Signature Assignment 1 (Unit 2): Campaign and Elections Paper Due Friday, January 26, by 11:

Signature Assignment 1 (Unit 2): Campaign and Elections Paper

Due Friday, January 26, by 11:59 pm

with 12 point font and include section headers for each of the paper sections noted below (Candidate, Campaign Message, Campaign Strategy, Campaign Resources).

Objective: The objective of this assignment is for students to think critically about effective political campaigns in Texas and understand both the personal and social responsibility inherent in representative democracy.

Description of the Assignment Scenario: "You have been hired to be the campaign manager for a candidate for Governor of the State of Texas. As campaign manager, you need to develop the campaign plan based on the four of the five (do not worry about campaign organization) components of a modern campaign discussed in the lecture notes. In your paper, please address the following (each of these four sections should be identified with a header - for example, there should be a section entitled, "The Candidate,", etc.)".

• Candidate: A description of the qualifications (personal and professional) of the fictional candidate you will be working for. Create the biography for your candidate, including name, experience, history and characteristics (include political party) for your candidate. (Unit 2 Written Lectures, Slide 22)
• Campaign Message: Select one of the campaign messages in the notes and talk about how it will be used in your campaign- it should be a good fit for the candidate you describe. (Unit 2 Written Lectures, Slide 23)
• Campaign Strategy: Explain what types of voters are likely to vote for you (based on candidate qualities and campaign message). (Unit 2, Written Lectures, Slide 24)
• Campaign Resources: Explain what types of people are most likely to donate money to and work in your campaign. (Unit 2, Written Lectures, Slide 24)

Assessment: Your Assignment will be assessed based on the following rubric.

Percent

0 %

60%

80%

100%

Candidate

15%

No Effort

Limited discussion of candidate.

Some discussion, but did not include all aspects of biography.

Thorough biography of candidate.

Campaign Message

25%

No Effort

Limited discussion (three sentences or less) of Campaign Message.

Lists, but does not thoroughly explain campaign message.

Explains campaign message and why it will be effective in Texas.

Campaign Strategy

30%

No Effort

Limited discussion of who message targets (one paragraph or less).

Discusses message and some target groups, but does not explain thoroughly (two or less target groups).

Thoroughly discusses message, issues and groups targeted by issues (at least three target groups).

Campaign Resources

20%

No Effort

Lists potential donors and voters, but does not explain. One paragraph or less.

Lists and discusses some possible voters and donors, but incomplete.

Thoroughly explains potential voters, and donors and why they would be supportive.

Grammar/ Structure

10%

No Effort

Numerous grammatical and typographical errors, no headers.

Some grammatical and/ or typographical errors and/ or no headers.

Well written and well organized

Total Points in the assignment: 100