Susan Roomberg
Introduction to American Politics
Fall 2013 Extra Credit Paper Guidelines
Due Monday, December 2nd 2013
You may do one paper for extra credit. The paper is worth up to 15 points, which will be added to the total amount
of points you accumulate towards your final grade in the “Tests” category (see the syllabus for a more detailed
explanation). Extra credit assignments must be submitted on Blackboard Learn by Monday, December 2nd. Late
papers will not be accepted.
Mandatory guidelines for papers
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Extra credit paperwork must be typed, single-spaced, in 12-point regular type (not bold or italics), in a
standard font like “Times New Roman” or “Ariel,” and a minimum of three pages long except for letters.
Except for the letter option, papers shorter than three pages will lose points, based on how much “too
short” it is. For example, a 2 ½ page paper will have 2.5 points deducted right off, with any missing
information or errors also resulting in points off.
Your paper should have normal (1”) margins on all sides. Papers with very large margins will lose points if
it appears that 1” margins on the paper would mean the paper was less than two pages.
You do not need a cover page. You may put your name in the top left hand corner of the first page, but
other information (date, class, etc.) is not necessary, as you will be submitting your paper to your account
on BlackBoard.
For every paper except for letters, please use a question and answer format, not an essay format. Copy the
question into your paper and then answer it, then copy the next question in and answer it, and so forth.
o For the paper researching three federal agencies, please do all questions for the first agency, then
start over for the second and third agencies.
Please note that, while this is not an English class, all submissions should be grammatically correct, with
appropriate spelling, paragraphs, and sentence structure. Sloppy work will have points deducted.
For you to receive full credit, you must answer all of the questions posed. If you cannot find the
information requested, you should note that in your paper.
You may view movies or attend forums with other students; however, each person must write their own,
original paper. Writing the papers together is collusion, and will result in both parties receiving a zero.
Do NOT just cut and paste information from the web sites and expect to get credit for the assignment. Any
portion of the assignment copied directly from a source must be attributed. Please use the American
Society of Political Scientist’s guidelines for citations, which can be found at
http://library.tamu.edu/help/help-yourself/citing-sources/files/Using%20APSA%20Format.pdf.
o Direct quotes must be placed in quotation marks and an appropriate citation. Other
information derived from a source should also be cited appropriately.
o For the paper researching federal agencies, you may not copy directly from the agency’s
website, even if it is properly cited with quotation marks and source. The point of the exercise is
to learn something about the agency, so please summarize the material in your own words.
Failure to follow any or all of these guidelines will result in loss of some or all of the points for the
assignment. Deliberate plagiarism may result in more specific penalties as noted in the UTSA student
handbook (see your syllabus for more information).
Papers are to be turned in online in the Blackboard Learn assignments section by the due date. Late papers
will not be accepted.
Extra Credit Topics
1. Internet Research on Federal Agencies. Use the Internet to gather information about each (yes, you must do
ALL THREE for full credit) of the following federal agencies: the Department of Defense
(http://www.defense.gov/); the Department of State (http://www.state.gov/) and the Department of the
Interior (http://www.doi.gov/). Answer the following questions for each web site: (1) what basic
information about the department or agency does the site include? At a minimum, please provide the
agency name and web address, a general description of what the agency does (mission statement will do),
the address, e-mail address, and telephone number for the main office in Washington, D.C., and the name
of the agency’s head (Cabinet Secretary); (2) Describe (at least 3 sentences for each) five of the main
services provide by this agency; (3) Describe three issues currently being addressed by the department or
agency (3 sentences long for each issue); and (4)What is the most interesting thing you found out about the
agency? Why? (5) Find one service the agency provides that you personally can use and describe it to me
For ALL questions, do NOT just copy what is said on the website. Doing a “cut and paste” without
attribution is plagiarism and will result in a zero on your paper.
2.
Attend a meeting or forum about a political or governmental topic. I will post notices for suitable forums
on Blackboard; you may email me to ask about events not posted. Your paper should answer the following
questions: (1) What organization(s) sponsored the meeting and who were the featured speakers? (2)
About how many people attended the meeting? Describe the audience demographics. (3) What was the
main topic of the meeting? (4) Why did you choose this meeting, and what did you know about the topic
before you attended? (5) Describe in detail the four most interesting things you learned from the meeting.
(6) What conclusions you have you come to regarding the topic, if any? (7) If you had an opinion about
the subject before the meeting, have you changed your mind? Why or why not?
3.
Interview a federal employee. Find someone who works for a federal agency and interview them.
Remember, your paper must be three pages long, so make sure the answers to each question are very
detailed. If necessary, ask follow-up questions to ensure you have enough material. Answer the
following questions: 1) For which agency do you work? How long have you worked there? Have you ever
worked for any other federal, state, or local agencies, and if so, where and what did you do? (2) What is
your job title and what kinds of things do you do in an average day? (3a) What is the most interesting thing
you have ever been required to do for your job? (3b)What do you dislike the most about your job (or what
is the worst or most boring thing you ever had to do for your job? (4a) In general, do you enjoy your job?
Why or why not? (4b) Is there another federal job you think would be interesting to do? What does it
involve? (5) What qualifications are required for applicants to a job like yours? (6) Would you recommend
a career with the federal government to a college student? Why or why not? (7) What are the advantages
and disadvantages of working for the federal government as opposed to the private sector?
If you don’t personally know someone who works for the federal government, you can call a local office.
There are many federal agencies that have branch offices in the area. You must interview the person either
on the phone or in person; do not interview via email.
http://www.google.com/search?q=san+antonio+federal+offices&ie=utf-8&oe=utf8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
4.
