BRIEF ASSIGNMENT:  "The Distinguished Gentleman"

 

Watch the film "The Distinguished Gentleman", read the synopsis, "The Scandal of Lobbyists", and "Good Lobbying, Good Government", do you believe that good government needs lobbyists, or should they be banned as inefficient and detrimental to the process of governing?

Brief your answers by the beginning of the next class following the conclusion of the film. Answers must be IYOW, but there is to be NO FIRST PERSON in your brief.

This assignment is to be handed in at the beginning of the assigned class period.
ALL ASPECTS OF THE HONOR POLICY APPLY TO THIS ASSIGNMENT
BRIEF ASSIGNMENT

  • This brief should be 5 paragraphs; a minimum of 2 sentences, no more than 5 sentences per paragraph.

  • All sentence must be complete sentences.

  • The first paragraph of this Brief will be the Introduction.

  • The first sentence of this Brief will be the THESIS. The Thesis is a clear NORMATIVE (subjective) statement of the position the brief will take on the issue using the vocabulary and concepts from economics: 

    • Are Lobbyists necessary for  good government, or should Lobbyists be banned or regulated as inefficient and detrimental to the process of governing?

  • The second sentence in the Introduction will be the OUTLINE for the rest of the brief listing the three supporting topics which will be presented to back up the  position supported by the Brief.

  • The next three paragraphs will be Support paragraphs.  Each support paragraph will begin with a Topic sentence, and will include at least one POSITIVE (objective) FACT taken from the online articles or the textbook which backs up the THESIS.

  • For the brief, use facts from the video, online articles, and textbook, page 19; do NOT bring in outside facts.

  • All facts in this Brief MUST be cited.

  • A Brief should NEVER be in first person.

  • A Brief should ALWAYS be IN YOUR OWN WORDS (IYOW); you may NOT cut and paste from the internet or any other source or you will receive a zero and this will be reported to the Honor Council.

  • Your brief should ALWAYS be printed out, not hand-written.

  • Your Brief is due at the beginning of the class on the assigned due date; assignments turned in after class will be penalized one point per day late.