Discuss the below in a 500 words each:
Political Theory
You may choose only one of the two topics to write about. You must write a 500 word essay on the topic of your choice. You must conduct research outside of the textbook on the topic;
TOPICS
1. Political Theory Videos page and watch the videos about some of the more notable political theorists in history. Select one of the political philosophers discussed that you particularly liked and tell me what is it about that philosopher that you liked. How does their philosophical outlook apply to our world today.
2. A recent poll suggested that many young people were in favor of socialism in the United States and that it was a good idea. Socialist candidate Bernie Sanders performed very well during the 2016 Democratic primaries before eventually being beat out by Hillary Clinton. What is Socialism? What is its current appeal? And, would it be a good thing to bring more socialism to the United States.
Political Ideology
Create a 500 word essay on political ideology. This one will be a little interesting and, hopefully, fun for you. After you have read the chapter in the book, I want you to think about which political ideology you might be. Then you need to go to the Pew Research Center's political ideology quiz (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and take it to determine what your political ideology is. Then I want you to write an essay response to it. Why do you think you are this particular ideology? Were you surprised at the result? Which ideology do you agree with or think is right?
Constitution
You get to choose one of these two topics on the Constitution.
TOPICS
1. Do some research on constitutional amendments that were proposed but never ratified. Are any of these relevant today and should we, perhaps, revisit and ratify them? Write a 500 word essay about the proposed amendment, why it failed and why it might be relevant today.
2. In the powerpoint on the 2 Founding Documents.pptPreview the document there is a mention of Charles Beard's critique of the US Constitution. Beard raises some interesting points, such as who was involved with the writing of the constitution and that it was an economic document as much as political. Conduct some more research into Beard's critique and write an essay explaining them and write a 500 word essay on whether you agree with his critiques or not.
Federalism
What the federal government does in relation to the states is a question as old as the Republic. Essentially, Federalism is shared sovereignty between the national and the state/local governments where the national government is supreme. For this week's writing assignment, write a 500 word essay on one of the two topics below.
TOPICS
1. After the Constitutional Convention, the document needed to be ratified and there arose the Federalists who favored ratification and the Anti-Federalists who opposed it. The book goes into some detail on the arguments for and against ratification made by these groups. Of course, the Federalists won out and the Constitution was ratified. I want you to examine the arguments made by the Anti-Federalists and write an essay on whether or not their predictions came true.
2. The nature of the relationship in the American federalism system is constantly changing. Starting in the 1970's there was an attempt to bring more power back to the states; this was called New Federalism. But, what is 'State's Rights'? Does the Federal government involve itself in issues that should be decided at the local level? Or, is it a good thing that issues are the same across the nation. Look at issues such as gay marriage, marijuana legalization, abortion and others; should these be decided at the national or local level? What are the implications for either approach?
Civil Rights
For this first of two topics on civil rights, you can choose one of the following essay topics.
TOPICS
1. Increased civil rights for our citizens is one of the reasons that the Federal government has grown. Many people think that our government should be a direct provider of services to people. More government activity typically means a larger government. Others feel that a larger, more activist government actually takes away individual liberty. Create a 500 word essay on whether or not this is actually true. Are these two things (an activist government and individual liberty) mutually exclusive.
2. One day I was Christmas shopping in a Target and woman had a t-shirt one with the F word on it. And it was not little - it was a big F word. I also see these stickers on cars, but mostly trucks, with a stick figure doing something to IT (maybe you have seen one). I am, personally, offended by this speech or expression. Is this protected speech, according to our civil rights laws and court cases? Should offensive speech be censored or controlled? How has our country done with previous attempts at censorship? Did it work; what was the result or did it backfire?