As a deputy to President Donald Trump or to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , you must prepare a 3-page position paper (with a 4th page for your sources/endnotes) on a pressing U.S. domestic or foreign policy issue. You should write the memo in clear, persuasive, and succinct prose, have a title that indicates your view, adopt a school of thought, acknowledge at least two other approaches, and recommend a course of action. You must write your memo double spaced, with one inch margins, in #12 font, so make your words count! Your memo should have four separate but related sections spelled out and organized exactly like this: I. Background and Context of the problem (How did we get here?); II. Stakes for American domestic and/or foreign policy (Why should we care, economically, politically, and militarily?); III. Options for resolving the problem or issue (What should we do? You must provide at least three different options or schools of thought, giving the pluses and minuses of each); and IV. Your specific Recommendation, based on your analysis delivered in sections I-III (What do you think we should do, and why?). What you argue will remain less important that how you argue it. Pick something you care about; your passions always argue more convincingly than platitudes. Do not write a book report! A policy memo tries to persuade the reader to choose between diverse options. Tell us what you think and argue why we should follow your advice. (You can find a sample memo on blackboard)
Policy memos require active writing using active verbs. If you have never learned this technique, you will learn to use it in this course. For some tips on active writing, also refer to the syllabus section on blackboard: “Nine Easy Steps to Longer Sentences,” Active vs. Passive Voice video, and USCIS Plain Language: Active Voice video.
