Capstone: Political Controversies

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

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.

6. What this means • You have to do it • You may not like it • Write your paper • I will help you get through it

7. Despite assertions to the contrary, Capstone is not a research paper as much as it is a policy advocacy paper.

8. Opportunities to discuss course content

9. Office Hours • The University Requires faculty hold 5 hours a week • I hold 16 hours a week

10. Office Hours • When • Monday and Wednesday 10-2 • Tuesday and Thursday 11-2 • And by appointment • Where • Doyle 226B • Phone– 428-1294 • Email- brianws@stedwards.edu

11. Clearly Stated Learning Outcomes

12. 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

13. 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;

14. 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.

15. Course Policies

16. Grading • 1 proposal • 4 papers • 2 oral presentations • Research file and other assignments

17. Required Stuff • Capstone Handbook Buy or it or get it on line

18. Research File • Should ultimately be bulging • Keep EVERYTHING:. • Sources should show signs of use • Must have a research file to pass! • It looks like

19. Attendance/Extra Credit/Late Assignments • Only for the Oral Presentations (1% deduction from the final grade for each miss) • No • No

20. Academic Integrity According 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

21. What Everyone Cares about The Paper

22. When Assignments are due

23. 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

24. The Paper

25. 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

26. Submission One – 10% Paper One Annotated Bibliography Topic Worksheet

27. 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)

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. Final Submission– 30% • Revised Submission 2 and 3. • Civic engagement and interviews • Revised Final Conclusion and Solution • Appendix and Works cited

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. Prohibited Topics

34. High School Topics • School Prayer • Gun Control • Death Penalty • Drinking age • Legalizing Drugs • Obesity • Abortion You had your chance to write on these 4 years ago.

35. 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)

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. What a Political Controversy Entails

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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)

44. 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)

45. 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

46. 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