There is one writing assignment worth 200 points. The purpose of this essay is to provide students with an opportunity to discuss a key concept or topic in American politics and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. Students should offer evidence for their arguments. Thus, a submission that is more comprehensive and detailed will earn a higher point total. The assignment should be a minimum of 750 words. The submission must include a work cited page (Note: there must be a parenthetical citation at the end of each sentence that contains information from a source). The textbook can be one of the sources included on the works cited page (sources other than the textbook may/should be used as well).
You should use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spacing, and one-inch margins on all four sides of the paper. The assignment is to be formatted according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style which includes works cited page but does NOT include a title page. Students should research this style in order to properly format the assignment (see the Purdue Online Writing Lab).
All writing assignments will be analyzed using SafeAssign. Do not cut and paste information from an online source or copy information directly from the chapter without using quotations and citing the information. Do not use generative artificial intelligence programs (such as ChatGPT) to prepare your assignment. Essays that contain plagiarized material will receive a significant reduction in points or a zero. Students may receive a failing grade in the course for submitting plagiarized material.
Online assistance for writing assignments is available through the Writing Lab in Blackboard. Select Enroll from the dropdown box by the EnglishTutor link. Also, you may use the library’s Research Paper Review service to get helpful feedback on your work before you submit it.
topic to write on
Select a presidential election where the winner of the popular vote did not win the Electoral College. Explain how many votes (and in which states) were needed to give the Electoral College to the candidate who lost the election. Argue whether or not most states need to continue to use winner take all (WTA), need to switch to a congressional district model (like in Maine and Nebraska), or need to switch to a proportional model of awarding electoral votes (i.e. a candidate wins 40% of the popular vote in the state, so he or she receives 40% of the state’s electoral vote).