Write to an elected or appointed official or newspaper editor. Write a letter to a newspaper editor or an
appointed or elected official (the President, Vice President, a representative or senator, or a federal agency
or department head) about an issue of concern to you. You should (1) discuss the topic at length, stating
your concern, (2) ask for a specific action (please vote for HR 1234) and (3) give at least three arguments to
support your request, showing why you believe this action is the best solution. Each argument should be
presented in a separate paragraph with supporting data. This requirement means you will need to do
research on your topic and find reliable data to support your argument. Please include your reference in the
body of your letter, either by including it in a sentence (As John Doe reported May 17 th in the New York
Times in his article, “What Was I Thinking?”) or by citing it in your letter in parenthesis (John Doe, “What
Was I Thinking?”, New York Times, May 17th 2013.)
The letter must be at least one and one-half typed, single spaced page long. The letter should be mailed. In
addition to the letter, you must submit to me a scanned copy of the stamped envelope you used to mail the
letter. If you do not have a scanner, the university’s campus computer labs can assist you. I WILL NOT
accept a stamped envelope in lieu of the scanned copy. Papers without a scanned copy of the envelope will
lose points. You will NOT be graded on your point of view, only whether or not your argument is
presented effectively in your letter. I will post information on Blackboard Learn with guidelines for writing
to elected officials.
5.
Watch a Movie. Watch a movie related to a topic discussed in this course. Then answer the following
questions: (1) What is the title of the film and when was it released? (2) What is the movie about?
Summarize the story in your own words. (The summary should be no more than one paragraph; the
rest of the paper should be your analysis). (3) Describe at least three specific events shown in the movie
that relate to topics covered in class and analyze how accurately you believe they portray reality (relative to
the U.S. government and how it functions). You may need to read ahead in your text for this portion of the
assignment. (4) What point of view does the movie appear to have about government (i.e. positive,
negative, or in-between)? Provide examples of incidents in the film you believe support your belief. (5) Do
you agree or disagree with the political views in the film? Why or why not? (6) What was the most
interesting part of the movie for you, and why?
Acceptable choices include: Frost/Nixon, Milk, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,
Gideon’s Trumpet, The War Room, Primary Colors (1998 with John Travolta), The Candidate, Bob
Roberts, All the President’s Men, Malcom X, Erin Brockovich, Advise and Consent, JFK, Nixon, Norma
Rae, Journeys with George, All the King’s Men (old or new), Seven Days in May, The Manchurian
Candidate (old or new), Absence of Malice, Supersize Me, All the King’s Men, Apocalypse Now, Avatar,
Charlie Wilson’s War, An Inconvenient Truth, Dr. Strangelove, Fahrenheit 451, Goodnight and Good
Luck, JFK, Man of the Year, Mississippi Burning, Network, Bowling for Columbine, Philadelphia, Platoon,
Band of Brothers, Dave, Hoffa, Fahrenheit 9/11,Thank You for Smoking, Casino Jack and the United
States of Money, Hot Coffee, Food, Inc., Inside Job, Wag the Dog, 1984, The Help, Apocalypse Now, The
Great Debaters, The Most Dangerous Man in America, and Vote for Me. Other movies out may also be
acceptable; please see me if you wish to view a movie not found in this list. Some of these movies may be
found at UTSA’s library. All movies should be those generally released to the public, not a video found
only on the internet.
6.
Volunteer with a local nonprofit or government agency. To receive credit for this activity, you must
volunteer for at least two hours. The paper should address: (1) For which nonprofit or agency did you
volunteer? Why did you choose it? What does the organization do? (2) What did you do for your
volunteer work? Was it enjoyable? Why or why not? (3) What type of client does the agency or nonprofit
serve? (4) For one of your answers, please put whether or not the nonprofit receives any government
funding (please get the name of the grant(s)). (5) How does what you did relate to at least three of the topics
covered in class (this may include either topics in the textbook or things discussed during the current events
portion of class, and you should describe each of the three topics with at least three sentences each)? You
may have to read ahead in your book to answer this question. (6) What did you learn during your volunteer
experience? Would you volunteer with this agency again, or would you choose another agency? Why or
why not? (7) Please list your supervisor’s name, title with the organization, and phone number.
Guidelines for volunteer time eligible for extra credit:
 Volunteering at a non-profit organization (such as the Ronald McDonald House or
Fischer House) or a one-day event sponsored by a non-profit (such as the Basura Bash on Feb.
23rd.).
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Volunteering for a political campaign (City Council elections are in May)
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Community organizing, including voter registration
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Time spent volunteering in a religious institution is not eligible unless it does not include
teaching or promoting one faith (for example, you can get credit for serving food or other
activities at a faith-based organization that does not include a formal sermon, but not for
teaching Sunday School)
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Time spent volunteering for a for-profit organization is not eligible
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If you have questions or would like suggestions, please email me
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Look for opportunities at these links:
1.
http://www.utsa.edu/ice/vs/
2. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/783701/volunteer_opportunities_in_san_an
tonio.html
3. http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/index.jsp?r=20.0&l=San+Antonio%2C+TX+7
8249%2C+USA&o=distance
5.
I will post several editorials (opinion pieces) on BB Learn in the Extra Credit folder (look for a folder
that says “EC Question 5”). Read three of the editorials and then answer the following questions for
each. Your answers to each question should be a MINIMUM of three sentences each. Answer all of
the questions for one article, and then start on the next. (1) Which article are you writing about? What
is the main topic of the article (not the writer’s opinion, but what topic or topics the opinion is about)?
(2) What is the writer’s opinion about the topic or topics presented? (3) Is this topic something you
knew anything about prior to reading the article? Is the topic interesting to you? Why or why not? (4)
After reading the article, what is your opinion about the topic? If you agree with the author, why? If
you disagree, why? (5) What was your opinion about the issue prior to reading the article? Did the
article change your opinion? Why or why not?