POL 102 - Writing Assignment #1 Instructions - TO BE DONE IN 300-400 words Pease read through these four pages before beginning the assignment. (The instructions are much longer than the assignment itself!) Our first short writing assignment will be on the subject of the Senate filibuster. Think about whether or not you believe it should be abolished. Consider the consequences for keeping it and for abolishing it. Make your own assessment (your thesis) about the issue. Think of your two main reasons for your position. Then, write a short essay arguing your position. Acceptable sources: Your textbook pp. 236-238; Zoom lecture #10; “Congress” powerpoint; and the document "The Senate 'filibuster" (copied below) Formal documentation is not needed for this exercise. Please double-space your papers. ***Do your own work. Do not use chatgpt or an online service. I don't know of anything you get better at by not doing it. An educated person needs to be able to write cogently and cohesively. ***This assignment will be graded "Pass/No Credit" so as long as you make an honest effort to do the assignment, you will get full credit. Consider this a "formal” writing assignment. Please read through the “levels of English language usage" (copied below) and follow the rules for formal language. This assignment is an exercise that will give you the basic format needed for writing strong papers. I find that students in introductory courses have a wide range of writing ability, so I give this very structured assignment to get everyone onboard with writing a college-level essay. You can access this assignment on the “Assignments” tab on the top red banner. You should write the essay in your own file and then upload the file into the assignment. For students interested in improving their writing (which should be everyone!) on our Course Home page you will find a "Writing Resources” module with good information. Continued... I would like you to follow this four-paragraph (mini-essay) format PRECISELY. Later, we will discuss how to expand this format into a longer paper. 1) Create an original two-part title that conveys the topic AND your particular opinion of the topic. 2) The Introductory paragraph (4 sentences only): Sentence #1 - write an engaging intro to your topic that catches the reader's attention. DO NOT begin with your opinion. Sentence #2 - BRIEFLY, place the topic in context or frame the debate. Sentence #3 - State your thesis (your considered opinion) about the topic. A thesis is best stated in a single, authoritative sentence. This is not the place to mention the reasons you will discuss in the body of your essay. Sentence #4 BRIEFLY (save the details for the body of your essay), mention two reasons for your opinion (sort of like a table of contents to the rest of your essay.) 3) Write a paragraph which discusses the first reason you mention in sentence #4 of your introduction. Open the paragraph with a topic sentence about your first reason. Add two or three sentences with supporting details or elaboration. "The Tyranny of the Paragraph": do not write anything whatsoever in this paragraph that is not related to your first reason. 4) Write a paragraph which discusses the second reason you mention in sentence #4 of your introduction. Open the paragraph with a topic sentence about your second reason. Add two or three sentences with supporting details or elaboration. "The Tyranny of the Paragraph": do not write anything whatsoever in this paragraph that is not related to your second reason. 5) Write a conclusion. Explain, in a few sentences, how the reasons you discuss in the body of your essay support your thesis. Continued... The Senate "filibuster" The U.S. Constitution – Article I, Section 7: "Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it” The basic procedure in the Constitution required for a bill (proposed law) to become a law is for the exact same bill to be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate and then signed into law by the President. The U.S. Constitution – Article I, Section 4: "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings" Both the House and Senate make their own rules and pass bills by a simple majority. Bills cannot be brought up for a vote until debate on the bill is concluded. The House has a Rules Committee that limits debate on a bill. The Senate does not have such a committee and debate is unlimited. Senators can block any bill from being voted on by continuing debate. This is called a "filibuster." The Senate has Rule XXII (the Cloture Rule) which provides a procedure for cutting off debate and bringing a bill up for a vote. It requires a 3/5 supermajority (60 Senators) to vote for Cloture to cut off debate and bring a bill up for a vote. The modern version of the rule requires only one Senator to announce a filibuster of a bill – they no longer have to speak for marathon sessions. This blocks the bill from coming up for a vote. If 60 Senators vote for "Cloture," the bill can be brought up for a vote. This is usually difficult to achieve because the Senate is usually fairly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans and it would require several members of the one party to break ranks and vote with the opposite party. In our current climate of very polarized politics, this rarely happens. Since about 2009, filibusters, which were rare, are now standard operating procedure. ***Except for a couple of exceptions, ALL bills are filibustered and require 60 Senators to agree to let a bill come up for a vote. This has led to an almost dysfunctional Senate (and therefore Congress) in which no legislation can get passed. This means that in a 100 member Senate, a MINORITY of 41 Senators (the number needed to prevent the needed 60 Senators from voting Cloture) can block almost all legislation. ***Critics argue that this undermines democracy, which is based on the principle of majority rule. Continued... Levels of English Language Usage Different modes of the English language can be used for different situations. None of them is "wrong." It's just a matter of knowing which mode is appropriate for a given situation. As an educated person, you should be able to adjust accordingly. Formal Language Used for: Rules: Professional and academic purposes Résumé cover letters College/graduate school/professional school application essays College term papers No contractions No abbreviations No colloquialisms (conversational phrases) No slang Perfect spelling and grammar Perfect typing Two spaces after the end of every sentence Avoids first person pronouns (“I” and “We”) Uses literal language – not hyperbole ***Suggestion: have your document proof-read and commented upon by a professor before submitting. Informal language Used for: Everyday conversation. Characteristics: Uses contractions Uses colloquialisms (conversational phrases) Uses first person pronouns Uses abbreviations Non-standard language Used for: Speaking with close friends Characteristics: Very informal Uses slang expressions Can be ungrammatical