Presentation: Drafting a Bill to Revise an Amendment

Purpose

This assignment is intended to help you learn to:

• Identify the lawmaking, representation, and oversight functions of Congress.
• Recognize the role of standing committees.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of amendments in the Bill of Rights in today's world.

Overview

In this assignment, you'll cre*ate a narrated presentation that proposes a new bill to revise an Amendment. Complete these tasks:

Prepare

• In Patterson (2024), review pp. 310-314 and pp. 522-523.
• Read Creat*e & Submit or Post a Narrated PowerPoint Presentation Download Create & Submit or Post a Narrated PowerPoint Presentation. This provides step-by-step directions with screenshots.
• View the links in the PowerPoint section in POSC 204 Resources.
• Download and install (or update to) the latest version of PowerPoint. Viewers must be able to see and hear you talking in your presentation. The latest (New Experience) PowerPoint makes this much easier.

Draft a Bill

• Choose an Amendment from the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution) that you wish alter or improve by making it more relevant in America today. You do not need to choose the same Amendment you were assigned in Week 1, but you may.
• In a Word document of at least 250 words, draft a bill to alter improve the Amendment you chose. Specifically describe the Amendment, what you wish to change, and why. Follow the Drafting a Bill Presentation Outline Download Drafting a Bill Presentation Outline.

Your proposed changes must be well-justified and reflect thoughtful consideration of the Amendment's original intent. You are expected to conduct research using authoritativeLinks to an external site. sources.

Create and Post the Presentation

• Choose a Standing Committee that is most relevant to the changes you are proposing; see Patterson (2024), p. 305, for a list of committees. Research the committee to ensure you understand its role(s). You will address your presentation to the committee's members, played by your classmates.
• Create a narrated PowerPoint presentation of approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Follow the Drafting a Bill Presentation Outline Download Drafting a Bill Presentation Outline. Include the entire text of your proposed bill within your presentation. You may spread it out over several slides.
• You can use a tool like DebatrixLinks to an external site. to help you calculate words to time.
• You might find the enhanced teleprompter in PowerPointLinks to an external site. to be a helpful resource.
• Post your presentation to the discussion as shown in Cre*ate & Submit or Post a Narrated PowerPoint Presentation Download Create & Submit or Post a Narrated PowerPoint Presentation. Attach your Word document before you click Reply.

If you wish to use a tool other than PowerPoint to create your presentation video, you must get permission from your instructor.

Respond

Read the discussion posts. Acting as a member of the standing committee, respond thoughtfully to at least one. Do one or more of the following:

• Ask a clarifying question.
• Provide an additional insight or a respectful refutation.
• Explain how the proposed changes could benefit or worsen life in America.
• Address the potential difficulties in advancing the proposed bill out of the selected committee.