In considering a proposal to reform (but not necessarily abolish) the Electoral College, reflect on what happened in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Were the voices of the voters in Florida really heard? What would you suggest to ensure that this outcome is avoided in the future?
Your essay must:
Summarize how the Electoral College works.
Explain the pros and cons of whether to keep or abolish the Electoral College.
Explain one proposal for changing the Electoral College process without abolishing it (i.e., without having to amend the Constitution).
Evaluate this proposal from two perspectives: (a) the relevance of the Electoral College’s underlying rationale to contemporary American politics, and (b) the impact of the Electoral College on presidential leadership capacity.
Follow these requirements when writing the short essay and remember that if you do not have first hand knowledge of the inner workings of the Electoral College, the information was obtained from outside sources and must be cited and sources entered into the bibliography:
Complete your Research Paper using word-processing software such as MS Word, Open Office download free software at http://www.openoffice.org/). The document should be saved as a .doc or .docx.
The body of the essay (excluding the title page and reference page) must be typed in 12 pts Arial font, double-spaced, and at least three (3) pages long.
A minimum of three (3) sources must be used for each paper. The research topic should be included at the top of the paper.
For assistance creating citations and bibliography using the Reference tab in MS Word, see the attached document: Developing Citations and Bibliography and an example of an APA formatted document.
Proofread for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors. Create a Grammarly.com account, if you don’t already have one and they will proofread your document for you and check for errors. Remember to remove any comments after they return your document to you for edits.
The essay must start with a short introductory paragraph which includes a clear thesis statement. The thesis statement must tell readers what the essay will demonstrate.
The essay must end with a short paragraph which includes a conclusion. The conclusion and thesis must be consistent.
The essay must logically develop the thesis in a way that leads to the conclusion, and must be supported by facts, fully explained concepts or assertions, and persuasive reasoning.
The essay must address various pros and cons.
Your essay must cite at least one academic article found in the GSU Online Library and at least three other kinds of sources (e.g., Supreme Court opinions, magazine or newspaper articles, the course textbook, and reliable websites).
Use your own words. While brief quotes from sources may be used, altogether the total amount of quoted text must be less than twenty percent of the body of your essay.
When you use someone else’s words, they must be enclosed in quotation marks followed by an APA in-text short citation (author, year, and page) to your source. The in-text citation must correspond to a full APA citation for the source on the reference page at the end of the essay. All resources, quoted or paraphrased must include an in-text citation or the information is considered plagiarized.
When you express someone else’s ideas, arguments, or facts in your own words, your statement must be followed by an APA in-text short citation (author, year, and page) to your source. The in-text citation must correspond to a full APA citation for the source in the reference page.
The form of the title page, the body pages, and the reference page must comply with APA style. Additionally, the title page must include the course number and name, the instructor’s name, and the date submitted.
The essay must use logical paragraph and sentence transitions, complete and clear sentences, and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Once your document has been submitted, there will be no resubmitting allowed.
For APA style assistance, go to http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcltc/ or https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.
Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated. Please view the college’s policy below:
ACADEMIC HONESTY: http://codeofconduct.gsu.edu/files/2016/08/Georgia-State-University_Academic-Honesty_08172016.pdf
Cheating is contrary to the policy of Perimeter College at Georgia State University. Cheating includes any attempt to defraud, deceive, or mislead the instructor in arriving at an honest grade assessment. Plagiarism is a form of cheating that involves presenting as one’s own ideas the ideas or work of another. Copying the work of someone else, using notes or books when forbidden, giving unauthorized help to another student, or using a student’s own previously graded work constitutes plagiarism.
Electronic and web-based plagiarism detection services may be used. I will also check author details within the Word document to verify originator.
Violation of the cheating policy may result in a lowered grade on a portion of the course or a grade of “F” in the course. A grade assigned a student because of an alleged cheating policy violation may be appealed by the student through the appeals process of the college. A student found to have violated the cheating/plagiarism policy may, in addition to having a grade lowered, be referred to the appropriate administrator and/or the Campus Discipline Committee. Such action can result in suspension or expulsion.
