Political science

Find an example of online participatory democracy. The topic is open to any kind of grassroots political activism – so feel free to be creative and investigate something that interests you. Some examples you might consider looking into include: • A particular petition campaign on the We the People online petition site • A political Facebook campaign • A political hashtag campaign • Online manifestations of the civil rights movement / LGBT movement / etc (like Black Lives Matter or Love Wins) • The use of social media in the Egyptian Revolution (or other countries involved in the Arab Spring) • Online organizing for the Occupy Wall Street or Tea Party Movements • Online activists in China Please note that these are just suggestions. I encourage you to look beyond these or draw upon other cases you might be familiar with. feel free to choose what you prefer. please do not forget to cite. Media Politics Critical Analysis Paper 3: Participatory Democracy & New Media This is the final of three short critical analysis papers that are meant to allow you to explore a subject in more detail and write critically about it. For this paper, you will be considering the potential impact of the new online media to affect political change. Investigate: Find an example of online participatory democracy. The topic is open to any kind of grassroots political activism – so feel free to be creative and investigate something that interests you. Some examples you might consider looking into include: • A particular petition campaign on the We the People online petition site • A political Facebook campaign • A political hashtag campaign • Online manifestations of the civil rights movement / LGBT movement / etc (like Black Lives Matter or Love Wins) • The use of social media in the Egyptian Revolution (or other countries involved in the Arab Spring) • Online organizing for the Occupy Wall Street or Tea Party Movements • Online activists in China Please note that these are just suggestions. I encourage you to look beyond these or draw upon other cases you might be familiar with. Analyze: In your research, try to find the following: • What are the origins of this particular movement or phenomenon? • What are the goals? • What kind of following / membership / user-base does it have? • What kind of funding or financial support do they have? (if any) • Is there some kind of formal organization – or is it diffused among many people? • How successful have they been? Write: For the paper, present a brief backgrounder on the campaign you have chosen. The paper should provide sufficient background information and critically assess its success up to this point. The paper should be no more than 5 pages double-spaced and should include the following: • History & Goals – when did the campaign begin and what are its stated goals? How has it changed (if at all)? • Successes & Limitations – to what degree do you think this campaign has been successful in meeting its goals? What factors limit its effectiveness? Be sure to support your arguments with research & examples! • Conclusion / Reflections – What does this particular case tell us about the potential for online political participation and activism? What role do you as a citizen play? To what extent might you get involved with a campaign like this, or not? • Works Cited – Include a list of all references consulted on a separate page (this does not count as one of your five pages). PLEASE NOTE: You are expected to use a variety of sources to support your arguments. You will be expected to go beyond information that simply comes from organization itself. Try to seek out unbiased or even critical assessments of the movement in order to draw your conclusions. The paper should read like a brief professional report – with each section concisely providing as much relevant information as possible in about 1-1.5 pages. Use subheadings to stay organized. Assessment: Your grade on the essay will be based on the following: • Understanding of the topic • Organization and clarity • Accuracy of your research and proper citation of sources Citing References Information obtained from an external source must ALWAYS be cited. This includes not only direct quotes, but also any paraphrased references to data, other authors’ opinions and information. You should include both the in-line citation and list of references used at the back of your paper. IN-LINE CITATION  When quoting OR paraphrasing an outside source in the body of your paper, you must, at minimum indicate the author and date. At the end of the sentence, include this information within parentheses. For example: Faulty monetary and tax policies so depleted the value of the ruble that barter became a common alternative (Stiglitz 1982). • If you use the author’s name in the sentence, include the date immediately following the author’s name. i.e. “According to Huntington (1967)…” • Include page numbers as well for direct quotes i.e. (Stiglitz 1982, 34). • If the reference being used does not have an author, use the first word of the title (not including words like “A” or “The”), followed by the date. • For electronic references, no page number is necessary. WORKS CITED PAGE The last page of your paper should include a full alphabetical listing of all the references you have cited throughout the paper. While there are a number of different formats which are acceptable (MLA, APA, Turabian, etc), each entry must include the author, title, publication information and date. The first line of each entry is not indented, while every line after that is indented 0.5 inches. For example: To cite Books: Schumpeter, Joseph A. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. New York: Harper & Row, 1962. Magazine & Newspaper Articles: Friedman, Thomas L. “World War III.” The New York Times. 13 September 2001, D3. Journal Articles: Huntington, Samuel P. “Will More Countries Become Democratic?” Political Science Quarterly. 99.2 (1984): 193-218. (*99.2 indicates volume 99, issue 2). Websites: Middle East Partnership Initiative. U.S. State Department. 14 February 2006. <http://mepi.state.gov/mepi/> (*include the title of the document, the website’s name, the date you accessed the website, and the actual address)