Civic Engagement Letter - Levin  

Open the WORD document below and be sure to SAVE a copy to your student folder/H Drive.

Then you will be able to type your responses (or you may print the form and complete it by hand).

A COMPLETED form is due at the END of class on Wed. Nov. 14.

Suggested Issues include:

• Immigration: Dream Act? Border Control? Amnesty?
  
• Economy: Job Creation? Taxes? Unemployment Benefits?
  
• Education:  College costs?  No Child Left Behind? Other?
  
• Energy and Environment:  Nuclear Energy? Biofuels? Clean Energy?
  
• Internet Regulation: Censorship? Privacy? Other?
  
• Military and Veterans: Benefits? Jobs? PTSD support?
• Judicial reform: Mandatory sentencing? Prisons? Wrongful convictions?
• Foreign Policy: War against Terrorism? Foreign Aid?
  
• Social Issues: Defense of marriage Act (DOMA)? Healthcare?
  
• Science: Stem Cell Research? Global Warming?
• etc.....  please see Ms. Levin if there is something else which really interests you
  

Be sure to FOCUS on a specific aspect for your letter.

Talk with your parents and others about their views.

For more information, consider checking here:

Research Topics on Current/Controversial Issues -
Rice Library (University of Southern Indiana) Collection

Start here
Use Advanced Search for best results

CQ Researcher current controversial issues

Opposing Viewpoints

SIRS Researcher 

For Newspaper Editorials and Commentaries: 

ProQuest includes articles from New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor and many others.

PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)
"PBS, ... a private non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations." Search especially News & Views (Social Issues)

NPR (National Public Radio) has news, commentary and podcasts on current events

ProCon.org - A non-profit organization that provides detailed information, statistics, and the pro/con arguments for current and populartopics.

Technorati - provides links to top blogs on US Politics, including Huffington Post, The Foundry (Conservative Policy), Daily Kos, etc.

New York Times Topics pages:   Topic pages aggregate useful news, archival information, photos, graphics, audio and video they publish; one example is on Politics; check if there is one on your specific issue.

Maplight.org: provides information on contributions from key interest groups and individual legislators be sure to specify Illinois. 

Added 12/11 based on SILC input: On the Issues - provides links to quotes and background positions - check dates for timeliness

• President Obama
• Senator Durbin
  
• Senator Kirk

New Trier:  OTHER Civic Engagement Projects - suggested links on local issues and service.

Created Nov. 2011 by L. Straube with input from A. Levin and her Student Instructional Leadership Corps student.  Updated November 2012.