Extra Credit Assignment

All extra reports are due on or before the Final Review session. Late reports (between the Final Review and the Final Examination) will receive only 1/2 credit. No reports will be accepted after the Final Examination. All extra credit must have a critique.

Please note: It is possible to receive a maximum of 70 points IF you select in Part I - any combination adding up to 30 points;
and in Part II - the term paper - worth 25 points;
and in Part III - any three (3) websites - each worth 5 points for a total of 15 points.

The points for each assignment are not automatic. All reports must be typewritten/word processor and will be judged by the analysis suggested in the Critiques For Extra Credit.
Do not send any of these extra credit reports by email/attachment. Make a hard copy of these reports and mail them or bring them into the Distance Learning Office before or on the due date.

Part I
Select any combination (maximum 30 points):
(a) Attend a meeting with your local city council. (10 points)
(b) Visit the a presidential or other library or museum of political significance. If you are not sure if your selection meets the requirements for this course, please contact your instructor.

Two examples are the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA (805-522-8444)) and the the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace (18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, CA (714-993-3393)). (15 points)

(c) An e-mail letter to your Congressional Representative on some "hot-button" issue. (5 points). Start with http://www.house.gov or http://www.Senate.gov

For any of the above analysis, use the forms in Critiques For Extra Credit.

Part II
Special Global Research Project. (25 points)

Overview/theme: NATO expansion. With the inclusion of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, ex-President Clinton noted that this "means that we are committing the people who wear the uniform of our nation to go and fight and die for that nation should it ever be attacked."

For your research paper, discuss the pros and cons of American involvement in NATO.

Procedure:
(a) On how to approach the basic research and the writing of the research paper:

1. Try the paradigm online writing assistant: http://www.powa.org/ as well as the Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http:owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html

2. For documentation, use the Chicago or Turabian Style: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html#electronic

(b) Next - check out the CCC Virtual Library (http://library.ccc.cccd.edu/) for the ProQuest Library.

(c) At the CCC Virtual Library, be sure to check out other electronic resources.

(d) Visit the Word Wide Web site for the NATO Integrated Data Service: http://www.nato.int/structur/nids/nids.htm

Note: Turn in your research paper in two ways: (a) hardcopy and (b) in a digital form (floppy disc). Your research paper will be submitted to Turnitin.com – a software program to check for any signs of plagiarism. If you plagiarize your paper, you will be dropped from this class with an “F” grade and the Dean of Student Services will be notified.

Part III
You may do any three (3) of the following web sites: (up to 5 points each). Refer to critique page.

1. The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html
   Visit the White House page for direct access to information about commonly requested federal services, the White House Briefing Room, and the presidents and vice presidents. The Virtual Library allows you to search White House documents, listen to speeches, and view photos.
    

2. United States Senate - http://www.senate.gov/
   This U.S. Senate page will lead you to information about current and past Senate members and agendas. legislative activities, and committees.
    

3. United States House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/
   This page of the House of Representatives will lead you to information about current and past House members and agendas, and the legislative process. You can learn about events on the House floor as they happen.
    

4. Supreme Court/Legal Information Institute (LII) - http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
   Open this site for current and historical information about the Supreme Court. The LII archive contains many opinions issued since May 1990 as well as a collection of nearly 600 of the most historical decisions of the Court.
    

5. Department of State - http://www.state.gov/ -
   View this site for understanding into the working of a major U.S. executive branch department. Links explain exactly what the Department does, what services it provides, and what it says about U.S. interests around the world, and it also provides much more information.
    

6. Federal Reserve System – http:/www.federalreserve.gov
   Consult this page to learn the answers to FAQs about the Fed, the structure of the Federal Reserve system, monetary policy, and more. It provides links to speeches and interviews as well as essays and articles presenting different views on the Fed.
    

7. Marketplace of Political Ideas/University of Houston Library - http://info.lib.uh.edu/politics/markind.htm -
   Here is a valuable collection of links to campaign, conservative/liberal perspectives, and political party sites. There are General Political Sites, Democratic Site, Republican Sites, Third Party Sites, and much more.
    

8. Foreign Affairs - http://www.foreignaffairs.org/
   This page of the well-respected policy journal is a valuable research tool It allows users to search the journal's archives and provides indexed access to the field's leading publications, documents, and online resources. Links to dozens of other related Web sites are possible from here.
    

9. Opinion, Inc.: The Site for Conservative Opinion on the Web http://www.opinioninc.com
   Open this site for access to political, cultural, and Web commentary on a number of issues from a conservative political viewpoint. The site is updated frequently.
    

10. STAT-USA –http://www.stat-usa.gov/stat-usa.html
    This essential site, a service of the Department of Commerce, contains daily economic news, frequently requested statistical releases, information on export and international trade, domestic economic news and statistical series, and databases.
     

Finally, just FYI:
Advocates for Self Government - http://www.TheAdvocates.org