Essay assignment
You will answer essay questions (of your choosing). You will answer question A and then choose four additional questions to answer for a total of five essay questions answered. In paragraph format, answer the questions directly, clearly, and completely. You will answer all of the questions on a single document, with each answer not exceeding one single-spaced page worth of typed text. Do not use bullet points. Put the number of the question you are answering at the start of each essay. Answers that do not address the question directly will not favorably contribute towards your examination grade. All questions are worth 5 points for a total of 25 percent of your grade.
Answer this question:
A. The entire textbook on California discusses the similarities and differences between the US national government and the government of the State of California. Which of the major topics (chapters) has the most similarity between the US national (federal) government and California state governments? Which of the major topics (chapters) has the least amount of similarity between the US national (federal) government and California state government? Justify why you chose your answers using information from the textbooks. Please use appropriate citations, including page numbers.
California Government in National Perspective
ISBN 9781465269393
ISBN 9781465267122
Or
https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/california-government-national-perspective
Choose four of the following:
1. During the Constitutional Convention, states had some significant disagreements about the structure of government and political representation from the states. They came to agreement by way of compromise. Which one of the compromises made during the Constitutional Convention would be least possible today? Why?
2. One of the outcomes the constitutional convention was the distribution of power between federal and state governments that resulted in the federal system we have today. What are some of the major powers given to the federal government and what are the powers retained by the state? How do the Constitutional Amendments in the Bill of Rights clarify the rights of individuals and states?
3. If people in the United States want to influence government and its policies, they can use interest groups and political parties to achieve their goals. What is the difference between political parties and interest groups? How do they achieve their goals? How do they recruit and retain members? Identify one issue that you care about and argue why an interest group or a political party would be better suited to achieving a change in that policy area. Justify your answer.
4. A lot of people inside and outside of the United States watched the presidential campaign with a lot of anxiety over who would be the next president of the USA. What are the roles and responsibilities of the President and what are the checks on his power? Given that the judicial branch and the legislative branch also have power, how much should we worry about who is president? Justify your answer.
5. The two main political ideologies in the United States are liberalism and conservatism. Choose someone in your family or circle of friends and make an informed judgment whether they are liberal or conservative. Write an essay that justifies why you think they are liberal or conservative. What things do they believe about the role of government in domestic or foreign issues that lines up with that specific ideology?
6. The process by which a bill becomes a law appears confusing to many people. A lot of people have to agree on the bill (including the exact wording) at a lot of different stages in the process. Write an essay describing how a bill becomes a law to someone who doesn't understand it.
7. Not every court case ends up at the US Supreme Court. Why not? What are the criteria used by the justices to decide that a case is interesting enough to hear? If the justices decide to hear a case, what happens between that decision to hear the case and the final judgment of the court? Be sure to use the correct vocabulary.