Political Scandals—Who, What, When, Where, and Why!

Purpose: The primary goal of this weekly summative assignment is to probe and scrutinize a major political scandal.

Prepare: Review Chapters 11 and 12 in the course text and the following website:
25 Biggest Political Scandals In History.

Reflect: As we have learned over the last few weeks, politics is often about power and the efforts to gain and maintain power. In their efforts to gain and maintain power, some politicians violate widely held ethical and moral limits and even established laws. These violations are often revealed to the public by the news media. Sometimes, political scandals abruptly end promising political careers and sometimes, political scandals are used to gain electoral and political advantages over opponents. The more we know about how scandals affect politics, political actors, and the media, the more we know about how public and private actions impact and are impacted by rights, justice, and what is considered acceptable or unacceptable political behavior.

Write: In your essay of at least 600 words, research one major scandal involving politicians (Watergate, Bill Clinton, Iran-Contra Affair, Silvio Berlusconi, etc.). The scandal does not have to be a U.S. political scandal. First, describe how the media portrayed the politicians involved. Next, discuss the outcome of the scandal. Did the individuals gain greater political power and exposure? Did they resign from office or were their political careers cut short due to the scandal? Lastly, explain what effect, if any, the scandal had on the political environment and the media and why.

The Week Four Assignment:

• Must be at least 600 words (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in Introduction to APA.
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least three appropriate sources:
  • These should include this website: 25 Biggest Political Scandals In History, the course text, and any of the required or recommended resources for this week.
  • You can also include additional resources found on the Ashford University Library website. The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in Citing Within Your Paper.
• Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
• Must include a conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates the thesis.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in Formatting Your References List.