Unit 7: Political Parties (Ch. 16), Citizenship and Rights (Chapters: 14, 17), Domestic & Foreign Policy (Ch. 22)

Questionnaire for Thursday, November 20th: http://www.learner.org/courses/democracyinamerica/dia_12/dia_12_ct.html

Review for Assessment:

• Founders' voting qualifications
• Immigration Restriction Laws:
• Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
• Johnson-Reed Act 
• Bracero Program
• Requirements for Naturalized Citizenship
• Recognition of voting rights for:
• African Americans
• Women
• 18-21 year olds
• Legal Responsibilities of being an American citizen
• Enemy Alien
• Refugees
• 14th Amendment
• Expatriation
• Denaturalization
• ANZUS
• NATO
• NAFTA
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Plessy v. Ferguson
• 5 Basic Steps of Policymaking
• Foreign Policy Powers of the President and Congress
• Basic Aims of Foreign Policy

How to do an Annotated Bibliography- Due Tuesday 11/24/15

Here is a temple for an Annotated Bibliography. Utilizing this blog post you will see the proper way to create one. Besides a summary, it s important to include how your source will be used to prove your thesis.

WORKS CITED

(Below are sample entries for books, magazine/journal articles, and Web pages. You probably won’t need every type of entry for your paper. Find the entry below that best matches the source you used for your paper. Highlight each section and type in the appropriate information. If you have several sources of the same kind, copy and paste as necessary. After all your items are entered, rearrange the items so the final version is in alphabetical order. Don’t forget to save this to your own disk (often!), and be sure you remove gray text such as this.)

The first seven examples are for books or chapters in a book:

Last Name, First Name. Title of a Book With One Author, Title Underlined or Italicized, With Significant Words Capitalized. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book in a Second Edition. 2nd ed. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. If you paste citation information into this template from a Web page, Word will over-ride this template and try to replicate whatever format appeared on the Web page,. This is only one of many annoyingly “helpful” things Word does. The way around it is to copy from the Web page as usual, and select “Paste Special” from the Edit menu. In “Paste Special,” choose “unformatted text,” and you’ll be good to go.

Title of a Book Without an Author, Title Underlined or Italicized. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Last Name of First Author, First Name of First Author, and Second (and third, if necessary) Author's Name in Normal Order. Title of Book With Two or Three Authors, Title Underlined or Italicized. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Last Name of First Author, First Name of First Author, et al. Title of Book With More Than Three Authors, Title Underlined or Italicized. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Organization Name. Title of Book With a "Corporate Author," Title Underlined or Italicized. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author(s). “Title of Article in Quotation Marks.” Title of an Edited Anthology, Underlined or Italicized. Ed. Editor’s Name(s). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page numbers of the specific story or essay you're using.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

The next five examples are for magazine, newspaper, or professional journal articles (use the last example for articles downloaded or printed from online services such as ProQuest):

 “Title of Newspaper or Magazine Article With No Author Listed, Title in Quotation Marks.” Title of Magazine or Newspaper,  Underlined or Italicized Day Month Year: page numbers.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author(s). “Title of Newspaper or Magazine Article in Quotation Marks.” Title of Magazine or Newspaper,  Underlined or Italicized Day Month Year: page numbers.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author(s). “Title of Journal Article in Quotation Marks.” Title of Professional Journal With Continuous Pagination Vol (Year): page numbers.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author(s). “Title of Journal Article in Quotation Marks.” Title of Professional Journal With Each Issue Paginated Separately Vol.Issue Number (Year): page numbers.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Underlined or Italicized  Date of publication, volume number and issue number if scholarly: page numbers. Name of database (such as ProQuest) underlined. Subscription service name (UMI for ProQuest articles). Subscribing library and location. Day Month Year of access <Online Provider URL address in angle brackets>

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

The next three examples are for Web pages. Citing Web pages can be tricky, and these three examples don’t cover all the possibilities. Ask your instructor or a librarian if you are unsure:

Author(s) if Given. Name of Web Page. Date of Posting/ Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (if any). Date You Accessed the Site <electronic address or URL>.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Name of Web Page When No Author is Listed. Date of Posting/ Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (if any). Date You Accessed the Site <electronic address or URL>.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Author(s) if Given. "Title of Specific Web Article." Title of  Web Magazine or Publication the Page is a Part Of. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (if any). Date You Accessed the Site <electronic address or URL>.

