Week 3 ( do the outline NOT the final research paper)

This week’s written assignment is important preparation for the Final Paper.  You will construct an outline of your Final Paper that will ensure you have all of the required elements. You are expected to write an outline, not a draft of your final paper. Drafts of your paper will NOT meet the requirements of this assignment. 

Prepare: Please review the necessary course text chapters, articles, and multimedia. Conduct additional research necessary to complete the assignment.

Reflect: The end of the course is rapidly approaching, and now is a great time to begin working on your Final Research Paper. This assignment will give you an opportunity to create a detailed outline of your paper, which will help you to establish a structure for your final paper.  Your outline will be reviewed by your instructor and the feedback provided will certainly help you create a better final product. Remember, the main point of your outline is to help you organize your thoughts and research. The outline should serve as the backbone of your paper and should provide the building blocks for your Final Research Paper.

Write: Make sure to read over the instructions for the Final Research Paper, which are located in Week Five of your online course or in the Course Components section of this course guide. As explained in those instructions, your paper should have seven major sections. For this assignment, you will need to create an outline in a Word document. Review the Sample Outline (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. from the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. 
Your outline must include the following:

• Title page (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in APA format
• Introduction and Thesis

• Introduce (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. the main topic and provide a brief preview of main points.
• Include a thesis statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. that identifies how the concepts of federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights are implicated and affected by your selected topic.

• Main Point 1: Identify implications for federalism related to the topic.

• Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact of federalism on the selected topic.
• Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact of federalism on the selected topic.
• Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the impacts of federalism on the  selected topic. Be sure to provide an in-text citation. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you added above.
• So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence important to share?

• Main Point 2: Identify implications for civil rights related to the topic.

• Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact on the civil rights associated with the selected topic.
• Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact on the civil rights associated with the selected topic.
• Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the impacts on the civil rights associated with the selected topic. Be sure to provide an in-text citation. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you added above.
• So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence important to share?

• Main Point 3: Identify implications for civil liberties related to the topic.

• Provide a topic sentence that describes one positive impact on the civil liberties associated with the selected topic.
• Provide a topic sentence that describes one negative impact on the civil liberties associated with the selected topic.
• Provide at least one piece of supporting evidence (a quote or paraphrase) that supports all of your claims concerning the impacts on the civil liberties associated with the selected topic. Be sure to provide an in-text citation. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• In a single sentence, explain the meaning of the evidence you added above.
• So what? Add a sentence that tells your reader how this evidence supports your topic sentence. Why is this evidence important to share?

• Conclusion

• In a sentence or two, conclude (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. by reviewing your main points and overall thesis.
• References Page
• Include a complete list of references (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. utilized within the outline in APA format.

The paper must be two to three pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least three scholarly sources, not counting your textbook, from the Ashford University Library to support your claims.

My paper is on freedom of religion 

Final paper instructions 

In the Final Research Paper, you will use your critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate a current events topic that has constitutional and political implications.

Select one topic from the following list of three constitutional issues. The topic you select should also be used as the topic for your Week Two and Three written assignments:

• Religious freedom
• Free speech
• Privacy rights

The thesis of the paper will be a statement identifying how the concepts of federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights are implicated in and affected by this topic.

Utilize the feedback from your Week Two and Three Assignments to create a more thorough outline to form your Final Research Paper. The paper must include five main sections:

• Introductory paragraph that provides a brief background regarding the topic and introduces the main thesis.
• In-depth discussion of the implications for federalism related to the topic.
  • Explain how and why federalism has a positive and negative impact on the selected topic.
    • Provide one real-world positive example.
    • Provide one real-world negative example.
    • Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly sources to support your explanation.
• In-depth discussion of the implications for civil rights related to the topic.
  • Explain how and why civil rights are positively and negatively affected by the selected topic.
    • Provide one real-world positive example.
    • Provide one real-world negative example.
    • Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly sources to support your explanation.
• In-depth discussion of the implications for civil liberties related to the topic.
  • Explain how and why civil liberties are positively and negatively affected by the selected topic.
    • Provide one real-world positive example.
    • Provide one real-world negative example.
    • Utilize the Constitution, established case law, and scholarly sources to support your explanation.
• Concluding paragraph that summarizes the main findings and restates the thesis.

The paper must be 10-12 pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least six scholarly resources (at least five of which can be found in the Ashford University Library) other than the textbook to support your claims. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center.

The Final Research Paper:

• Must be 10-12 double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least six scholarly resources, including a minimum of five from the Ashford University Library.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.