PSCI 225 American Political System
Paper Assignment #1
Due Friday, September 14, 2007
This is your first paper for class. One of the recurring themes of the class has been (and will
continue to be) the important and paradoxical idea of democratic leadership. Since you should
have a basic understanding of this idea, it is now time to apply it to actual presidencies.
This is your chance to demonstrate you have attained both a knowledge outcome of the course
(understanding democratic leadership) as well as a skil l outcome (that you can analyze historical
presidencies in light of this concept). Your paper should seek to address the following two
points:
1. Compare and contrast Jefferson and Lincoln’s implementation of democratic leadership.
2. In light of your comparison, which vision of democratic leadership appears more
successful? More appropriate? Should the successors of Jefferson and Lincoln influence
our judgment of the success of Jefferson and Lincoln’s visions of democratic leadership?
Your paper will require you rely heavily on the readings in Milkis and Nelson. A superior paper
will also reference The Prince. While there is very little “right” or “wrong” in this paper, the
quality of your analysis and its connections to specific historical facts and knowledge will be a
prime focus of my attention.
Other requirements for your paper:
1. It should be no longer than three pages.
2. It must be in Microsoft Word format and emailed to me.
3. As stated in the syllabus, papers will be graded based o n the short paper rubric for our
class. Use this rubric (it can be downloaded from the webpage) throughout your writing
process.
4. It should contain sufficient direct and indirect quotations from readings and should
properly cite these readings using Chicago Manual style (footnotes).
5. It must be emailed to me before class on Friday. If email is not working due to a
technical problem, bring a hard copy of your paper to class. As stated i n the syllabus,
papers must be turned in on time. Absolutely no late papers will be accepted.
6. Organize your thoughts and analysis in a way that promotes (rather than distracts from)
your argument. In other words, make strong points wit h strong evidence. Don’t waste
your time with s mall and ultimately trivial observations.
7. Be sure to thoroughly proofread your papers for small mistakes and typos.
8. Make sure to “stay on message”. Stick close to your thesis statement and the
organization you construct. Don’t waste words or space.
9. Give yourself sufficient time and “mental space” to write a successful paper.
10. Consult with me about any questions you may have.
11. Please include a signed honor code statement with your paper.
