Overview

Periodically this year, we will dedicate some of our class time to analyzing the 2008 presidential election. By following the campaigns of individual candidates, we will sharpen our analytical skills and expand our understanding of contemporary American politics. We will share our analysis and insights with the class and the larger McGehee community through a class blog: The Hawk’s Eye on ’08.
To facilitate this process, you will be assigned the task of keeping an eye on one of the candidates with a team of your peers. Together, you and your team will follow the movements of your candidate as he or she campaigns across the nation. You will document his or her fundraising, noting in particular the sources of his or her campaign contributions. You will track the way the media reports on your candidate and how he or she is doing in the polls. Lastly, you will check in with the candidate him/herself mainly through his/her website.

Each member of your team is expected to keep an eye on your candidate at regular intervals (1 X rotation at the minimum). You are encouraged to divide up the responsibilities. For example, one member of the team might track the polling information while another keeps an eye on the candidate’s schedule. You will use the class wiki to keep track of your observations. Each member of the team should post ONE substantive observation about the candidate/rotation. Click on the name of your candidate to access his/her wiki page.
Periodically, you will have time in class to synthesize the information you have collected on the wiki. Together you and your team will write several substantive paragraphs offering your informed assessment of your candidate’s performance on the campaign trail. You will post these entries on the Hawk’s Eye View and include pertinent links to additional information as well as well chosen images, clips, and/or video. Blog entries should be considered final drafts and reflect your careful attention to the writing process. You entries will be accessible to the entire McGehee community. Keep that in mind as you are writing!

• Click here for election resources online
• Click here for the Hawk’s Eye Wiki
• Click here for the Hawk’s Eye Blog

This space is for your group to keep track of the information you are gathering on your candidate. There are a couple of guidelines I would like you to follow. Your overall assessment on this project will be determined—in part—by how well you meet these guidelines.

• Post the most recent information at the top of the page. You can use the Horizontal Rule button to separate your entries.
• ALWAYS include your name (first only) or your initials so your team and I know who has added what to the site.
• ALWAYS include a link to the SOURCE of your information. For example if you post that Bill Richardson has raised $50,000 in a given week, provide a link to that information.
• While this is an informal workspace for you and your team, you need to be appropriate both in your tone and your word choice.
• Don’t forget to SAVE your work before you close the web site. It doesn’t prompt you to do that automatically. I’ve lost a lot of work that way!