Highlight this passage and replace it with your annotation. In a descriptive annotation, you merely describe what the book, web page, or article is about. In a critical bibliography, you provide a descriptive annotation, and  you evaluate the success or reliability of the book, web page, or article. You might also compare or contrast the source with another source on the topic. Ask your instructor which kind of annotation you are expected to write. Notice that in this template, the annotation is indented and single spaced. Make sure your instructor is satisfied with this format before you do the entire assignment.

Interim Assessment: THURSDAY, November 13, 2014

On Thursday, November 12, 2015: you will be taking a Government Interim Assessment to gauge your proficiency of the following standards:

8.12a.1- Analyze the influence of Greek, Roman, English, and leading European political thinkers such as John Locke, Charles-Louis Montesquieu, Niccolo Machiavelli, and William Blackstone on the development of American government

8.12a.3- Analyze the political theories and arguments contained within the Declaration of Independence

9.12a.1- Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation, which led to the Constitutional Convention and how the Constitution was intended to address those weaknesses

9.12a.2- Explain how the US Constitution reflects the balance between individual rights and the common good.  Discuss how the basic principles of democracy are expressed in the Declaration of Independence as “self-evident” truths

9.12a.3- Describe the six basic principles of the American Constitution: individual rights, popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism

9.12a.4- Discuss the meaning and importance of each of the rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights and how they have been interpreted over time (e.g. Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, privacy)

9.12a.5- Explain how the Founding Fathers’ view of human nature led to the establishment of a constitutional system that limited the power of those that govern and the governed as articulated in the Federalist

9.12a.6- Analyze the systems of separated and shared powers, the role of factions (Federalist #10), checks and balances (Federalist #51), the importance of an independent judiciary (Federalist #78), enumerated powers, rule of law, federalism, and civilian control of the military

10.12a.1- Analyze Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch, including eligibility for office and length of terms of representatives and senators; election to office, the roles of the House and Senate; impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law

10.12a.2- Explain the processes by which the Constitution can be amended

10.12a.3- Analyze Article II of the Constitution as it relates to the executive branch, including the eligibility for office and length of term, election to and removal from office, the oath of office, and the enumerated executive powers

10.12a.4- Analyze Article III of the Constitution as it relates to the judicial branch, including the length of terms of judges, the jurisdiction of the federal courts and the processes of selection and the confirmation of Supreme Court justices

11.12a.1- Analyze the changing interpretations of the Constitution over time, including interpretation of the basic freedoms (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition) articulated in the First Amendment and the due process and equal protection of the law clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment

11.12a.2- Analyze judicial activism and judicial restraint and the effects of each policy over the decades (e.g. Warren and Rehnquist courts)

11.12a.3- Evaluate the effects of the Court’s interpretations of the Constitution in Marbury v Madison (judicial review), McCulloch v Maryland (federal supremacy), and the United States v Nixon (executive privilege) with emphasis on the arguments espoused in these cases

11.12a.4 -Analyze the shift in interpretations of civil rights and the controversies resulting from cases such as Plessey v. Ferguson, Brown v. Bd. of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

13.12a.2- Describe the opportunities that citizens have to participate in the political process (e.g. voting, campaigning, lobbying, demonstrating, petitioning, picketing, running for political office)

In class on Tuesday we will be reviewing the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch with 2 Activities:

1. How a Bill Becomes a Law
2. Judicial Court Case review

and on Wednesday we will have a competitive review game that is cumulative.

Terms to understand:

• McCulloch v. Maryland
• Gibbons v. Ogden
• Plessy v. Ferguson
• Roe v. Wade
• Brown v. Brd. of Ed.
• Marbury v. Madison
• Federalism
• Judicial Review
• Concurrent Powers
• Impeachment Proceedings
• Checks and Balances
• Popular Sovereignty
• Separation of Powers
• Exclusionary Rule
• Writ of  Certiorari
• Elastic Clause
• Separate but Equal
• Due Process Clause
• Lobbying
• 19th Century Doctrine of Nullification
• Bill of Rights
• Articles of the Constitution
• Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
• Federalist, no. 10
• Anti-Federalists
• Declaration of Independence
• Social Contract Theory
• Sub-Committees
• Presidential Veto
• Judicial Restraint
• Judicial Activism
• Pyramid Structure
• Circular Structure
• Affirmative Action
• the Gender Gap

Research Paper Guidelines and F.A.Q

Senior Government Research Paper

In a 4 pg Research Paper Answer the following:

1.     Which branch of government is the most powerful and why?

2.     Which branch of government has the most influence on your life?

• Look at those questions. I am not asking you for a descriptive listing of the powers of all the branches, but an analysis of which branch is the most powerful and evidence to prove your theory. I should not have a laundry list of powers. You need to prove to me why one branch has more power then another branch.
• The second question asks you to analyze which branch has the most influence on your life. This could be the same branch or a different one. During this section you can use first person in your explanation and reason why that branch influences you the most.

