Capstone: Political Controversies Caps 4360.18 Dr. Brian William Smith.

Capstone: Political Controversies

Caps 4360.18Dr. Brian William Smith

Course Description

• This course emphasizes the evaluative skills associated with the analysis of a current social problem.

• The research skills needed to propose a feasible solution

• The communication skills necessary to present that solution.

Why is this course different from other Capstone Sections?

• A political controversy that can be solved through collective action

• A real political controversy rather than an ethical or moral controversy.

• A political controversy that actual decision makers are actively discussing.

• A political controversy that has a clear level of analysis (local, state, federal)

What is Capstone?

• The Capstone to the General Education Program

• The Application of skills learned at St. Edward’s

• The application of the University’s mission statement

What is Capstone in Reality• Capstone is a job

• Capstone is only 2.5% of your overall GPA- the same as any elective course.

• Dropping from a B to a C in Capstone will change your GPA by 0.025 points

• Capstone does not factor into your major GPA

• 100% of all St. Edward’s graduates pass this course.

What this means

• You have to do it

• You may not like it

• Write your paper

• I will help you get through it

Despite assertions to the contrary, Capstone is not a research paper as

much as it is a policy advocacy paper.

OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS COURSE CONTENT

Office Hours

• The University Requires faculty hold 5 hours a week

• I hold 16 hours a week

Office Hours

• When

– Monday and Wednesday 10-2– Tuesday and Thursday 11-2– And by appointment

• Where

– Doyle 226B• Phone – 428-1294• Email- [email protected]

CLEARLY STATED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes I

• Define an appropriate and current problem that is being actively discussed by real decision makers at a specific level of government.

• Identify the stakeholders or major players in the controversy;

• Identify the opposing positions held by these parties regarding how to solve the problem

Learning Outcomes II• Identify the issues associated with the controversy, the arguments made

by stakeholders, and the plans each side is making to ensure their position is the one enacted;

• Evaluate the argumentation of each position, including an analysis of logic and evidence;

• Evaluate each position from the perspective of moral reasoning, including an analysis of values, obligations, consequences, and normative principles;

Learning Outcomes III

• Conduct both library research and field research (interviews with experts);

• Propose and defend a feasible solution based on critical analysis of your library and field research;

• Participate in a civic engagement activity that supports your proposed solution;

• Effectively communicate the problem, research, and proposed solutions, both in writing and orally in class presentations, for an audience of intelligent, but non-expert readers.

COURSE POLICIES

Grading

• 1 proposal

• 4 papers

• 2 oral presentations

• Research file and other assignments

Required Stuff

• Capstone Handbook Buy or it or get it on line

Research File

• Should ultimately be bulging

• Keep EVERYTHING:.

• Sources should show signs of use

• Must have a research file to pass!

• It looks like

Attendance/Extra Credit/Late Assignments

• Only for the Oral Presentations (1% deduction from the final grade for each miss)

• No

• No

Academic IntegrityAccording to the University Handbook:

St. Edward's University expects academic honesty from all students; consequently, all work submitted for grading in a course must be created as the result of your own thought and effort. Representing work as your own when it is not a result of your own thought and effort is a violation of the St. Edward's Academic Honesty policy. The normal penalty for a student who is dishonest in any work is to receive a mark of F for that course. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty and may result in the same penalty. In cases of mitigating circumstances, the instructor has the option to assign a lesser penalty. A student who has been assigned the grade of F because of academic dishonesty does not have the option of withdrawing from the course.

I encourage students to study collaboratively (ie, in groups), however, I expect students to do their own work on the assigned exercises

THE PAPERWhat Everyone Cares about

When Assignments are due

Paper Due DateTopic Proposal 1/28/2013 Submission 1 2/13/2013 Submission 2 3/8/2013Submission 3 4/10/2013Final Submission 5/3/2013

What’s Involved in the Capstone Project?

