Current Event Assignment 4 is due May 14, 2020. Please submit in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Before submitting, check the following: 1) Is the article used about the Texas State Government? 2) Doe

GOVT 2306 Current Event Assignment 4 Due May 10, 2020

50 points Turn in via eCampus

Access a news article pertaining to a Texas policy topic. You can choose an article from the list below or, if you want to choose your own article, it must be less than 6 months old and from one of the following sources: 1) The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/ or 2) The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/.

The purposes of this assignment are:

to increase your ability to research current events in government,
to increase your understanding of a particular area of government,
to connect concepts you are learning in class material, with real-world issues.

You are to include the following in your assignment:

1. Article title and source – 5 points

a. Using the MLA style of citation, where did you get the article? Important note – the citation must be in MLA style for full credit

b. For this assignment, you must include the url in your citation.

2. Summary - 5 points

Briefly and in your own words, summarize the content of the article. Important note – the summary must be in your own words.

3. Connection 1 - 15 points

Connect the article to a concept we have covered in class from Unit 4 – Chapters 11, 12, 13. Important Note – the concept has to be from the current unit material.

a. Define the concept that you state the article connects to.

b. Describe how the article illustrates the concept.

4. Connection 2 - 15 points

Connect the article to any additional concept we have covered in class.

a. Define the concept that you state the article connects to.

b. Describe how the article illustrates the concept.

5. Reaction – 10 points

Take a position on the issue contained in the article.

a. What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge?

b. What do you agree with and why?

Write your paper in paragraph form using good sentence structure with proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Write the paper in your own words. If you need to use a short quote, cite properly. The paper should be approximately two pages in length, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point font. Content is more important than length. It should be turned in via eCampus.

This is not a critique of whether the article is good or bad. This assignment is to make a connection to the classroom material and to explore the different sides of the issue.

Unit 4 Current Event 4 Articles – SP20

CE4 Articles

Abortion Policy
Criminal Justice Policy
Education Policy
Firearms Policy
Health Care Policy
Immigration Policy
Regulatory Policy
Social Welfare Policy

Abortion Policy
Federal Appeals Court Says Texas Can Block Pill-Induced Abortions During Pandemic
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/20/texas-abortion-pill-coronavirus/
Criminal Justice Policy
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Rejects New Death Penalty Trial Requested Under "Junk Science" Law
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/11/texas-death-penalty-rigoberto-avila-junk-science-law/
Education Policy
Special Education Students Fall Behind as Texas Schools Scramble to Adapt
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/10/texas-schools-closed-coronavirus-struggling-special-education/
Firearms Policy
A Houston Police Death and the Debate Over Who Should Have Guns in Texas
https://www.texastribune.org/2019/12/13/houston-police-death-and-debate-over-who-should-have-guns-texas/
Health Care Policy
Black Texans Already Face Health Care Disparities. The Coronavirus is Making it Worse.
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/29/black-texas-coronavirus-health-care-disparities/
Before Texas Can Safely Reopen its Economy, Health Experts Say These Four Things Must Happen
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/27/texas-coronavirus-health-experts-say-more-resources-needed-reopen/
Immigration Policy
Federal Government Sued for Denying Stimulus Checks to Americans Married to Undocumented Immigrants
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/29/immigration-stimulus-check/
Regulatory Policy
Citing Coronavirus Pandemic, Trump Administration Stops Enforcing Environmental Laws
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/27/coronavirus-era-trump-administration-halts-environmental-protections/
Report: Six Texas Oil Refineries Spewing Cancer-Causing Pollutant Above Federal Threshold
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/06/six-texas-oil-refineries-spewing-cancer-causing-pollutant-benzene/
Social Welfare Policy
230,000 Texas Families Filed for SNAP Food Assistance in March, Twice as Many as Same Month Last Year
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/13/texas-snap-applications-coronavirus/