your
community (county, city, neighborhood, or school), define the issue facing your community, and
discuss how this issue affects your community. You will also need to provide a brief “road map”
letting the reader know what you will be discussing throughout the paper.
SECTION 1 (~2 pages): In this section, history of your issue within your community and in other
communities.
1. Discuss the history of your issue from the perspective of your community.
a. How did the issue arise?
b. How long has the issue been affecting your community?
c. What, if anything, has been done at the national, state, or local levels to solve
your issue?
d. What powers do the national, state, and local levels have to solve this issue?
Specifically talk about the constitutional powers granted to each.
2. Discuss and define the all-around political views of modern American liberals and
conservatives. You need to evaluate these views by gathering research about how
each ideological group would see your issue, and you will reach and show your sound
conclusion about how each group would like to see done about your chosen issue.
a. Analyze how modern American liberals and conservatives would view the
issue.
b. Discuss example policy solutions modern American liberals and
conservatives would have for your issue. Analyze the differences in these
approaches.
3. Discuss and define your political views.
a. Analyze how your political views shape the way you view your issue. evaluate
how your views compare and contrast with liberal and conservative
viewpoints.
SECTION 2 (~2-3 pages): Utilizing the policymaking framework from lecture and Chapter 10, use the
policy identification, agenda setting, and policy formulation processes to discuss which part of the
problem you would like to solve and what kind of policy you think would fix it. Introduce the reader
to this new policy you would like to propose.
1. Discuss the problem identification process for your issue.
a. Focus on the potential causes of your issue. Most issues have multiple causes.
Discuss the impacts of those causes on your issue.
2. Discuss the agenda setting process.
a. Weigh the competing causes of your issue. Discuss which causes you think
need to be addressed first.
3. Discuss the policy formulation process.
a. Focusing on policy proposals made by others, discuss various (at least three)
competing policy proposals. Discuss whether they are alleviative,
preventative, punitive, and/or curative.
4. Finish by identifying one policy you believe should be adopted and implemented.
Comparing it to the other proposals, why is this the one you chose?
SECTION 3 (~2-3 pages): In this section, you will discuss how to solve your issue.
1. Continuing from Section 2, discuss your policy in terms of adoption,
implementation, and evaluation.
a. Regarding adoption, discuss how your policy can be adopted at the state and
local level.
i. Identify and evaluate the various stakeholders within your community
regarding your issue.
1. Discuss which stakeholders would be for or against your
policy and why they would feel the way they do.
2. In regards to the stakeholders who would be opposed to your
policy, how might they be swayed over to your side?Identify
and discuss the various stakeholders within the United States
regarding your issue.
ii. Discuss the role of public opinion. How does your community feel
about your issue? What needs to be done, if anything, to convince the
American people to enact your policy.
iii. Discuss and explain the steps and process of getting the policy
passed through City Hall or the State Legislature. Discuss the Mayor
or Governor’s role in policy adoption.
iv. Make sure to discuss and evaluate the current partisan realities of the
city council, state legislature, or the executive branch. Does your
policy have any chance of being passed? Refer back to your
discussion of the all-around political views of modern American
liberals and conservatives.
CONCLUSION SECTION (1-2 paragraphs): In this section, you need to wrap your paper up and bring
everything back together. Don’t just regurgitate what you’ve already written. Highlight the
importance of your issue and the policy you’ve created. Make a call to action. Tell the reader what
they should do to help make the change you want to see.
RESOURCES: There are three vital resources to help you with this paper. The first resource is the PAC
Library located online and in Ozuna Hall. We will spend time in class discussing the library
resources, and links to this information will be provided on the course Canvas page. The second
resource is the PAC Writing Assistance Center at 210-486-3257. The writing center is an invaluable
resource for ALL students which can help make you a better writer and turn a good paper into a
great paper. The third resource is me! I am always more than happy to help you out and give you a
push in the right direction. Do not hesitate to contact me if any questions or concerns arise while
working on this paper.
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