Constitutional Amendment Paper
After studying the federal and state constitutional systems of government what is one thing you would
change about the US constitution and what would it accomplish? For your concluding paper, write a
maximum 1,000 words paper on what amendment of the US constitution you would propose and why. If you
need examples about how other constitutions address your issue use: https://www.constituteproject.org/
search?lang=en
Watch the short video about the Constitutional Amendment Paper in the window where the paper is turned
in for further instructions. See the “Pols 15 Grading Rubric” under the Constitutional Amendment Paper
module on Canvas to see how the paper will be graded.
What your paper should include:
• Explain which part of the US constitution you would amend and why. Be specific about where it is
located in the constitution by including the article, section, and clause (if included) or amendment,
section, and clause (if included).
• If your issue is not addressed by the constitution explain whether it is entirely new and unrelated or a
renewed effort related to a previous related proposed amendment. Note, if you propose something
that is related to the constitution and you say it is not you will have a significant point deduction. For
the complete list of previous proposed amendments see https://www.archives.gov/open/dataset-
amendments.html#how
• Include the proposed text of your amendment
• Explain what your amendment would do and how it would address and solve the problem
• Explain if your amendment has ever been proposed before and if it was what was the outcome
• Explain which amendment method you would use and how you would campaign to get it passed
• Avoid filler quotes. Explain the issue in your own words and include in text citations when you refer
to the article.
• Use in text citations instead of footnotes. For example, Your text. (Ovetz, 2020, p. 1)
• You must include at least 4 references with in text citations and complete APA style citations in the
bibliography. You must use at least 1 of each type of citation below. See “About Sources and
References” and “About In Text Citations” below. Put the citations in alphabetical order. Do not
number your references.
• You must use the Lunsford APA Guide for all your complete APA references. The Lunsford APA
Guide can be found in the Canvas Writing Guides folder under Files. Do not cut and paste your
reference from any source because they are often incorrect.
How to format your Constitutional Amendment Paper
• Cut and paste your paper into the text box. Do not post a link. Check the text to make sure it is
formatted correctly in Canvas before you submit it.
• Keep your paper to no more than maximum 1,000 words (it is ok to be within 10% of the limit)
• Include your name, date, and name of the assignment
• Write your paper as a research paper with an introductory paragraph including a clear declarative
thesis and preview, logically organized subsections, and a conclusion
• Do not write in first person
• Use subtitles for the subsections
• Include a concise introductory paragraph with a clear thesis and be sure to have a concise conclusion
• Check the formatting to make sure your paper is organized into clear paragraphs and readable
• Proofread your paper for everything in these directions at least once before turning it in
• Avoid filler quotes that add nothing of substance to your analysis. Paraphrase and include an in text
citation instead.
• Correct syntax including verb tenses, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling
• Do not include header, title page or page numbers
• Include the word count
• Check the “Pols 15 Grading Rubric” under Files on Canvas
About Sources and References
There are 3 types of acceptable sources that may be obtained through the library print and database sources.
The 3 types of sources are:
1. academic: books, encyclopedias (academic field specific, do not use Brittanica, Funk and Wagnall, etc),
journal articles. Do not cite an academic paper if it hasn’t been published in a book, journal or
encyclopedia. Just because it appears on a site ending in “.edu” doesn’t mean it’s been published.
2. trade: publications specific to an industry or non-profit sector, and governments/inter-governmental
organization reports (no factsheets or press releases are acceptable)
3. popular: newspapers, newsmagazines, documentary films, TV/radio news
Types of unacceptable sources: commercial non-news sources, aggregators, personal websites, blogs, social
media, press releases, editorials, open source wikis, or unpublished academic papers.
About In Text and Bibliographic Citations
When citing sources in your paper and in the bibliography:
• Use APA citation style only (use the Lunsford style guide on Canvas)
• Use in text citations and a list of references. Do not use footnotes.
• When using APA in text citations the cite should appear as follows: TEXT (last name, year, page
number). If you cite the video lecture the in text citation should be: (Ovetz, name of video lecture, 2020,
hour:minute:second).
• At the end of your paper include a section titled Bibliography
• List your references in alphabetical order by last name—do not number your sources
• All bibliographic references should be in APA citation style only. Use the Lunsford style guide on
Canvas. Do not use a citation generator or just cut and paste the citation from the database.
