Please Read The Instructions Below For Your Week As A 398248

Please Read The Instructions Below For Your Week As An Agenda Setterp

Please read the instructions below for your week as an agenda setter. The weekly discussion board serves as an opportunity to explore current events in the news related to American government/politics. These connections can be explicitly political or more tangential, such as fallout after a tragedy or pop culture moments, provided they demonstrate a relationship to power. The goal is to keep you engaged with current events and their interaction with the political realm.

Your task is to select a recent news story from a reputable source within the past two weeks that meets these criteria. Write a short editorial discussing the potential connections to American politics, your thoughts on the event, and how it relates to course readings and lectures. Include two to three discussion questions to stimulate responses. Post these on the discussion board before Monday's class, check regularly, and reply to at least two colleagues' comments. A reflection paper (around 400 words, APA 6th edition) is due within two weeks after your article submission, exploring your experiences, challenges, and insights related to the assignment.

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Paper For Above instruction

The purpose of this week’s discussion board assignment is to engage students with current news stories and analyze their connections to American politics and power dynamics. This exercise encourages critical thinking about the influence of current events and promotes active participation through initial posts, responses, and subsequent reflections.

The core task involves selecting a recent news story from a reputable source published within the last two weeks that is either explicitly political or tangentially related to American government and power relations. Students are expected to craft a concise editorial that examines the story's relevance to political themes discussed in class, the students’ personal perspectives on the event, and its implications within the broader scope of American politics. Formulating two to three questions designed to stimulate discussion among peers is also part of the assignment, intended to foster critical dialogue.

Submission involves posting the initial editorial and questions before the Monday class, engaging with classmates through comments, and then reflecting on the experience within two weeks of the initial post. The reflection should be approximately 400 words, utilizing APA 6th Edition formatting, and should critically analyze the learning process, including successes and challenges encountered.

Assessment criteria focus on timeliness, depth of content, accuracy, integration of course concepts, and quality of writing and references. Maintaining an active presence on the discussion board by replying to peers and thoughtful reflection are essential components that demonstrate engagement and understanding.

This assignment reinforces the importance of staying informed about current political issues, applying theoretical knowledge to real-world contexts, and developing communication skills through thoughtful discussion and reflection.

References

• Dahl, R. A. (1989). Democracy and its critics. Yale University Press.
• Hacker, J. S., & Pierson, P. (2010). Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer. Simon & Schuster.
• Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The science of "muddling through". Public Administration Review, 19(2), 79-88.
• Lowi, T. J., Ginsberg, B., Shepsle, K. A., & Ansolabehere, S. (2017). American Government: Power and Purpose. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Peters, R. (2015). Political theory: An introduction. Routledge.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
• Skocpol, T., & Fiorina, M. P. (1999). Civic engagement in American democracy: The declining boundaries of political activism. Perspectives on Politics, 4(3), 417-425.
• Stokes, S. C. (2018). Broadly Designed: The New Politics of Federalism. Comparative Political Studies, 51(9), 1202-1232.
• Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., & Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and Equality: Civic Volunteerism in American Politics. Harvard University Press.
• Wilson, W. J. (2012). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass, and public policy. University of Chicago Press.