As is the custom in many graduate seminars, you have reading and reporting responsibilities that go beyond the assigned texts. The Course Calendar & Assignments lists discussion topics for each day of the class beginning on Day #2 and concluding on Day #13. When the responsibility has been assigned to you, you are obligated to locate, read, analyze, and share additional material relevant to the day's discussion topic. Your independent reading assignment for any given day is one chapter in a scholarly book, one article in a scholarly journal, or an equivalent "chunk" of reading from government documents. Each selection must be within the scope of the day's discussion topic and should bear some relationship to the topics covered in the assigned texts.

Your grade for this portion of the course will depend upon both what you contribute to the seminar discussion and what you submit in writing. For the discussion your job is

1. to report what you read and to summarize its major points,
2. to relate your selection to the assigned readings we have all done, and
3. to share the lessons you learned from the selection, and
4. to answer questions from the other participants in the seminar. Your written assignment is a formal abstract of the selection you read. Your abstract should contain the complete bibliographical entry in good form followed by an accurate synopsis of the selection in proper English. It should be typed, double-spaced, and limited to 500 words. The abstract should be submitted at the end of the class period for which your selection was prepared. Note: Your abstract synopsizes only the contents of your selection. It does not include the analyses that are part of your oral report.

It is my hope that this form of assignment will have at least three benefits:

1. the opportunity to learn from fellow students,
2. the opportunity to select from among a wide range of appropriate reading, and
3. the opportunity to further develop efficient and effective research techniques.

Here are some hints to get you started:

1. Learn to use research tools like Cole On-Line, the Politics Department's Research Links, the various Wilson on-line indexes (1989 to present), the Social Science Index (paper, pre-1989), the Public Affairs Information Service Index (paper), the Congressional Information Service Index (paper), the Essay and General Literature Index (paper), the Monthly Catalog of U. S. Government Publications (paper), and GPO on CD-ROM (1976 to present).
2. Search out recently edited volumes that print or reprint significant articles in areas of interest to our course.
3. Search out relevant texts which contain notes and/or bibliographies which can help you find relevant reading. Don't ignore the possibilities raised by the citations in our own text books.
4. Avoid selecting older articles and books unless the specific discussion topic is historical.

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INDIVIDUAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT

Learning Objectives:

1. To enhance knowledge of the complex interactions of Congress, the President, and other players as they engage over a specific area of public policy.
2. To improve knowledge of research methods and materials including scholarly articles and books, government documents, Internet resources, and specialized indexes.
3. To emphasize the role of grammar, punctuation, spelling, mechanics, usage, and documentation in effective expository prose.
4. To master the use of a recognized style sheet.
5. To use critical comment effectively as a means of improving your writing.
6. To communicate your expertise effectively to an audience using primarily the spoken word.

ASSIGNMENT: Surprise! Your assignment is NOT a policy paper. I have described the interaction of Congress and the Presidency as a struggle for supremacy over American public policy. You are to prepare case study of that struggle and to present it in a paper and in an oral report to the class. As you prepare your case you should attempt to answer the following questions:

1. What happened in this case?
2. Why did it happen in this case?
3. What are the broader lessons, conclusions, generalizations, or hypotheses that arise from this case?
   

The assignment has six distinct procedural phases.

Phase II -- RESEARCH: Give particular attention to the Congressional and Executive Branch documents that can provide data and insights relevant to writing your case history. The standard indices to government documents--Congressional Information Service, Public Affairs Information Service, GPO on CD-ROM, the Monthly Catalog to Government Publications, etc.--will be indispensable. Explore for relevant scholarly articles and books using Cole On-line, the Wilson indices on-line, and (for older materials) the paper analogs. Remember the central questions are: (1) What happened in this case? (2) Why did it happen in this case? (3) What are the broader lessons, conclusions, generalizations, or hypotheses that arise from this case? Target your research to answer these questions.

Phase III -- OUTLINE or ABSTRACT: No later than the 11th day of the course you must submit an outline or abstract of your paper/presentation. Your outline or abstract should include the answers in brief to the key questions: (1) What happened in this case? (2) Why did it happen in this case? (3) What are the broader lessons, conclusions, generalizations, or hypotheses that arise from this case?

Phase IV -- PAPER: Your case history, analysis, and conclusions will be presented in a formal paper with appropriate manuscript format, proper citations, etc. It is quality, not quantity that counts, but I would guess that many of you might end up in the range of 9 to 12 pages exclusive of notes, illustrations, appendices, etc. Your work product in this form is worth 20% of the final course grade.

Phase V -- SEMINAR PRESENTATION: Your case history, analysis, and conclusions will also be shared with the class in the form of a seminar report. You will have 15 minutes to make your presentation. You will not have sufficient time to read your paper, nor would it be appropriate to do so. You will want to rework your material, including text and illustrations (if any), for the most effective possible oral presentation. Generally a good oral report will require you to simplify the presentation and to give even greater attention to organization and to communicating that organization to the listener. Good visual aids may be very helpful. Your instructor and selected classmates will provide you with critiques of your oral presentation, which is worth 20% of the final course grade.

Phase VI -- REWRITE: I will provide you with a written critique of your paper. You will utilize this feedback to rework and improve your paper. The rewrite is required and accounts for an additional 10% of your course grade.

Please consult "Common Sense for College Students: Papers," for information and suggestions pertinent to writing any paper, as well as requirements that apply to all papers written in courses I teach.