Discussion 1- Political Culture
Note that DISCUSSIONS are opinion-based, but you still need to be sure you have covered both text and lecture before responding, and include support from text and lecture in your responses where appropriate.
-DISCUSSION QUESTION (POLITICAL CULTURE)
"My right to swing my arm ends where my neighbor's nose begins"
---Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
"I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality"
- John Randolph
The course introduction lecture discussed the notions of freedom vs. order and freedom vs equality. If we assume that each of these values are vitally important to most Americans, can an argument be made that one of these values is more important than the other? If so, make the argument; if not, explain why. Secondly, when such differences do arise, how should we as a society decide which takes precedence in any given situation?
Discussion 2- Application Exercise - Political Culture
In your own words, respond to the following, reflecting mastery of both text and lecture.
Consider any of the political debates we have today (literally, any one of them) and briefly outline that debate. Discuss how the political subcultures featured in this weeks lecture help us understand (1) why we see variation across the United States, (2) how the different political subcultures view this debate, and (3) how state-level policy may either "fuel" this debate or "ease" this debate.
Discussions 3- US Constitution
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
No one alive today voted for the Constitution. For that matter, few people in the United States can claim an ancestor who personally endorsed the U.S. Constitution. Why should Americans consider themselves bound by a document that is more than 200 years old and that few people-proportionally or absolutely-voted to ratify? OR, should a new constitutional convention be called in order to draft a new version of the document? Consider especially "Madison's Dilemma" (and of course, his solutions) as discussed in lecture.
Discussion 4- Application Exercise
In your own words, respond to the following (showing mastery of both text and lecture).
How does the US Constitution protect the people from themselves? More particularly, what safeguards are in place to protect the people from bad decisions in the short term that could lead to long-term negative consequences? Another way to think about this question would be - how does the US Constitution protect the longevity of the institutions of the US government from the emotions of the people who may occupy the individual institutions themselves?
Discussion 5- Discussions - Federalism
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
As discussed in text and lecture, there are significant differences in policies between states. For example, the average felony conviction leads to 13 months in jail in South Dakota, compared with almost 5 years in Massachusetts; Connecticut spends twice as much on public education as Mississippi. So, here's the question: should the federal government have more power to require greater uniformity in policy among the states? Which types of policies should have uniformity across states, and which should be left to the states? Provide examples and support your argument.
Discussion 6- Application Exercise
In your own words, respond to the following (showing mastery of both text and lecture):
Has Federalism (as described in lecture and text) lived up to the ideal that James Madison envisioned ("a stronger union than the Articles of Confederation, but allowing the states to maintain social traditions)? If so, how? If not, what went wrong?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.