Papers must include the following:

1.     Proper MLA citations and works cited page. Failure to have citations correct will result in an automatic grade of 60% regardless of prose or content. This paper is 20% of your Q2 Grade. Please remember that paraphrasing must be cited as well. Refer to your handbook or http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ for help with citing

2.     6 Outside sources [BESIDES YOUR TEXTBOOK]

3.     a Cover Page in MLA format

4.      4 pages  of content; the Cover Page and Works Cited Page are additional

Due Dates:

1.     Thesis Statement: Tuesday November 17^th

2.     Annotated Bibliography: Tuesday November 24^th

3.     Final Draft Due Thursday January 7^th, 2015

Common issues with Research Papers of Past:

1. The citations are incorrect. If you still have difficulty with citations, please refer to: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
for assistance on in-text citations.

• Citing sources should not be about someone else's voice, your voice should be the most important. You should be using citations to prove your thesis and show that you understand the material you have studied.
• You need to prove your thesis by synthesizing sources [mixing other people's ideas with your own knowledge] to explain or analyze an idea.
• You need to only cite when you are using snippets of text to prove [or as evidence] to your argument- otherwise all you are doing is compiling information I already know. It is counter-productive and does not answer the questions assigned.

2. Thesis. Your thesis should provide your reader with an outline of your paper or the main points to your argument. So, if you are saying one branch of government is the most powerful- state your case in the thesis. Provide examples of the reasons why.

• Utilize your thesis like a checklist for the body paragraphs. This keeps your paper cohesive and prevents tangents. We went over the difference between a good thesis and a bad thesis in class. Refer back to your notes. If you do not have notes refer to this website for assistance: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml

3. Works Cited page. You are still having difficulty with creating a Works Cited page. Utilize the website: www.easybib.com to help you properly create works cited entries.

• For example many students just provide a url like: http://infousa.state.gov/government/branches/legislative.html - this is wrong. A works cited entry for this particular website should look like this:

United States of America. Bureau of International Information Programs. U.S. Department of State.
     U.S. GOVERNMENT The Three Branches Legislative Branch Legislative Branch. InfoUSA, N.d.
     [if there is a date attached to the website, like an update date it goes here. N.d. stands for "no date"]
     Web. [date your looked up the website goes here] .
     <http://infousa.state.gov/government/branches/legislative.html>.

Now- see how the first line of a works cited entry is not indented, however the other lines to the entry are? That's how it should look.

Conversely, if you cannot find a publisher, you would use "N.p"

Final Note:
1. Again, your paper is to due January 7th IN CLASS: with a hardcopy presented to me and an electronic copy in edmodo to me as specified the day I went over the assignment in class.

2. If you did not provide me with a hard copy, I will not grade or review your work. This means that if I do not get it, it is a zero. [ample time is provided for those to give me a hardcopy post-due date] A reduction of 10 each school day I have not received it will occur. If you e-mailed me the day it was due, I will take off 5 pts each day I do not have a hard copy. If you do not get a paper back in time to revise it before the quarter ends it is due that is because you failed to give me your paper in an appropriate manner. It is your responsibility. 

You have ample time to ask questions concerning citations, plan and ask ahead. Additionally a Saturday writing lab can be scheduled provided people show up. You had the option of attending every Saturday for the first semester.

Writing academic papers is an imperative skill to have. All colleges require research papers and some have different styles: APA, Chicago, MLA. They expect you to know these types or be able to research them. Only in remedial classes will they take the time to teach you, however they will not give 1 on 1 attention and will just refer you to a writing lab where peer mentors will just help you revise a paper.

MLA Parenthetical References

With Author in Text

Matthews reports that President Reagan cut the housing budget from $30 billion in 1981 to $7.3 billion in 1987 (58).

Without Author in Text

President Reagan cut the housing budget from $30 billion in 1981 to $7.3 billion in 1987 (Matthews 58).

No Author (Give the title or a shortened version of the title listed on bibliography)

                  

A black writer once suggested that black mothers “are the levers which move education” (Retracing the Past).

