I. on the Spreadsheet Provided, Complete the First Two Steps

Presidential Candidate Research Paper

I.  On the spreadsheet provided, complete the first two steps:

Step 1: Find brief biographical information on each of the six candidates (age, education, family, employment history).

Step 2: Choose five issues of interest from the list below and research each candidate’s position on those issues.

·  Possible issues:

o  Abortion

o  Death penalty

o  Education

o  Environment (global warming)

o  Government funding of Planned Parenthood

o  Gun control

o  Health care (aka Obamacare)

o  Homeland security

o  Immigration

o  Income inequality (poverty)

o  ISIS (what actions to take to confront)

o  National Deficit/debt

o  Same sex marriage

o  Taxes

II.  After researching, you will write an organized, well developed, 3-5 page paper responding to the following prompt:

Using your research on major issues identify and explain, what individual would be a strong presidential candidate or who’s policy would benefit the United States, based upon the policies you have researched.

·  As this is a formal research paper, you are not being asked or graded on your political preferences, but rather thinking about what policies resonate with you, as this will make the paper easier to understand, research and write. Because this is a thesis driven paper you should NOT be writing in first person. The scoring rubric for this paper is based upon your thesis, evidence, analysis, grammar and organization.

·  Example: You may want to write about Hilary Clinton because you think her policies on health care are strong and important for The United States. From here, you would use research to explain her belief/policies of health care and why that makes her a strong presidential candidate or why this policy will benefit the United States.

III.  Requirements:

ð  Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, with 12 point Times New Roman font, and 1 inch margins all around.

ð  Be sure to give specific positions on issues that come directly from your research of academic sources.

ð  Your paper must include a cover page with a title (be creative) and your name (picture or art optional).

ð  You must include MLA formatted citations and a Works Cited page.

IV.  Due Dates:

ð  Thesis Check #1 ______

ð  Thesis Check #2 ______

ð  Optional Outline ______

ð  Works Cited ______

ð  Rough Draft ______

ð  Final Draft ______

V.  Suggested sources:

·  Individual candidate websites

·  www.cnn.com

·  www.ontheissues.org