San Jose State University Prepositions for The California Ballot Essay

Pick one of the many propositions that are on the California ballot this November. Explain the positives and negatives of the chosen proposition if it were to pass and if it were not to pass. [Honors students are to do two essays.]

This is to be in essay format — although the instructor isn’t too concerned with the standard 5-paragraph model; get to the point and then conclude, that’s enough. Citation is a must, but the instructor isn’t wild about MLA; if you’re not an English or Foreign Languages major, you shouldn’t be either — use whatever citation format is the most dominant in your field of study (most Social Sciences uses APA). Length should be roughly between 750 and 1000 words. Opinions and personal anecdotes should be kept to the conclusion, if included at all.

Rubric:

• An understanding of what the proposition does
• Equal treatment of both sides of the issue
  • Clear and deep analysis of the positive aspects
  • Clear and deep analysis of the negative aspects
• Proofread — in politics, if you’re not clear and reasonable, you lose the argument.