Two or More Works by the Same Author (Give the author’s last name (unless it appears in the text), the title or a shortened version, and a page reference)

The average person will have taken more than 2,600 quizzes, tests, and exams if he or she finishes college (VonOech, Academic Realities 21).

Internet Material, Author’s Name Used in Sentence

David Kennedy argues that Roosevelt did not deliberately expose the U. S. naval fleet at Pearl Harbor to attack on December 7, 1941 (par. 3).

Internet Material, Author’s Name Not Used in Sentence

A Pulitzer Prize winning author argues that Roosevelt did not deliberately expose the U.S. naval fleet at Pearl Harbor to attack on December 7, 1941 (Kennedy, par. 3).

The Thesis Statement

Arriving at a satisfactory thesis statement:

1.     Propose a judgment, criticism, or evaluation that can be supported in a paper of prescribed length.  This is a temporary, tentative thesis statement that will be refined later.

2.     Determine how to back up the thesis statement by deciding what source material supports the judgment, criticism, or evaluation.  What information provides evidence, reasons, and arguments to convince a reader that the thesis statement is sound?

A good thesis statement:

ü  Is a declarative sentence stating clearly and concisely the author’s main point.

                  Example:  The perceived injustices of the Treaty of Versailles made it a major cause of WWII.

ü  Is a sentence embodying a judgment, evaluation, or criticism, and is apparent in its use of value terms, e.g.  valuable, worthwhile, desirable, favorable, major, most important, effective, significant, insightful, or should

Example: The major obstacles that made the Treaty of Versailles difficult to enforce concerned disarmament, reparations, and the punishment of war criminals.

ü  Is a statement that can be considered significant because it contributes to a scholarly understanding of a subject.  A thesis should indicate to the reader that the author has something worth saying.

                  Example: Instead of the thesis, “Playing video games is fun,” develop a more significant idea about video games, 

like Video games are an important developmental tool for young people because they enhance eye-hand coordination, develop complex problem-solving skills, and promote self-confidence.

ü  May suggest a comparison or contrast.

                  Example: The treaty that followed World War II was radically different from the one that concluded World War I.

ü  May focus primarily on the causes or effects of a particular event, condition or change.

                  Example: A number of economic and political developments in Europe made World War I almost inevitable.

ü  May propose a solution to a problem or recommend a policy.

Example: Community service should be mandatory for all high school students, and should take place during the school hours.

o   Is not a statement of fact.

Example of statement of fact: The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the four major powers.

Thesis:  The competing national interests of the four major powers who negotiated the Treaty of Versailles led to some deeply problematic provisions.

o   Is not merely the expression of a personal opinion.

Example of personal opinion: I think the Treaty of Versailles was a foolish mistake.

Thesis: The severe punishments, loss of territory, and steep reparation payments required by the Treaty of Versailles created turmoil in Germany, which later spread to the rest of Europe.

o   Is not a generalization.

Example of generalization: The Treaty of Versailles caused the world a lot of problems.

Thesis: German resentment toward the war-guilt clause in the Treaty of Versailles directly contributed to the rise of Adolph Hitler.

o   Is not written in the form of a question.

Example of question: Was the Treaty of Versailles a major force in precipitating World War II?

Thesis: The Treaty of Versailles was a major force in precipitating World War II.

Good Thesis Statements

The examples below show how a writer moves from general subject to narrowed topic to precise thesis statement.

Example A

General subject:               Genocide in Darfur

Specific topic:                      Humanitarian help for refugees.

Thesis statement:            The policies of the Sudanese government toward humanitarian groups hinder attempts by aid workers to help fleeing refugees of ethnic violence in Darfur.

Example B

General subject:               History of the Jewish people

Specific topic:                      The attempt to establish a Jewish homeland

Thesis statement:            American Zionists played an important role in the struggle to establish a Jewish homeland.

Example C

General subject:               Marriage equality            

Specific topic:                      Arguments opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage

Thesis statement:            Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, there are strong religious beliefs against extending the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

Example D

General subject:               Video game design

Specific topic:                      Use of math in the creation of video games

Thesis statement:            Understanding mathematical principles is important for video game creators, who use tangents and parametric equations to control movement and create realistic playing scenarios.

Summary

An excellent thesis statement is:

·       A judgment, criticism, or evaluation that research supports.

·       A declarative sentence that states the main point of the essay.

