Political Parties Project & Essay
Government—Created by McCormick. Borrowed by Nelson.
Overview
What is the best part of turning 18? Yes, you guessed it, voting! Registering to vote is relatively simple; fill out
your name and address and check the box of the political party with which you most identify. How do you
choose? Hopefully this assignment will help you make that decision. In this assignment, you will be part of a
group that will be analyzing one current political party and debating with your classmates about this party’s
solutions for the problems that confront the US today. Since your role as “party analyst” is so important to
your classmates, you should strive to ensure that all information presented is current and accurate. Although
you will be debating as a group, each person is responsible for researching each issue and submitting your
own written work on the day of the debate.
Main Objectives
 To expose you to as many political viewpoints as possible
 To encourage you to register to vote
 To increase student participation in our democratic process
 To demonstrate the link between an underlying philosophy about the role of government and the
nature of people and the positions that political groups hold
At the end of the debates, we will discuss and analyze the relationship between party positions and your
worldviews, where you agree, and where you disagree.
The Assignment.
Prepare the following for the day of the debate:
Part 1: (Research and Preparation)
a. Write a brief historical background of the party. (1 paragraph)
b. In a paragraph describe in general terms what your party’s philosophy is regarding the role of
government in American life.
c. Prepare a thorough analysis of what your party’s position is on one of the following topics:
Economy (taxes and spending), Intervention in Syria, Affordable Care Act and Immigration. Be
sure to explain how your party justifies its position. Each person will submit a “policy” page (onetwo pages, typed) to me on the day of the debate.
Part II. (The Debate) Due: __Thursday, 9/19 or Friday, 9/20_____
a. On the day of the debate, each person will be expected to be the policy expert on his/her topic.
b. You will be given an opportunity to present your topic and party beliefs, as well as engage in
direct debate with the other groups.(2 min)
c. Each group will meet prior to the class debate and organize an opening statement, rebuttal remarks,
and closing statements. (More details will be given in class).
d. I will moderate the debate as well as choose a winner at the conclusion.
The Process
 Divide the work up evenly; use the skills of those in your group.
 Research the views of the political party through the Internet--party websites, league of women voters
website & books. (see suggested websites below)
 A complete, correctly formatted bibliography should be turned in with all of your written work.
Learning Advice
The key to success is for you to present your political party in a genuine way. The rest of the class must think
you firmly believe what you are saying. No matter how strange a position may seem to you, try to understand
it and present it as if you believed it all of your life. You will have an opportunity to express and defend your
own beliefs in the essay assignment.
Evaluation
Evaluation of this activity will be based on the quality and accuracy of your research and your preparedness
during the debate.
Conclusion
After the in-class debate, we will discuss the merits and limitations of each party’s perspective. You should be
able to answer the following questions:
 What are the fundamental assumptions and beliefs of each party?
 How do these assumptions and beliefs agree or clash with my own fundamental assumptions
and beliefs?
 Which party do I feel most closely aligned with? What issues have swayed my decision?
Part III. The Essay—Due ___Monday, 9/23____
Essay on the Role of Major and Minor Parties
Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate
 a clear understanding of the role major and minor parties play in US politics.
 a clear understanding of what either the Democratic or the Republican party accomplish in their role as
a major party.
 a clear understanding of what one of the specific minor parties accomplishes .
 skill at writing an essay.
Procedure:
 Using the internet research you conduct, resources in chapter five of the text, information provided in
the PPT lectures and the criteria presented in the essay rubric, write an essay comparing and
contrasting the role of major and minor parties in US politics.
 The essay may be no shorter than five paragraphs.
 The essay should be typed in a professional way with appropriate margins, font style and size, and
format.
 Any quotes or evidence used must be cited appropriately in the MLA format.
 Email or post to Google Drive.
Websites
Democrats:
http://www.democrats.org/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Republicans:
http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/
Minor Parties:
http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm
League of Women Voters:
http://www.lwv.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Score 4.0
In addition to Score 3.0 performance, the student:



Score 3.0
Formulates a provocative, original thesis
Uses pointed, persuasive evidence
Creates a cohesive organization that establishes clear relationships among claims,
evidence and analysis
 Maintains formal style and objective tone that shows clear understanding of purpose,
audience and discipline
 Uses meaningfully varied sentences
 Makes no errors
In addition to Score 2.0 performance, the student:



Score 2.0
Score 1.0
Score 0
Formulates and states a clear, defensible thesis and claims
Uses detailed evidence
Uses CCQC (Claim, context, quotation/evidence, commentary) to create an organization
that establishes relationships among claims, evidence and analysis
 Uses words, phrases and clauses to create transitions
 Maintains appropriate tone for purpose and audience
 Uses some sentence variety
 Makes few errors
The student:
 Formulates and states a clear thesis and claim
 Uses quoted evidence to support claims
 Develops a logical organization
 Uses clear, correct sentence

Spells correctly
 Makes some errors
The student demonstrates a partial understanding of some of the simpler processes and some of
the more complex processes.
The student demonstrates little understanding or skill.