Writing Assignment 1

Students will write an essay, 500-750 words in length, on a topic selected from the list below. The purpose of the project is to give students an opportunity to discuss a key political science concept, and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. The project consists of producing a 500-750 word essay on one of the provided topics (see below), as well as a works cited page for sources containing information used in the essay. The assignment is to be formatted according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Papers not formatted properly will not receive a passing grade. Students MUST have a minimum of three research sources on their works cited page as well as at least one parenthetical notation per paragraph.

Students should use Courier or New Courier 12 point as the paper’s font, double space the text, and create one inch margins on all four sides of the page. In addition, the assignment should be formatted according to MLA style for papers with no title page.

In Chapter 3, “Federalism,” the authors discuss how the U.S. Constitution creates a dual system of government whereby the powers are distributed between a national government and state governments. This arrangement has seen its share of challenges and changes. Complete the following assignment:

• Provide a brief description of the distribution of powers within the federal system, including an understanding of enumerated powers, reserved powers, and concurrent powers.

• Discuss the major eras in American history as they relate to federalism, and describe which level of government appeared to be dominant at each time.

• Describe what you believe is a proper distribution of powers between the national and state governments.