Assignment:
Oral Portion in small groups in class on November 12, 2019
Access a news article pertaining to your assigned topic concerning the Texas state government; topic selection will be in class. You need to analyze the article and make specific and direct connections to two (2) concepts that we have covered in class. In an effort to include information about the last general election in Texas, held in November 2018, articles can date from within the last year. Acceptable sources are: 1) The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/ or 2) The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/. If you are interested in another source, send an email to Professor Giglio for approval.
You are to include the following criteria in your assignment:
1. Article title and source -
Use the MLA style of citation for your work cited information.
2. Summary -
Briefly and in your own words, summarize the content of the article.
Connect the article to two (2) separate and distinct concepts that we have covered in class.
3. Connection 1-
Connect the article to a concept we have covered in class.
a. Define the first concept that you state the article connects to.
b. Describe how the article illustrates the concept.
4. Connection 2 -
Connect the article to a second concept we have covered in class.
a. Define the second concept that you state the article connects to.
b. Describe how the article illustrates the concept.
5. Presentation (in class) -
In your small group in class, you will have 5 minutes to:
1. Provide a summary of your article
2. Identify one concept that has been covered in class that the article connects to.
3. Define the concept and explain to your group members how the article illustrates the concept.
Write your paper in paragraph form using good sentence structure with proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Write the paper in your own words. If you need to use a short quote, cite properly. Use the MLA style of formatting and citation. The paper should beapproximately two pages or more in length, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point font. It should be turned in via eCampus in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
For the oral presentation, members of your group will be confirming, in writing, that you have provided a summary of the article and they will identify a concept that you are linking your article to.
Topics include:
• Chapter - Political Parties
• Chapter - Campaigns and Elections
• Chapter - The Politics of Interest Groups
Concepts and Topics to Study
Political Party
Texas political parties, political culture, and political participation
Measurements of Voter Turnout (registered voters, VAP, VEP)
Voting decision rules: majority and plurality
Proportional Representation
Federal government intervention in southern election practices
Role of elections
General Elections and Primary Elections
Calculation of electoral votes
Political Ideology
Conservative, moderate, and liberal ideologies
One-party Democratic rule of Texas
Harris and Dallas county changing demographics
Republican Party Ideology
Democratic Party Ideology
Libertarian Party Ideology
Green Party Ideology
Political Action Committee (PAC)
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (FEC) (2010)
Super PACs
Literacy tests
Socioeconomic factors that influence voter turnout
Interest Groups including:
Business
Public Interest Group
Lobbyist and the most common lobbying activity
Why there are less women in office
Federal Voting Rights Act/ 2013 US Supreme Court decision/ ongoing issues around voter id laws
Founding Framers and "Faction"
Before submitting, check the following:
1) Is the article used about the Texas State Government?
2) Does the article used comply with the time frame specified in the instructions?
3) Is the article used from one of the two acceptable sources listed in the assignment directions?