American National Government 2

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PSC101: American National
Government
Unit 2 Assignment: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights in Present Times
Due Date: Sunday 11:59 pm of Unit 2
Total Points: 50
Overview:
The terms civil liberties and civil rights sometimes cause confusion on what the
distinction is between them. It is important to recognize that they are different as defined
as:
Civil Liberties: Protections of citizens from improper governmental action. It is what
government must not do. Refers to the protections in the Bill of Rights, such as
freedom of speech and the right to a grand jury.
Civil Rights: Are the legal and moral claims that citizens are entitled to make on the
government. It is how government must treat you. Refers to issues relating to equal
protection and equal access to government.
Instructions
For this response, you will find a current news story that highlights a perceived violation
of a civil liberty and/or a civil right.
• In your own words, explain whether you believe there has been a breach of civil
liberties/rights.
• Are there any connections you can make to the Constitution, laws, and/or current
court cases that support your belief?
Requirements:
• The paper should be 200 words minimum.
• Provide the link to the news article you chose.
• Follow standard APA guidelines (proper margins, double-spaced, 12-point Times
New Roman, and writing is clear and professional).
Copyright 2022 Post University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Be sure to read the criteria below, by which your paper/project will be
evaluated, before you write, and again after you write.
Evaluation Rubric for Unit 2 Assignment
CRITERIA Proficient Needs
Improvement

Deficient
(8-10 Points) (6-7 Points) (0-5 Points)
Connections Connections
thoroughly
addressed
Connections
mostly
addressed
Little to no
connections
made
(8-10 points) (6-7points) (0-5 points)
Link to News
Article
Link to article
submitted
n/a No link to
article
submitted
(12-15 points) (9-11 points) (0-8 points)
Reflection
Quality
Current news
story
addressed
thoroughly
with reflection
on breach of
civil
liberties/rights
Current news
story was
mostly
addressed
with reflection
on breach of
civil
liberties/right
s
Current news
story missing
or lacked
thoughtful
reflection on
breach of
civil
liberties/right
s
(8-10 points) (6-7 points) (0-5 points)
Paper
Length
200 words
minimum
n/a Less than
200 words
(5 points) (4 points) (0-3 points)
Clear and
Profession
al Writing
and APA
Format
Writing and
format are
clear,
professional,
APA
compliant,
and error-free
Few errors
that do not
impede
professional
presentation
Significant
errors that
impede
professional
presentation