Second Paper Assignment POLI 76 Fall 2023 Due date: November 30th by 11:59pm (it will be submitted via Canvas) Page length requirements: 5 pages, double-spaced.

Second Paper Assignment

POLI 76

Fall 2023

Due date: November 30th by 11:59pm (it will be submitted via Canvas)

Page length requirements: 5 pages, double-spaced. I will STOP reading after 8 pages, and you will lose points if the paper is too short.

Weight: 20% of your course grade

Formatting: Use a consistent citation style and include a references section.

In the second half of the class, we will have spent a considerable amount of time discussing Obama’s election to the White House, as well as some consequences of his presidency. Being informed by the material we have read, I want you to evaluate Obama’s presidency. You are to evaluate his presidency based on AT LEAST THREE of the following matters:

Improving health care

Increasing voter turnout

Changing the way that Black people are viewed by non-Blacks

Changing the way that Black people think about their position in the US

Changing the way that First Ladies are viewed by the public

When evaluating Obama, it is critical that you do so for EACH of the areas you pick. In other words, I am not too interested in an overall evaluation, though from reading the paper I will get a sense of that.

When evaluating Obama, I want you to choose one of four categories:

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

These categories are listed in descending/decreasing order. If it helps, you can think of this as a scale, with excellent being a 4, good a 3, fair a 2, and poor a 1.

This assignment will be a challenge for you, but I am confident in your abilities. You will have to piece together the material we have read, come up with answers to these questions, and most importantly, you will have to defend your choices. There is also a good chance you will need to consult outside resources to complete this assignment. I suggest that you start on this project early and reach out to a research librarian if you require assistance.

How will this paper be evaluated? You will be evaluated based on the clarity of your writing, how well you defend your ideas, and how much effort you put into the assignment. Note: Late papers will be penalized, though I am willing to be flexible here; please only ask for an extension if it is necessary. Also, while I am happy to look at outlines of your papers, I will not provide feedback on entire drafts.