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Considerations:
Keep in mind two basic considerations:

1. You need to discuss background. Issues do not appear out of nowhere. They develop over time. They are recognized, considered, and addressed over time. You should discuss why the issues you are covering are prominent now. Have they been around in the past, or are they new? Use judgment: you need not cover the entire nation's history to provide an adequate background.
2. You need to discuss dynamics. Congress is not static. It evolves and adapts over time (to changes in the population, changes in the political environment, and to the emergence of new issues). What caused the evolution? Did society or public opinion shift—and if so, why? To what are the changes attributable? —the people involved? —the positions they hold? —the Congress or its nature? —the committee system? —the differences between the House and Senate? —the budget cycle? —the legislative process? What about political parties, interest groups and/or their campaign contributions, or the electoral cycle? Your project may not involve all these factors, but it must involve several of them.

Both academic journals and news magazines are valuable sources. Supplement these with daily newspaper accounts. Use the New York Times or the Washington Post. They are national papers of record, meaning they provide complete coverage of all national issues. You wont find enough information in any other newspapers. There are also many Internet sources to assist you. One caution—use discretion. There are no content restriction on the Internet, and there is a lot of junk out there! Avoid personal sites in favor of sites attached to established organizations. Note: no more than half of your sources may come from internet-only sites (journal, magazine, and newspaper articles that appear both online and in print to not count towards this limit—but you must use their complete print citations).

You must also research the issues and theories behind your topic. The best starting place is GALILEO, where you can search a wide variety of academic journals by author, title, or keyword). Finally, our library's shortcomings are not excuses for an under-researched project. Good research is never limited to one location. Plan on both using inter-library loans (and plan on that early, because it takes time) and on traveling to other libraries (e.g., UGA, Kennesaw, Georgia State). Our library is the first place to look, but it is not the last! If you cannot find the information you need there, look elsewhere.

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Project Basics:
Automatic deductions for all project components (failure to meet each and any requirement for any component will result in a grade reduction as noted):

1. Project length (see below for each component)—partial pages (no matter how much) do not count. As noted above, minimums do not include any title pages; pictures, tables, charts/graphs covering more than 1/3 of a page; or bibliography. Deduction: 1 point per page.
2. Formatting—Your project must be divided into labeled sections (see component 2, below). Deduction: 1 point.
3. Formatting—12-point or smaller Times font, double-spaced, 1-inch or smaller margins (Word's default is 1.25". For help changing this, click here). Deduction: 1/2 point each for font, spacing, and margins.
4. Citations/References—Minimum number of references (see below), APA style for citations/references. APA exceptions: Page numbering must begin with text, not cover page; Quotes of more than three lines must be single-spaced with 1/2" or 5 character additional margins (NOTE: too many long quotes harms your grade); All bibliographic entries must be single-spaced with one space between entries. Deduction: 1 point each for number and style.
5. File—must be submitted to Turnitin.com by the time and date designated on our schedule for each component. The file must be in either Word format (".doc") or WordPerfect format (".wpd"). NOTE: if you use Microsoft Works, you must save your file as a Word (.doc) file and not as a Works (.wps) file (Turnitin.com does not accept Works files). Click here for help on saving a Works document as a Word file. Deduction: 1 point per day.

Project Components:

1. Annotated Bibliography—3 points. The purpose of this is to explore the major literature associated with your topic and to refine your specific proposal. Minimum 8 references in addition to class texts (1 point deduction from project for each reference, beyond half, not used). In your "annotation", provide 1) a brief description of the literature, and 2) a discussion of why it is relevant to your work. Your references should be limited to MAJOR academic literature in the field (not just ANY literature—no newspaper or magazine articles for this part of your project). Use your texts as guides (Check endnotes and references).
2. Annotated Outline (2 page minimum)—2 points. The annotated outline is a formally ordered, descriptive account of each of the specific sections (see component #3, below, for a general outline) of your project. In other words, you will explain each section of your project. NOTES: 1) Be concise, don't overplan—an outline of 20+ sections for an 18-page paper (i.e., less than one page per section) is not a good sign!  2) You must discuss how you will use the sources covered in your annotated bibliography.
3. Project—10 points. You must divide your project into sections. Groups must assign each section to a particular person:
   Sections (You need not have these exact headings, but you must have similar sections with some heading):
   • Introduction: What is your topic? Why did you select it? Why should anyone care? 2-4 pages.
   • Background/History: Provide readers with relevant history and context. Concentrate on consideration #1 (discussed above). 5-8 pages.
   • Analysis: Concentrate on consideration #2 (discussed above). Apply our class (don't just repeat—build!). 3-8 pages.
   • Conclusion: Wrap up (but do not just summarize...). What did you learn? Does it differ in any way from what we've learned in class? 2-4 pages.
   • Bibliography: Minimum of 12 references in addition to class texts, and at least 4 from academic books or refereed academic journals. All references must be cited in the project. At minimum, 50% of your references must be print (non-internet) references (online resources that also appear in print may count as print references if they are properly cited as such).
4. Presentation—10 points. Presentations will be 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon the number of projects. You must provide an outline page for class—one class prior to your presentation. Presentations are class activities—two points of everyone's class participation will be determined during presentations.
5. Revision—10 points. Make significant use of feedback from me (on your project and presentation), and the from the class (on your presentation). You must make revisions to maintain your grade. A revision that is identical to, or substantially similar to, the project you submitted earlier will receive a lower grade. All prior project requirements apply to your revision as well.