Modern Texas

 Choose one. Use readings from both Campbell and Martinez:

1.  Explain the results of sustaining a 19th century "limited government" approach to Texas government in the Modern Era (1945-1975).
2.  Partisanship and ideology fluctuated in 20th century Texas as the conservative voting majority left the Democratic Party for the Republican Party. Why did the party allegiance of Texas conservatives change and what impact did this have on partisanship and policy in the Contemporary Era (1975-2000)?
3.  Texas is more diverse than the USA and Houston the most diverse city in the USA; what are the sources of diversity in Texas and what is the impact of this diversity on the culture, economy, and politics of Contemporary Texas (1975-2000)?

Format:

• 1000 words
• Double space
• 12-point font
• Standard written English
• One-inch margins
• Chicago style footnote citations. Do not cite in parenthetical MLA style.

Content:

• Your paper must have a main idea/thesis/argument. It cannot be a summary of the reading. Your thesis must answer the prompt.
• Your paper must be carefully edited. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling count.
• Cultivate your own voice/style. You will be writing a lot of papers in college, at least three in this course, so find your voice. This means papers by different students on the same prompt should be distinct. It does not mean the papers are about you. Do not write about yourself and do not use a conversational tone or self-references.
• You must demonstrate understanding and familiarity with required readings in both Campbell’s Gone to Texas and Monica Munoz Martinez’s The Injustice Never Leaves You. Papers that do not cite both books will not pass.
• These are reading response essays, not research papers. There should be no other source material beyond Campbell and Grieder; do not summarize content you have read on the internet.
• Papers without citations will not pass.

Grading:

• Meet the format requirements
• Have thoughtful content including a clear answer to the prompt
• Write clearly and edit your work

“A” papers do these three tasks strongly, “B” papers may be weak in one area, “C” papers may be weak in two areas, “D” papers may be weak in three areas, etc.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the theft of words or ideas from another writer and dishonestly passing them off as your own.  Any plagiarism- even a few sentences or a single paragraph- will result in a ZERO on the paper.  Do not be tempted to submit work you did not create. Two episodes of plagiarism in the course will result in an F in the course and a referral to HCC’s academic disciplinary review committee via Maxient.