Your essays should be 3 to 4 double-spaced pages in length APA format. The essays should engage with the ideas of those readings/videos as well as develop your own opinion and analysis. I am not looking for specific answers to these essays but rather your genuine engagement with the topic. You will be graded on the quality of your response– the level of detail of your response, your ability to reference specific evidence in support of your position (from the readings and videos, or from other information you have learned outside the class), and the nuance you bring to your answer. By nuance, I refer to your ability to see beyond simple yes/no or good/bad dichotomies to the deeper complexity of the issues raised in class. It’s fine– and encouraged!– to have a clear opinion, but that opinion should be grounded in a recognition of the fact that few political issues are simple. There is no need to toe a particular political or ideological line– I want to hear your opinion– but I want that opinion grounded in objective analysis and evidence.
Essay Prompt: Campaigns and Elections
How big a role does money play in US elections? Has money always played this role, or
have things changed in recent years? Where do we see this money at work? What are
the consequences of this situation for democracy in the US? Finally, is there anything
that could be done to help address the problems money causes in US political
campaigns?
Focus on: Citizens United, SuperPAC’s and “Dark Money Groups”, and how changing regulations can lessen the impact of money in elections.
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