Please read the following instructions carefully. a. The minimum length of your essay is 1,000 words (approximately 3 pages without your name and essay title; no maximum length limit; MS Word document only; typed, double-spaced, font-size 12, no extra spacing between paragraphs; maximum 1.25 inch margins). No PDF document, please. b. The paper should proceed in this order: (1) essay title, (2) student name, (3) total number of words, and (4) essay text. As for (3), please use the word count function of MS Word to count the total number of words in your text that excludes (1) and (2). c. Use at least four outside sources to support your argument. You may use academic journals, scholarly books, and newspaper sources,. Our textbook (We the People, 9th edition) should not be counted as one of these sources. d. Cite all the sources you have used. You may use any major standard citation format (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago). e. Do not cite any encyclopedia sources (e.g., Wikipedia, Britannica Online Encyclopedia). f. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Do not copy material, even short passages from the Internet or any other source. g. In your paper, do not write the question of your choice. Make your own essay title based on the content of the question and provide the title in the paper. How to upload your essay on Moodle: a. Click Essay Assignment in the week of March 31 to April 6. You will be asked to browse and upload a file. Choose your essay file and upload it. Note this is a Turnitin site (to check the originality of your paper). b. You cannot submit your essay after the deadline (8:00 pm on April 4). I will not accept any late submission even if the delay is caused by an unforeseeable event or problem (e.g., problem with the Internet, family emergency, health emergency). To avoid encountering such a problem and failing to turn in your assignment, do not wait until the deadline. Submit as early as possible. You can submit your essay anytime beginning 6:00 am on March 20. I will not accept any submission by email. Grading: a. Your grade of this activity is based on the quality of your paper. Also, if you do 2 not meet the 1,000-word limit, you will not get the full percent. Questions. Please choose one of the following. 1. Discuss same-sex marriage in California with a focus on the states Proposition 8 (2008). In your essay, analyze how the issue has developed in the state since 2000, when the Californian voters passed the Proposition 22 (2000), the states first ballot measure to restrict marriages to heterosexual couples. Also, include in your essay an analysis of Hollingsworth v. Perry. 2. Discuss same-sex marriage with a focus on United States v. Windsor. Analyze the controversy over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Also, discuss the possible implications of United States v. Windsor for the states that currently approve same-sex marriage. 3. Discuss the barriers to the U.S. Congress passing any comprehensive immigration reform and what this tells us about the nature of Congress. Explain in detail why recent immigration legislation has stalled in the House of Representatives. 4. What is so important about the 14th Amendment? How did it fundamentally change the Constitution? 5. Watch a PBS video entitled Obamas Deal and discuss the roles health care interest groups (special interests) played in the making of the Affordable Care Act. Explain how interest groups influenced the health care reform bill. Analyze the costs and benefits of the lobbyist-influenced provisions in the bill in light of President Obamas goals for health care reform. The video is available on a PBS Frontline site: . Its transcript is available at: Audiocast: < https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-audiocastpbs/ id336934080>