Instructions: You will choose 3 concepts covering the second half of the course (chapters 9-13, 4) assigned and follow use the format/template to define, put definition in your own words to show you understand the definition, apply the concept to a current/past political situation and then apply it to your own life personally. This is how Iâve found students can demonstrate they understand a concept more deeply than simply âfindingâ the definition somewhere.Choose no more than one concept from any particular chapter for a total of 3 concepts you will write about from the following list:Chapter 9: political parties, divided governmentChapter 10: lobbyist, soft moneyChapter 11: constituency, descriptive representationChapter 12: impeachment, rally around the flagChapter 13: dual court system, judicial activismChapter 4: search warrant, symbolic speechYou can use the following template for each (Iâd actually prefer you do so I can track and grade more efficiently).First Concept I have chosen is: (concept, chapter)I. Find and paste defintion directly from the chapter in textQuote definition directly from the text, include in-text citation following quote.Length: 1-2 sentences.II. Put the definition in your own words, as if you were explaining it to a friend. Examples help.Length: 1-3 sentences, in your own words.III. Research online and find an example of your concept in current or past political/current events in the US. Apply the example to the concept to show you understand how the concept âworksâ in real life/politics. Must provide at least one quote from one article, provide in-text citation and cite the article fully (as in bibliography/works cited at the end).Update for final: I do not want quotes from online sources like Wikipedia or other sites simply explaining the concept more. You already did that in parts I and II for me. âAccording to Wikipedia/cliff notes,etc. Checks and balances work by doing the followingâ¦..â (I dont want this in part III).Instead, give me a real life example in politics, like impeachment, which is a method of checks and balances. âThe impeachment of Donald Trump last year is an example of how checks and balances work. Congress has the power to impeach and it is a two step processâ¦.âUse PIE format if in doubt â Your Point, followed by Information/Quote, then an Explanation in your own words of the quote your provided. Here is a link to PIE paragraph structure, as well as a link to easybib for easily putting an article URL into a citable format automatically.What is PIE paragraph structure (you can use this throughout your college careers, it works!): https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/body-paragraphsEasybib for articles, to turn them into citations: https://www.easybib.com/mla8/website/search-form (Links to an external site.)Length: at least one full paragraph (4-5 sentences) to demonstrate some knowledge of how concept works in application.IV. Think about your own life and how the concept applies to your life. How does the concept impact (or has impacted) you personally? Please provide examples, no need to use outside research examples, examples from your own life are sufficient.Update for final: I donât want to know how this concept applies generally to you e.g. âchecks and balances is a concept I see among my family/friendsâ. I want you to use the example from #3 to show how real politics affects your life. âImpeachment is a concept that affects my life. No president has ever been convicted after being impeached. If Donald Trump were in fact âcheckedâ last year through the impeachment process, I might not have lived in fear of being discriminated after his use of hateful phrases like âchina virusâ and âkung fluâ to describe the virus. Therefore, Im not sure if the checks and balances system is really working as the Founders intended.âLength: one full paragraph at a minimum (~4-5 sentences) with examples.Then, you do this for two more concepts of your choosing from other chapters. Hope that makes sense! -Sample Answer (with my notes that I hope are helpful to you) First Concept I have chosen is: democracy, Chapter 1I. Find and paste definition
directly from the chapter in textThe textbook defines âdemocracyâ as âa government in which political powerâinfluence over institutions, leaders, and policiesârests in the hands of the people.â (Krutz, 1.1)Instructor notes: note the sample answer simply takes definition from textbook and cites it properly in-text. No need to put this as a citation in bibliography as I know the source already.II. Put the definition in your own words, as if you were explaining it to a friend. Examples help.To me, democracy is government by the people. Regular people like you or me have a say in it, and how we are to be governed. An example of this is voting, where people can freely vote every few years on who will represent them in Congress or who they want to be their President.Instructor notes: this is relatively casual but on point. Itâs like you were explaining it to a friend. No need to do any outside research, at least not have it show up in the response.III. Research online and find an example of your concept in current or past political/current events in the US. Apply the example to the concept to show you understand how the concept âworksâ in real life/politics. Must provide at least one quote from one article, provide in-text citation and cite the article fully (as in bibliography/works cited at the end).The concept of democracy, or rule by the people, can be seen as recently as the 2020 election in the US. The voter turnout (an important aspect of democratic health), was relatively high in 2020 compared to past years, but could be made higher if the US had automatic voter registration, since there are many eligible to register and vote in the US but registration can impose some barriers. One way to do this is through automatic voter registration. This is already happening successfully in some states but if we could expand this to the entire country, we would see better voting rates. âA FiveThirtyEight analysis found that people who were registered automatically voted at similar rates to those who were registered by choice in most states and at higher rates in others.â (âAutomatic voter registration is key for a true democracyâ) If the US could get to the point where there is automatic registration, the US would essentially become more democratic and better reflect the will of the people.Instructor notes: This sample took a while to get to itâs point in tying democracy to voting to automatic registration but the connection is there (you donât have to be this indirect). Student found a quote from a relevant article, added the quote in, your information. The in-text citation is appropriate if you do not have a âpage numberâ but are using an online article. The last sentence provides the explanation of the quote in the writerâs own words. Full cite at bottom of assignment, see below.IV. Think about your own life and how the concept applies to your life. How does the concept impact (or has impacted) you personally? Please provide examples, no need to use outside research examples, examples from your own life are sufficient. Democracy affects my life in the US in several ways in terms of how Iâm able to exercise my democratic rights. Iâm able to vote in local, state, and national elections. I canât vote for bills in Congress per se, but I can vote for representatives who do. I voted in the 2020 election and have for every election since I turned 18. If I donât like the job they did/are doing, I can vote for someone else next time. I can write letters to my representatives and I can write political comments to newspapers and other news media, social media like on Twitter and Facebook. I can protest and have freedom of speech under the First Amendment as well, so Iâm able to speak up politically. These are the types of rights I have within the US system of democracy.Instructor notes: Relatively casual application of how the concept impacts the student personally. Notice the use of examples, the more specific the better.Bibliography for #3 above (using the easybib link):Vogt, Harrison, et al. âAutomatic Voter Registration Is Key for a True Democracy.â The Daily Orange, 19 Nov. 2020, dailyorange.com/2020/11/automatic-voter-registration-key-true-democracy/.