A Conversion Experience:
How I Learned to Know & Love
Rubrics
Michael Grossberg
History, Law, & PACE
PACE
The Political And Civic Engagement
Program is an interdisciplinary 25-credit
undergraduate certificate program. Its
courses and activities develop students
communication, organization, decisionmaking, critical thinking, and leadership
skills; and PACE motivates them to be
knowledgeable, effective, and committed
citizens. The PACE certificate prepares
students for a lifetime of participation in
American political and civic life.
PACE: Learning Goals
 Understand the American political process and the operation of
American civil society.
 Understand different styles of public leadership and the role of
political and civic leaders.
 Understand the processes of decision-making and implementation
in governmental and non-governmental organizations.
 Understand the core concepts and working vocabulary of American
public and civic life such as citizenship, non-governmental agency,
federalism, social movements, and deliberative democracy.
 Analyze and use the products of American political and civic life
such as legislation, government reports, judicial decisions, non-profit
organization websites, newspaper stories, and advocacy group
manifestoes.
 Analyze and use the scholarship on American political and civic life
and understand the relationship between theory and practice.
 Seek out various perspectives, engage in dialogue, analyze the
effectiveness of policies, and take informed and principled stands on
vital public issues.
 Work with those who hold opposing views and devise effective
solutions to public problems through democratic decision-making.
 Communicate in an effective and persuasive manner in a variety of
public venues.
PACE: Curriculum
 PACE C210: Public Leadership
 PACE C211: Making Public Decisions
PACE Electives: (4 courses required)
PACE C400: Issues Forum
PACE C410: Internship in Political and
Civic Engagement
PACE C450: Capstone Seminar
PACE 211 Learning Goals
 A basic understanding of the primary institutions of the
American polity and civil society and the actors, institutions,
and organizations involved in public decision making.
 A basic understanding of the core concepts and working
vocabulary of American public and civic life.
 The ability to use interdisciplinary research on American
political and civic decision-making to analyze public issues.
 The ability to use the key sources for public decisionmaking such as legislation, government reports, judicial
decisions, newspaper and other media articles, and nongovernmental agencies and advocacy group websites.
 The ability to work with those who hold opposing views and
devise effective solutions to public problems through
democratic decision-making.
 The ability to take informed and principled stands on major
public issues and to communicate them in an effective and
persuasive manner in a variety of venues.
PACE 211 Assignments
 Decision-Making Project: At the end of the
semester, students will participate in a collective
decision making project.
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First, each student will find 3-5 sources on the issue and
prepare a written position paper.
Second, the class will be divided into decision making
groups. The groups will read and evaluate each other’s
position papers and then devise a collective resolution to
the problem.
Third, group members will share their resolutions with
the rest of the class and then all class members will
participate in a Town Hall discussion in which they will
reach a common position and design a plan to
implement it.
Finally, there will be concluding class discussion about
the project itself as exercise in democratic deliberation.
PACE 211 Assignments
 Scholarship Review: Students will be asked to a
write a critical assessment of one of the theoretical
readings about American decision making presented
in the first part of the course.
 Source Review: Students will write four short
papers analyzing key sources of information about
political and civic issues.
 Response Statements: Students will write a
number of short in-class reaction pieces. They will
write responses to particular issues raised by course
materials and activities.
 Decision Making-in-Action: Attend the meeting of
the Bloomington City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 8th
and write an analysis of the event.
PACE 211 Assignments
 Course Review: During finals week, each
student will submit a paper that draws on the
course materials and their own experiences
in the class to evaluate his or her success in
achieving the course learning objectives.
PACE 211 Grading Scale
The course grade will be determined by student
achievement in each of the course requirements
and by their active participation in the class
sessions and course activities.
Scholarship Review: 10% of the final course grade.
Source Reviews: 20% of the final course grade; 5% per
assignment.
Response Statements: 25% of the final course grade;
the statements will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Decision-Making in Action Analysis: 10% of the final
grade.
Decision-Making Project: 25% of the final course
grade; the individual position paper 10% of
project grade; group decision making exercise
5%; and the class town meeting 10%.
Course Review: 10% of the final course grade.
Source Review: Assessing a Supreme
Court Decision
 Select a United States Supreme Court
decision and write a two page, double-spaced
paper [approx. 500 words] in response to the
following question:
 Why is the Supreme Court decision you
selected an example of a public decision?
 Your essay should identify the Supreme
Court case name and the date of the final
court decision. Your essay should develop a
clear thesis, use examples, and arrive at a
comprehensive conclusion.
Individual Position Paper
Should Capital Punishment be Abolished?
Write an 8-10 page, typed, and double-spaced position paper that
answers this question. Your paper must include a bibliography listing
the sources that you have used and footnotes or endnotes where
appropriate.
Your answer to the question should be an informed decision based on
research. Your research should include an analysis of sources that both
support and oppose the abolition of capital punishment. In addition,
your research and bibliography must include at least one of each of
the following sources: scholarly article, media piece, legislative bill,
judicial decision, and non-profit website. You will likely need more of
each of these sources and others as well to reach an informed decision.
Your paper should develop a clear thesis, use examples, and arrive at
a comprehensive conclusion. You can use headings and subheadings throughout your paper to assist in the presentation of your
argument.