For this week’s assignment, you will choose and explore an issue that you are personally familiar with that relates to a local or state problem (e.g., in a city or state). In short, you’ll explore the actions people took to get the problem solved, as well as how public opinion played a role. The problem you choose should relate to a problem where people approached or involved policymakers at the state government or local government level (such as state legislators, planning commissioners, school board members, city council members, county commissioners, etc.).
In your paper, you will explain the issue (the problem people had) and the context, as well as the role of public opinion in shaping views about the issue and motivating people to act to resolve it (e.g., social media campaigns or TV coverage, newspaper articles). You’ll also explain what the people did to resolve the problem and how they engaged policymakers. Furthermore, you’ll discuss the actions (if any) of the policymakers, how the problem was resolved (or not), and evaluate the role of the people in the problem being solved. You will need to locate at least one newspaper article or other news media resource about the issue, and you should be familiar with the issue and wider context. Therefore, consider choosing a topic in your state or town that you are knowledgeable about. Be sure your paper includes 11 sections that address the following: Introduce your paper. Explain the issue (the problem people had) and the wider context, including the location. Summarize how people reacted to or dealt with, the issue before it was resolved. Explain the role of public opinion in shaping views about the issue and motivating people to act to resolve it. Discuss what the people did and how they engaged policymakers to resolve the problem. State the action (if any) of the policymakers (e.g., did they listen to the people or seek to resolve the problem?). Explore how the problem was ultimately resolved (or not). Evaluate the role of the people in the problem being resolved. Analyze the role of the policymakers in the problem being resolved. Reflect on if the resolution was what was desired by the people, or if it resolved the problem. Conclude your paper by re-capping each of the above sections and sharing your final thoughts. Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages References: Include a minimum of 5 resources, including the news media article you selected that relates to the issue you chose.