• Topic Selection• Thesis Question-driven essay• Writing and extensive revision• Thinking through an idea in depth• Presenting both sides of an issue neutrally• Presenting and Analyzing Arguments and Evidence• Presenting and Analyzing a Values Conflict• Field Research (Interviews and Civic Engagement)• Final Conclusion (in light of fieldwork)• Oral Presentation• Research File

THE PAPER

Topic Proposal

• Worksheet.• Overview ONLY!• Do not go into depth.• Get the arguments right!• In prose form, this becomes the introduction

to Submission Two.• Must be completed before you can begin

submission 1

Submission One – 10%

Paper One

1. Annotated Bibliography

2. Topic Worksheet

Submission 1: Annotated Bibliography

• A feasibility study• Requires pro and con resources• Books, scholarly articles, websites and government

resources• No “helper” sources (limited journalistic sources

and magazines allowed, but NO Wikipedia, NO Taking Sides or Controversial Issues citations etc.)

• Include: MLA Works Cited plus “annotations” (comments on each source’s authority, and on how you will use each source)

Submission Two – 25%• Usually around 15-20 pages, including

introduction written from the Research Proposal.

• Includes Intro, Social Problems, and more thorough History of the controversy.

• Identifies stakeholders more completely.• Discusses issues, arguments, and evidence in

depth.• Balanced, neutral presentation.

Submission Three – 15%

• Approx 6-8 new pages• Analysis of the arguments and evidence

presented in Submission Two (Analysis of Argumentation)

• Analysis of the values presented in Submission Two (Moral reasoning)

• Concludes with your tentative solution to the controversy.

Final Submission– 30%

• Revised Submission 2 and 3.

• Civic engagement and interviews

• Revised Final Conclusion and Solution

• Appendix and Works cited

Midterm Oral Report– 5%• Right after Spring Break

• 7-10 minutes including Q & A. Timed.

• Introduces topic and controversy, stakeholders, arguments, value conflict.

• Required Powerpoint presentation.

Final Oral Report 7.5%

• 10-15 minutes in length

• Recap of social problems

• Covers final solution

• Summary of Civic Engagement and Interviews

• Required Powerpoint presentation.

PROHIBITED TOPICS

High School Topics

• School Prayer• Gun Control • Death Penalty• Drinking age• Legalizing Drugs• Obesity• AbortionYou had your chance to write on these 4 years ago.

Court Issues

• These are issues that will be resolved by the courts– Abortion– Affirmative Action– Internet Regulation– Free Speech Issues (obscenity, flag burning and

the like)

Ethical/Moral Issues

• Cloning• Euthanasia• Same sex marriage/civil unions• Animal rights, animal testing • Human Trafficking

These are based on our beliefs about what is right and wrong, and very little else

One Sided

• Any topic that is one-sided– Human Trafficking– Gangs– Obesity

• Good Topics have two clearly developed sides. You shouldn’t fish for information

• Something that does not have any legitimate opposition or support is not a controversy

If You can only write on one of these topics

• you should drop the course and take it with another instructor.

Or

• Select something more appropriate for this course

WHAT A POLITICAL CONTROVERSY ENTAILS

Why Political Controversies?

• Real Policy analysis involves real (not theoretical) policy dilemmas and the controversies associated with them

• Real Policy analysis involves understanding the politics of decision making and the role of institutions

A Political controversy can be solved through collective action (policy)

• Examples of Collective Action– Legislation– Referendum– Amendments

• What is not Collective Action– Court Decisions– Executive orders– Bureaucratic Actions

A Political Controversy has a clear level of analysis

• There are 87,000+ governments in the United States

• The Federal Government is only 1 of them

• A political controversy lurks in one of these governments

Political Controversies are Public, not private

• Government cannot create policy without legal or Constitutional justification

• Certain Controversies remain private– I am allowed to be a bigot (free speech)– The Boy Scouts can restrict their membership

(discrimination)

Political Controversies deal with the actions of the United States government

• The policies of IGO’s (UN, EU) are not resolved through collective action nor are they fully binding

• The policies of NGO’s or Non-profits are generally private, not public policy- e.g. the NCAA is a voluntary organization

• Laws within a nation, are outside the sovereignty of the United States.

• Exceptions are the responses of the U.S. Government to the groups above (both sides must be U.S. based)

A Political Controversy must be current

• Real Decision makers must be discussing it at some level of government

• Some Dead Topics – Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research– Repealing the Patriot Act– Abolishing No Child Left Behind– Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

A Political Controversy has at least 2 clearly defined sides

• Something that does not have any legitimate opposition or support is not a controversy

• Examples of topics that do not have two legitimate sides– Human Trafficking – Gangs