Topics and Questions We Can Help You To Answer:

Diagnostic Paper Assignment Guidance

What should the President Focus on in the Coming Year?

• The diagnostic paper can focus on one issue or several issues related to issues the President should focus on in 2020.  The issues (s) can be domestic or international. Generally, for a short paper (3- double –spaced pages), you probably want to keep the focus on 2-4 issues such that the content is more substantive, and not merely a list with no analysis. Some of you may want to focus on a region of the world--or a set of issues. You want to describe the issues, and inform the President why he should increase the focus. The paper should be written as one cohesive product.

Thus, you may want an introduction paragraph and a conclusion. I urge you, though, not to become distracted by format, but rather to focus on the writing. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure will constitute the final score, and as such will be especially important.

• Sources are widely available from the course material you have (See Canvas) and from the library, if you prefer.  The paper is your informed opinion--not feelings or beliefs. Sources are encouraged. For a short paper only 2-4 sources are needed.

The documents already posted on Canvas, however, are sufficient to complete this assignment.  However, you are always encouraged to explore other credible sources! Posted documents include:
•    The National Security Strategy Summary
•    The National Intelligence Strategy
•    The National Defense Strategy Summary
•    Various articles on issues such as climate change, terrorism, and such.

•This is not a partisan political paper.  This is not a paper about how you feel about the 2016 presidential election. A professional provides sound information and advice as needed. (I worked for 5 different presidents. They all had good and bad ideas.) It is not about you at all; this assignment is about demonstrating your ability to write as a professional on the serious issues challenging the US

• Be as broad or as specific as 3 pages allow. That is part of the challenge of the assignment! However, I encourage you to attempt insightful thought on the topic (s); in that you want to explain why you chose a particular issue.

• One approach is to show how the threats impact national security and/or the economy. And there are various other ways to present the information. That too is part of the challenge. I’m standing by to handle any additional questions.

•    You might also consider that you are providing the US President an information paper on the threat(s). Be serious and formal, as you keep your Reader in mind. (For the mid-term assignment, you will choose a specific leader to address in your paper. You should note that in effective communication, you will always keep your Reader and Audience in mind.)
•    Effective communication, as practiced in this class, is not about information for the sake of information, which is much-needed in the academic world. Rather, effective communication is writing to allow timely decisions to be made by a leader of a government agency or even in private industry!
•    It will help to read—not scan—the weekly Writing lecture slides. Included you will find more tips on the appropriate writing style, which should be professional and based on accurate information.