Introduction

You have been hired as a staffer for a United States congressman.  You were hired because of your exemplary research skills, and you will be expected to conduct research and create a presentation to report directly to the congressman.  The essential question that you will be answering is:  How can Congress exert influence over a bureaucratic agency?  In order to complete this task, you will follow a webquest that will guide you through process.  Your boss has an important meeting in just a few days, so you must work thoroughly but quickly.  Good luck!!

You will create an Oral Presentation with the use of visuals that includes: 

Background information about the agency or department:

• Mission Statement
• Leader
• Number of Employees
• Size of Budget

Analysis of the agency or department

• Current events and controversial issues
• Industries and interest groups affected
• Other departments and agencies in the same area
• How bureaucracy implements laws

Presentation requirements:

• Report will be 5-7 minutes (The congressman is very busy!)
• You may use powerpoint or hand-made visuals
• At least one pie graph and one bar or line graph
• At least one table
• T-Chart of the pros/cons of the work of the agency
• Background should be succinct, Analysis shold be detailed.

The Process

Look on the overhead to see your team assignment.

Part I - Choose your Representative and Agency

1. First you must choose a congressperson to work for:

US House of Representatives

2. Next, look on the congressperson's website to find his or her committee assignments.

3. Look at Committee Profiles to link the committee with the agency or department.

Part II - Background information

Link to Agencies

Link to Departments

On these pages you should find:

1.            Mission Statement

2.            Leader – Bio and Resume

3.            Department Bureaus (subsections of Departments)

Next you need to find Budget Information

Federal Outlays by Agency

Excel File for Agencies

Percentage Outlays by Agency

Next you need to find Number of Employees

Office of Personel Management

You can also look at Demographics

Part III - Analysis

Go to: OpenSecrets.org

Now it's time to do your own research. You want to start by finding any interesting news about the agency you are studying.

Go to : Google News Search

Try to start with a very wide search. Use the name of your department or agency as the only key word. If you get more than a few dozen hits, refine your search by adding key words. For instance, you could add the name of the Leader of the department.

For more tips on how to search, go to:

Search Tips

Search Strategy

google advanced search options

As you read more about your agency, remember that your report should analyze the following:

• Industries and interest groups affected by the bureaucracy
• Other Divisions of the federal bureaucracy that do relevant work
• How the Agency or Department implements the laws

Due dates:

• Research: Wednesday, April 6
• Presentations: Thursday, April 7

 
Evaluation

You will be evaluated using the Rubric that we have used all semester. The Oral Presentation grade will be individual, but the Content and Visuals will be a group grade.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the federal bureaucracy project. As you watch the other presentations, remember to keep in mind the essential questions: How can Congress control the federal bureaucracy?

For more information on Controlling the Bureaucracy, look at Dennis Riley's book Controlling Bureaucracy