This guide has been created to help you get started researching your position paper for POLI 304.
It presents resources and strategies that will help you learn about your Representative and home district.
Please review this guide before our in-person library session on September 9, when we will spend some time searching for statements and news coverage of Rep. Aguilar.
Like any research assignment, your research for this class starts with a question: what do I need to know about my Representative and home district to be able to portray them accurately in the member profile and the in-class simulation?
Your assignment mentions specific kinds of information you need, including:
Your task as a student researcher is to find sources, make sense of the information they contain, and develop an understanding of your member and district that will let you write the profile paper and role-play your Representative.
This guide is designed to introduce you to several categories of sources you'll find useful, including:
Rep. Pete Aguilar of the California 31st Congressional District - University of Redlands' home district - is our example Representative for the sample searches throughout this guide.
Practice finding information on Rep. Aguilar so that you can apply similar strategies to learn about your member once you've received the assignment.