LBR - National Interest Groups Project

It is very important for citizens to participate in government. Interest groups offer citizens a method through which they can voice their needs, ideas, and views to elected officials.

Exploring and Highlighting Special Interest Groups

For this project, you need to research national interest groups. You will create a visual presentation using presentation software to highlight your interest group selections from different issue areas. 

Select three National Special Interest Groups. The three choices must be from different issue areas.  You can make your selection from the interest groups included in the module or locate interests groups from www.votesmart.org Links to an external site.. Utilize the information in the module and outside research to pull together your information.

If you need a list of some interest groups to get started, check out these options:

• AARP – American Association of Retired People
• ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
• AFL-CIO – American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial Organizations
• League of Women Voters
• NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
• NOW – National Organization of Women
• NRA – National Rifle Association
• Peace Action
• Sierra Club

For each Interest Group include the following information and analysis.

1. Discuss the issues of concern for the interest group. (3 analytical sentences) 
2. Describe an example of recent legislation the interest group supported or opposed. (2 descriptive sentences)  
3. Describe the actions the interest group takes to try to influence policy making. Give specific examples: (use of the media, lawsuits (litigation), direct lobbying, public information contributions, etc.) (2 descriptive sentences)  
4. Identify the parts of the government the interest group targets. (Executive branch departments and congressional committees) (1 identifying sentence)  
5. Identify the interest groups political ideology. (1 identifying sentence)  
6. Identify if the interest group favors one political party and if there is a history of supporting certain political candidates. If you believe the interest group is neutral, say so. Many interest groups are neutral.  (1 identifying sentence) 
7. Discuss the effectiveness of the interest group’s agenda by using specific examples that demonstrate their effectiveness or lack thereof. (3 analytical sentences)  
8. Include an image representing your interest group with a caption.  

Works Cited Page should be included with your submission.

Use a MLA citation guide to cite your sources. You can use information from the content pages and reputable internet resources for your research. You will need to cite all information appropriately. Include the citations in your finished file.

For Works Cited, find examples and information from the MLA lesson in your course or by searching Purdue Owl - Online Writing Lab - MLA General Format.

Scoring Guideline

Each Interest Group represents 30 pts. in this project.

1. Discuss (3 analytical sentences) (6 pts.)
2. Describe (2 descriptive sentences) (4 pts.)
3. Describe (2 descriptive sentences) (4 pts.)
4. Identify (1 identifying sentence) (2 pts.)
5. Identify (1 identifying sentence) (2 pts.)
6. Identify (1 identifying sentence) (2 pts.)
7. Discuss (3 analytical sentences) (6 pts.)
8. Image and caption.  (4 pts.)

 Works Cited page (10 pts.)

See the Scoring Rubric below for grading insight.