Research Paper

Explain how any one of the federal policies that we discuss in the course affected one individual.  This paper should not simply tell one person's story. Instead, it should use that story as a case study of a larger phenomenon.  Was that person's experience typical or exceptional?  Did the policy have a different impact on people from different demographic backgrounds?  On balance, did the policy have the effect that its authors intended?

In addition to interviewing your subject, you must delve into primary sources (e.g., the laws, rules, or executive orders defining the policy) as well as scholarly and official analyses of the policy.

You may write on a different topic, but clear it with me in advance.

In the weeks ahead, you will make a very brief (5-minute) oral presentation on your paper.

Requirements

• Length: No more than six double-spaced pages (I will not read past page 6).
• Format: Word document only (no PDFs, no Google Docs).
• Citations: Chicago/Turabian style endnotes (not footnotes). Be precise: page numbers, dates, or document IDs. Endnotes do not count against the page limit.
• Style: Clear, polished writing counts. Grammar, spelling, diction, and punctuation all matter. Review Strunk & White and my writing lecture before you draft.
• AI:  It is appropriate to use AI to identify relevant articles, documents, and other sources. But misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism.
• Deadline: Friday, November 21, 11:59 PM on Canvas.  If Canvas gives you trouble, email me your Word file. I reserve the right to dock papers one grade point for one day's lateness, a full letter grade after that.