propose, in terms of immigration reform, that immigration policy be reformed to allow illegal immigrants, brought to the U.S. as children., to receive U.S. citizenship.

Directions
For this project you will work in a collaborative team to identify a political issue. Your team will
then research, analyze, develop, and defend a position within that issue. The end product will be
a paper that describes the issue and supports your team’s position. Remember, your goal is to
select an issue, take a position, and develop a paper to support that position.
Political issues could include discussions on healthcare, immigration reform, American’s
marijuana debate, tax reform, religious freedom act, LGBTQ rights, and, etc. If you are unsure of
what constitutes a valid political issue, please check with the instructor for guidance in this area.
In 2–3 pages, the outline should minimally contain the following sections below and be drafted
in APA 6th edition style and format. See the sample APA outline here

1. Brief introduction and thesis statement
   a. Introduce the topic to your reader in a brief sentence or two.
   b. Include a thesis statement that identifies at least one challenge/problem associated
   with your chosen topic and also identify a policy you are recommending that will
   effectively and efficiently address this challenge/issue.
2. Overview of the issue (research including at least 5 references)
   Briefly address the origins of the contentions surrounding your selected political issue. For
   instance, if you have opted to take on the marijuana debate, you might begin with the
   federal government’s designation of marijuana as Schedule I drug under the Controlled

Substance Act. Here, you would describe the rationale for such designation and the political
discourse this policy has created.

3. Here, your team should take a position on your selected topic. Pointing back to the
   marijuana debate, you may side with the federal government’s stance on criminalizing
   marijuana or you might side with the states’ rights position (federalism) on the substance,
   that is, allow states to administer their own policy in this regard.
4. Rationale for your position (research including at least 5 references)
   In this regard, you are to justify your stance on your selected topic. For instance, if in favor
   of the decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level, you should provide, relevant
   scholarly data to refute the federal government’s belief that marijuana provides no
   accepted medical use here in the U.S. Further, take note that you are not beholden to
   addressing the medical use of marijuana, alone. There are, as know, other honorable
   mentions as to why marijuana should be decriminalized. Effective research, here, as well as
   it with any of the other topics you have to choose from, will be key in garnering a solid
   response in this area.
5. Summary, conclusions and recommendations
   a. Reiterate your selected political issue, as well as your team’s position on such.
   b. Conclude by including a policy recommendation that will effectively and efficiently
   address this political issue. For example, one might propose that the federal
   government remove marijuana from Schedule I status on the Controlled Substance
   Act, or one might propose, in terms of immigration reform, that immigration policy be
   reformed to allow illegal immigrants, brought to the U.S. as children., to receive U.S.
   citizenship.
   Citations that document your research are a critical part of this project. Be sure to identify all the
   references you use. These should be cited in the text as well as the References list. See the Tools
   and Resources page for more information and resources about APA format, to include
   information on a sample outline.
   By now, your teams and topics should be well-established. While completing this assignment,
   remember that your team project should focus on an issue that addresses a current problem at
   the national level. Further, remember to decide on the scope of the issue. It should be small
   enough to research thoroughly, but not so narrow that it becomes a “special interest” issue.
   Perhaps the biggest challenge will be sorting out any bias in various sources of reporting. Also,

Final Team Project Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
30 pts
prior to submission, never hesitate to ask your professor for help, and/or search out other experts
on the topic.