EGL 1100 PGCC Income Inequality Project

_{Part One}

_{Please research Income Inequality broadly to deepen your overall understanding of the large-scale issue and then begin to hone in on specific aspects of Income Inequality that interests you.}

_{After you have spent some time considering Income Inequality, please write a page that explains what interests you about this topic and what area you would like to explore further.}

Part Two

For this assignment, please respond to each question below for two of the six laws/policies/programs listed below. You can choose which ones you find most interesting. Please note that some of real and some are theoretical.

Try to look at all angles: Positive/Negative/Short-term/Long-term/Necessary/ Possible/ Likely.

You need to respond with short sentences. Just your first thoughts.

1.Requiring school uniforms in public schools

2.Mandatory arrest for shoplifting items valued over $100

3.Legal marriage for minors with parental consent

4.Mandatory community service for first-arrest DUI

5.Death penalty for first degree murder

6.Cigarette purchasing age increase to 21

Cause: Why was this law/policy/program put into place? What circumstances contributed to its implementation? What problem or potential problem was it aiming to control or solve?

Short-term

Long-term

Effect: What is the result of this law/policy/program?

Positive

Negative

Short-term (immediate/one day/one week/one month/one year)

Long-term (one year/ten years/generational)

Necessary (What will definitely happen?)

Possible (What might happen?)

Likely (What will probably happen?)

On an individual

One the community

On society overall

Are possible negative effects worth the long-term benefits?

Is there a different/better/more effective approach to the solving the problem?

Part Three

The overall goals of this assignment are:

1.To trace the causes that led to the current state of affairs, and then

2.To argue for the potential effects of maintaining the current state, changing current policies/laws/programs, or implementing new ones.

Please keep in mind that you do not need to “solve” the problem. See if you can discern real and/or potential connections.

I encourage you to go wherever this assignment takes you. The broad topic is based on the interest areas that you identified as a class, but I hope that you will find the angle that is the most interesting to you and run with it.

For this assignment, you will identify a policy/law/program related to the topic and then:

1.Trace the causes that led to the proposal and/or enactment of a policy/law/program and/or

2.Argue for the potential effects of sustaining, implementing or abolishing the policy/law/program.

Essay Details

3 to 4 pages plus a Works Cited page

MLA formatting – Times New Roman; 12-point font; double-spacing

MLA in-text citations and Works Cited page

Assignment Outline

You are not required to follow this organizational structure, but it may help you to get started.

I. Introduction

Begin with a hook to pull in your audience. Consider using a notable statistic or a story that clearly illustrates the point of your essay (real or hypothetical).

Provide basic information about the policy/law/program that you’ve chosen.

Finish with a thesis statement that expresses your perception of whether the policy/law/program has been (or might be) successful/unsuccessful.

** For example (if the topic was Racism): Though the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was established to abolish slavery in the United States, its inconsistent application and malicious misinterpretation did not provide the previously enslaved people with the freedoms they deserved but led to numerous other discriminatory circumstances. **

II. Causes

Why was this law/policy/program put into place?

What circumstances contributed to its implementation?

What problem or potential problem was it aiming to control or solve?

III. Effects

What are the results of this law/policy/program?

Positive/Negative

Short-term/Long-term

Necessary (What will definitely happen?)/Possible (What might happen?)/Likely (What will probably happen?)

On an individual/On the community/On society overall

IV. Conclusion

Summarize your main points

Restate your thesis

Revisit the hook that from the Introduction