Last Paper

 Answer one of the following:

• The authors of Congress and Its Members finished writing the 19th edition in mid-2023. Pick any chapter in the book and write a three-page update. What events of the past year -- other than the election of a new speaker -- should materially change their analysis when they write the 20th edition?
• Pick either Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries.  What practical, politically feasible steps can he take to prevent a government shutdown this fall?  And why would he want to?
• Read the famous Evans-Novak essay on LBJ's leadership of the Senate in the 1950s. (On Sakai).  To what extent could  "the Johnson system" succeed in today's Senate?  

You may also write on a relevant topic of your choice, subject to my approval.

• Essays should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than three pages long. I will not read past the third page. 
• Submit papers as Word documents, not pdfs or Google docs.
• Cite your sources with endnotes in standard Turabian format. Endnote pages do not count against the page limit.
• Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism and will result in severe consequences.
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you  -- especially errors that I have noted on previous papers.
• Graduating seniors should return papers to the Sakai dropbox for this class by 11:59 PM, Wednesday, May 1.  All others should return papers by 11:59 PM, Friday, May 3.