Research Paper:
Compare and Contrast Major Legislation Assignment Instructions

Overview

The purpose of this paper is to analyze, compare, and
contrast various pieces of major legislation that relate to the global war on
terror (i.e. the U.S.A. Patriot Act (USAPA), the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA), etc.).  Students will also
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each piece of legislation
discussed.  Finally, students will select
a major piece of legislation and take a stance either in support or opposition
of that legislation.  Students will provide
a cogent and academic argument to support their stance based upon sound, scholarly
research.

Instructions

All papers must be completed through the lens of a
Biblical Worldview where students will incorporate appropriate biblical
passages and/or resources. The paper must be completed in APA formatting and
consist of 20-25 pages (excluding all title, abstract and reference pages). In
addition to the course text, all papers must utilize at least 15 outside
scholarly sources to support evaluation an analysis.

At a minimum, the following sections are required:

• Introduction
• Provide a brief
  introduction about the key elements in the paper.
• Background
  and Problem Statement
• Preliminary
  research must be conducted using practitioners, government sources,
  articles, etc., to identify and discuss the major pieces of legislation
  such as those listed above (The USA Patriot Act, The NDAA, etc.).
• The thesis
  statement will discuss and describe the concepts cited and the
  significance of each as they relate to one another. The thesis statement
  must be clear and concise (approximately 250 words).
• Literature
  Review
• The
  literature review is a critical component of a proposal. This section
  highlights what has been achieved related to your topic. Answer the
  following questions:
• What is the
  USA Patriot Act?
• What is the
  NDAA?
• What other
  pieces of legislation play a key role in prosecuting the global war on
  terror?
• What role
  does the FISA court and process play?
• What role
  has the NSA played within this process?
• What
  technologies have been employed to further this legislation?
• What role
  does indefinite detention play?
• What is
  unlawful enemy combatant?
• What
  aspects of the legislation is viewed as Constitutional?
• What
  aspects of the legislation are brought into question with regards to the
  U.S. Constitution?
• How has the
  legislation impacted American civil liberties?
• What are
  the supporting arguments for the legislation?
• What are
  the opposing arguments against the legislation?
• How should
  the legislation be changed or amended?
• What are
  the central themes and arguments in current literature?
• What is
  missing from current literature?
• Scholarly
  articles are required. Although some information from government sources
  may be used sparingly, approximately 80% of the review should incorporate
  recent scholarly articles (published within the last 10 years). 
• Do not state
  your opinion in this section. All information provided must be properly
  cited and must be from quality academic sources. To achieve this, use
  direct quotations, paraphrases, and synthesized information from multiple
  sources. For example, this statement synthesizes the opinions of 4
  scholars: “Researchers have argued that disaster planning is critical to
  minimizing the negative effects for emergency responders (Brown, 2010;
  Caldwell, 2009; Moore, 2011; Stanley, 2008).”
• Conclusion
• Summarize
  your findings. What are the key points in the literature with regards to
  the selected piece of legislation and how it impacts both the U.S.
  efforts in the global war on terror?
• Since
  passage, how has the legislation impacted the average American citizen’s
  civil liberties?
• What steps
  should be taken to further improve the legislation?
• What steps
  might be taken to reduce any potential encroachment on American civil
  liberties?
• What type of
  response is needed moving forward? 
  What or who should be engaged (e.g., the political community,
  military, federal law enforcement, local law enforcement citizens, etc.)?