·       Interesting and provides a significant contribution to scholarship.

·       NOT a factual statement, not expressed as a personal opinion, not a generalization, and not written as a question.

Thesis Statement - Rubric
Evaluation Criteria
Using the rubric and the space provided, closely examine and critique your own thesis statement for relevance, appropriateness, quality, and specificity.

Factor 1 - Declarative sentence Rating: ______
4 - The thesis statement is in the form of a declarative sentence that states clearly and concisely states the main point that the author is trying to make. Establishes focus that clearly directs the body of the essay.
3 - The thesis statement is in the form of a declarative sentence and makes a point, but is a bit too broad. Establishes the topic or stance that adequately directs the body of the essay.
2 - The thesis statement is in the form of a declarative sentence, but is vague and does not make a concrete point. Contains an unfocused topic that lacks clear direction for the body of the essay.
1 - The thesis statement is not in a declarative sentence. Thesis statement inadequately identifies a topic or fails to establish the direction of the essay.

Factor 2 - Scope Rating: ______
4 - The scope of the thesis statement is narrow and refined, and each point raised can be explored thoroughly throughout the essay. There are no exceedingly broad generalizations that confuse the topic at hand.
3 - The scope of the thesis statement is somewhat too broad or narrow. While it provides the points to be examined, they are either too large to sufficiently write on in an essay, or too narrow to provide enough material for an essay.
2 - The scope of the thesis statement is excessively broad or narrow. The statement either over-generalizes, or is so specific that the supporting evidence will be extremely limited.
1 - The thesis statement's scope is totally inappropriate, failing to provide a viable platform on which to build your essay.

Factor 3 - Effectiveness Rating: ______
4 - The thesis statement proposes an idea that is both supportable and arguable. It avoids clichés, obvious observations, and universally recognized truths.
3 - The thesis statement proposes an idea that is supportable and addresses the importance of the topic, though it only provides a weakly arguable stance.
2 - The thesis statement proposes an idea that vaguely connects to the topic, but fails to establish a stance or focus.
1 - The thesis statement is missing, unrelated to the topic, or cannot be supported with the text.

Factor 4 - Support Rating: ______ 
4 - The thesis statement has three strong points that directly support the argument or stance.
3 - The thesis statement has three points intended for support, though not all of them are entirely relevant.
2 - The thesis statement does not have three points for support, or all three points are irrelevant to the stance. 
1 - The thesis statement makes no attempt to provide support for the stance taken. 

Avoiding Plagiarism—Five Simple Rules

Rule 1:  A fact that is not common knowledge must have a citation.

                  Facts that are common knowledge—something that most people in the society would know—can be included without a citation. Ex. The United States declared independence from Great Britain in 1776.—no citation needed.  Familiar proverbs and sayings such as “Haste makes waste” also do not require citations.

Example

Scientists have found that the featherless chicken makes as much protein as the feathered chicken (“Featherless” 43).

Rule 2: When writing about an idea, make clear whose idea it is.

When writing about an idea, make clear whose idea it is.

Example

After reading several of Fitzgerald’s short stories, one can see that Fitzgerald frequently takes the position of the outsider.

The tone and structure of the poem suggested peace and repose.  [neither requires a citation as these are the student’s personal observations]

Rule 3: When writing about someone else’s idea, always cite the source.

Examples

By the year 1856, San Francisco’s growth was practically certain (Lotchkin 60).

According to Richard Hofstader, the Progressive Era was a reactionary movement by middle-class Protestants (59).

Rule 4: When using someone else’s exact words, put those words in quotation marks and always cite the source.

Example

After a confrontation with police chief Bull Connor, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (Brainy Quote).

Rule 5: When describing an author’s idea, write a description using original wording (your words), not a rearrangement or slight alteration of the author’s actual words.  Always cite the source.

Original Version The craft of hurricane forecasting advanced rapidly in the sixties and early seventies, thanks to fast computers and new atmospheric modeling techniques. Now there is a lull in the progress, strangely parallel to the lull in the storm cycle. The National Hurricane Warning Center shoots for a 24-hour warning period, with 12 daylight hours for evacuation. At that remove, it can usually predict landfall within 100 miles either way. Longer lead times mean much larger landfall error, and that is counterproductive. He who misses his predictions cries wolf. (From "Our Barrier Islands," by William H. MacLeish, Smithsonian, Sept. 1980, p. 54.)

