POS-1020-VO01 - American Politics & Government

To view the Course Description and Essential Objectives please click on the following link: Summer 2024 Course Description/Syllabus

See Course Information and Resources for details about the class and how it works. Note that all relevant information regarding the text (Edward S. Greenberg and Benjamin I. Page, The Struggle for Democracy) and details on ordering can be found at CCV's bookstore.  A link to access the text can be found in Course Resources.

Syllabus, Summer 2024

Week 1: By Monday, May 27, in our text, The Struggle for Democracy, by Edward S. Greenberg and Benjamin I. Page, read chapter 1, Democracy and American Politics, and chapter 2, The Constitution. Please also read Articles I-VII of the Constitution and selections from the Federalist Papers (10, 51, and 78. Also see the supplementary readings in this week’s module.

Instructor's discussion questions for this week: 

1. Discuss the “struggle for democracy” with respect to the voting rights in the United States. What role did Robert Moses play in the struggle? 
2. Identify and discuss the three fundamental principles of representative democracy. How is representative democracy different than direct democracy? Which is better? 
3. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Would you prefer the Articles or the Constitution? Why? 
4. Discuss the major characteristics of the government created under the U.S. Constitution. In what ways are these features better than those in the Articles of Confederation, and in what ways are they worse? 
5. Discuss the “main body” of the Constitution, Articles I-VII. What is the general purpose of each article and what is their importance? (Don’t just list the provisions of each article.) 
6. What is the significance of the Federalist Papers? Describe their arguments in support of the Constitution. 

Week 2: By June 3, read chapter 3, Federalism, and chapter 4, Structural Foundations. Please also read Amendments XI-XXVII to the Constitution and the supplementary reading. 

1. What is federalism, and how is it expressed in the Constitution? Describe its advantages and disadvantages.
2. What is horizontal federalism and how does it work?
3. In what ways has American federalism evolved over time?  Have the changes in the balance between state and federal power had positive or negative effects on American democracy?
4. Describe and analyze fiscal federalism.
5. What are the potential effects of economic inequality in the U.S. on political equality? What should be done?
6. Describe the influence of individualism, limited government, and free enterprise on America’s political culture. Are all these things necessary for freedom to flourish?
7. How does the American economy shape or influence government and politics?
8. Describe and discuss Amendments XI-XXVII to the Constitution. Why are they important?

Week 3: By June 10, read chapter 5, Public Opinion, and chapter 6, The News Media. Please also see the supplementary readings, “Methods of Media Manipulation,” and "The Overton Window."

1. What do Americans know about politics? What don’t they know? What difference, if any, does it make whether or not the public is informed about politics? 
2. What are the effects of public opinion on policy? To what extent do policies and changes in policy correspond to public opinion and changes in public opinion? 
3. What is the Overton Window? How does it affect public opinion, the media, and public policy?
4. Discuss the extent of freedom of the press in the U.S. What is the relationship between press freedom and democracy?
5. What are the three roles of the mass media in a democracy? Why are they important? 
6. Describe how the concentration of ownership of media in the U.S. has been increasing. What are the implications of this concentration of ownership for a free press? 
7. Explain what is meant by the aphorism that “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” How does this statement apply to our media today?

Week 4: By June 17, read chapter 7, Interest Groups and Business Power, and chapter 8, Social Movements. Please also see the supplementary reading, “The Animal Liberation Movement,” and the short video, “The Berkeley Free Speech Movement.”

1. What is the impact of interest group mobilization on the determination of federal government policies? Why are there so many interest groups? Is the proliferation of interest groups good or bad for democracy? 
2. Compare and contrast the formation and activity of private and public interest groups. 
3. Assess the extent of corporate political power and the privileged place of the corporation in policy making. Should corporations have the rights of persons?
4. What are social movements? Name and describe some of the most important social movements in the United States. Would you have participated in them? Why or why not? 
5. Identify and discuss social movements that were repressed, and identify and discuss social movements that achieved their main goals. Did these movements accomplish anything worthwhile? 

Week 5: By June 24, read chapter 9, Political Parties, and chapter 10, Voting, Campaigns, and Elections. Also see the bonus readings included in the module this week.

1. What are political parties and what are their functions? How are political parties organized?
2. Why do we have a two-party system in the U.S.? Is this the best system for our country? Why or why not? 
3. Discuss the historical evolution of the two-party system in the U.S. How has the American party system changed or realigned over time? 
4. What are the reasons for low voter turnout in the U.S.? Does low voter turnout reflect contentment or alienation with the American political system? How do you know? 
5. Who votes and who doesn’t? Does it make any difference who votes? Why or why not? 
6. What are the effects on democracy of the Supreme Court rulings in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and McCutcheon v. FEC (2014)? Should there be limits on campaign donations? 
7. Discuss American campaigns and elections. How are they unique? Are they democratic?

