Term Paper Assignment—Who Represents Me?
Due Date:
This assignment is designed for you to find out about your representatives at all levels of government, where they stand on one issue you care about, and what you think/feel about what you find out. You must type up—double spaced, in at least 6 pages—the following:
1. What is the issue you have chosen? Write a paragraph (or no more than a page) explaining what it is about this issue that is important to you. Why is it an important issue to you? How does it affect your life, family, friends, and community?
2. The second part concerns your representative’s views or position on the issue you have chosen. After you have identified who your representatives are (described below), write a few sentences or paragraph on where EACH of your Five representatives at all three levels of government stands on the issue you care about. What is THEIR position on the issue you have chosen? Do not tell me where they stand on other issues—stick to your issue. Write up whatever information you are able to find for all five of your representatives (Again, see below—and the handout—for sources to find out how to identify who your representatives are).
3. The third and final part concerns your reaction to what you find out. Write a page about how you feel and what you think about where your representatives stand on your issue. Now that you know that they agree/disagree, what might you be willing and able to do about it, given what you have learned in the course thus far? Make sure to write a summary of your reactions about what you learned. This can also include what you learned about the processes of how you went about obtaining information about who your representatives are and what their positions are in regards to your issue.
Your FIVE Representatives at each of the three levels of government are:
Federal
a. Your elected official in the House of Representatives
b. One U.S. Senator – in NY, either Kirsten Gillibrand or Charles Schumer.
State
a. Your representative in the NY State Assembly (or the same if you live in another state).
b. Your representative in the NY State Senate (or ditto if in another state)
City
a. Your city council person
There are many ways to reach your representatives. The websites below are very helpful, especially the first few. You can contact them by phone, email, by in writing, or by going to their district office, which may be close to your home. Also, many representatives have a website about where they stand on issues.
INTEREST GROUPS: You can also find out information on all your representatives from an interest group that focuses on the issue you have chosen. Some of these groups will have plenty of information on candidates and officials—even ranking them—and provide other useful web links. These interest groups know where your representative’s stand on the issue they care about—that is part of their job! You can search the web or look in the phone book for such groups.
To get started you can go to http://www.mygovnyc.org/ to identify your representatives. You can also visit www.house.gov www.senate.gov www.nysenate.gov www.nyassembly.gov www.council.nyc.gov