Unacceptable Paraphrase (Plagiarized sections are in bold type.) Hurricane forecasting made rapid progress in the 60s and 70s due to fast computers and new atmospheric techniques, but there is now a lull in the progress. The Warning Center tries for a 24-hour warning period, including 12 hours of daylight. That close to the storm's arrival, the Warning Center can usually predict landfall within 100 miles either way. If lead times are longer, there will be a much larger error, which will be counter-productive (MacLeish 54).

Original Version The craft of hurricane forecasting advanced rapidly in the sixties and early seventies, thanks to fast computers and new atmospheric modeling techniques. Now there is a lull in the progress, strangely parallel to the lull in the storm cycle. The National Hurricane Warning Center shoots for a 24-hour warning period, with 12 daylight hours for evacuation. At that remove, it can usually predict landfall within 100 miles either way. Longer lead times mean much larger landfall error, and that is counterproductive. He who misses his predictions cries wolf. (From "Our Barrier Islands," by William H. MacLeish, Smithsonian, Sept. 1980, p. 54.)

Acceptable Paraphrase During the past thirty years, powerful computers and new techniques which allow modeling of the atmosphere have significantly increased the accuracy of hurricane forecasting, though there have been no improvements in forecasting during the past few years. However, now it is possible to predict where a hurricane will hit land with an error of not more than 100 miles if a warning of 24 hours is allowed. If more than 24 hours is required, the error will be greater. Repeated forecasting errors will cause the public to ignore the warnings (MacLeish 54).

Source: http://www.mccc.edu/~crabtrem/palgiarize1.htm

TITLES and use of underlining, capitalization, quotation marks and italics in MLA:
The conventions of properly marking a title in MLA style can seem confusing, but the basic issues deal with 1) capitalization and 2) marking the title.
Capitalization:
The standard conventions for capitalizing a title in MLA style are straightforward:

• The first letter of every word is capitalized except for articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.
• Articles ("a," "an," and "the"), coordinating conjunctions ("for," "and," "nor," "but," "or," "yet," and "so"), and prepositions (words such as "on," "above," "below," "to," "throughout," etc.) are NOT capitalized.
• The first word is always capitalized, regardless of if it is an article or preposition.

Note that sometimes writers encounter titles that do not follow these conventions while conducting research. Databases often capitalize the entire title of an article or book, while other types of "styles" (like the AP style or the APA style) only capitalize the first word. You must change the capitalization of the title to MLA style if you reference the title of a work in your paper.
Marking the Title:
There are three possible ways to mark a title: the use of underlining/italics, quotation marks, or no mark at all. The following general rules of thumb may help writers conceptualize the difference between the three demarcations:

• Underline or italicize large works or works that contain other works.
• Use quotation marks on shorter works.
• Do not mark sacred texts or political documents such as laws, acts, treaties, or declarations.

The following chart offers specific types of texts and their demarcations:

Underline/Italic	Quotation Marks	No Marks
Novels, books, anthologies	Short stories, essays, and chapter titles.	Religious texts
Magazines, newspapers, and journals	Individual articles
Films, TV shows, radio programs	Individual episodes of shows or programs
Web sites	Individual web pages
Epic poems	Regular poems
Pamphlets or sermons
Albums, named symphonies, ballets	Individual songs	Numbered musical compositions
Painting, sculptures
Names of specific ships, spacecraft, or aircraft		Type of ship, spacecraft, or aircraft
	Lectures
Supreme Court Cases		Legal documents, treaties, acts, and declarations

Note that underlining and italics signify the same type of mark. Many traditional professors prefer underling because when the MLA guidelines were first established, italics was not available on typewriters. In my class, you can use either underlining or italics, but you must be consistent: once you use underlining, stick with it. Never use BOTH italics and underlining.
Your Own Title:
Your own title for papers and other writings should follow the MLA rules on capitalization. Do not use italics, underlining, or quotation marks on it. Instead, it should appear centered one single-spaced line below the identification information and one single-spaced line above the first line of the paper. Do not increase the font size.
Titles in Titles:
If a title contains another title within it, confusion can occur. Follow the following rules to avoid confusion:

• An underlined title in an underlined title requires that the line be removed from internal title (example: Understanding The Sun Also Rises).
• A quoted title inside a quoted title requires the use of single quotation marks around the internal title (example: "The Dandy in Cather's 'Paul's Case'").

Research Paper Rubric: can be found on edmodo>Government Group>folders>writing tips and rubrics>research_paper_rubric_faculty_wide_pdf