Week 6: Our midterm exams are due by midnight Monday, July 1. In proper essay format and with proper citation, please answer both questions in separate essays, per instructions provided in “Midterm and Final Exams.” Each essay should be about three pages in length. You cannot pass the class without submitting the essay exams. 

1. What is the Electoral College and why was it created? What are the consequences of electing the president of the United States using the Electoral College? Should we abolish or retain the Electoral College? Why?
2. What are the major ideas of “republicanism”? Compare and contrast eighteenth-century republicanism with the democratic ideal. Note: do not confuse republicanism with the Republican Party. The question deals with concepts, not political parties.

Week 7: By July 8, read chapter 11, Congress, and chapter 12, The Presidency. Please also look at the bonus readings, “How to Rig an Election,” and “Redistricting, A Devil’s Dictionary.”

1. What is the constitutional design of the U.S. Congress? What are the main structural differences between the House and Senate? Why was the Congress designed this way?
2. What is the purpose of the Senate filibuster and what effect does it have on the legislative process and the political power of the Senate? Should it be changed?
3. Why do incumbents tend to be reelected at such high rates? Is this bad for democracy? Why or why not?
4. What impact does congressional redistricting have on elections in the US? Should the system be changed? Why or why not?
5. Describe how congressional committees work. What types of committees are there, and how does a member join one?
6. How does congressional oversight work?
7. As a congressperson, would you be a "delegate" or a "trustee" in representing your constituents?
8. What is meant by the assertion that Congress operates within an "anti-majoritarian design" set up by the Constitution?
9. Has presidential power grown too much, or is strong executive authority necessary for national security? At what point, if any, does presidential power become dangerous for preserving democracy? 
10. How have the presidency and the roles of the president changed and evolved over time? Is the office of President improved by those changes or not? Why?
11. Describe the organization and functions of the president’s advisors.
12. The Framers of the Constitution gave presidents the power of commander in chief and Congress the authority to declare war. How have these shared powers evolved over time?
13. Why are the president and Congress in a perpetual tug of war? Describe the conflict between the president and Congress.

Week 8: By July 15, read chapter 13, The Executive Branch, and chapter 14, The Courts.  Please also see the extra readings.

1. How is the Executive Branch organized?
2. In what ways does the Executive Branch help presidents and in what ways have presidents seen the bureaucracy as an obstacle to presidential goals and programs? 
3. How does the federal bureaucracy operate? What does the bureaucracy do? 
4. Describe the development of the merit system in the federal bureaucracy. How did these reforms improve the functions of the executive branch?
5. What are political and governmental influences on the bureaucracy? Should the bureaucracy be reformed?  In what ways? 
6. How and why is the American bureaucracy different from bureaucracies in other democratic countries? Is the American bureaucratic system better than others, or worse?  Why?
7. What does Article III of the Constitution tell us about the national judiciary? Why is this section of the Constitution so brief? 
8. Discuss the court cases that established the power of judicial review. Why is judicial review important?  Is it good for democracy? 
9. How is the federal court system structured?
10. How are judicial candidates appointed to the federal bench?
11. Describe how the Supreme Court operates. 
12. What outside influences affect the Supreme Court’s decisions?
13. In what ways does the Supreme Court set national policy? Is this a good thing for the country, or not?  Why? 

Week 9: By July 22, read chapter 15, Civil Liberties: The Struggle for Freedom, and chapter 16, Civil Rights: The Struggle for Political Equality. Please also read Amendments I-X to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the supplementary materials.

1. What civil liberties were part of the original Constitution? What liberties were added to the Constitution by the Bill of Rights?
2. Was the Bill of Rights necessary for freedom? If so, then why did many founders oppose it?
3. What freedoms are enumerated in the First Amendment? In what ways are these freedoms limited?
4. Discuss the nationalization of the Bill of Rights. How did the Supreme Court accomplish its goal to incorporate these protections to the states? 
5. Discuss freedom of religion in the US. How can we balance the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause while preserving religious freedom?
6. What general role has the Supreme Court played in the protection of civil rights and civil liberties throughout American history? In what ways was the Court's role positive and in what ways was it negative toward civil rights and civil liberties?
7. Some say that the major liberty stated in the original Constitution was economic. How has the Constitution evolved (or not) relative to this original idea? 
8. How have civil rights protections for people of color, Indigenous Americans, women, and LGBTQ+ people evolved during the history of the American struggle for democracy?
9. Identify and explain the significance of the Civil War amendments. Why did it take so long for them to be enforced by the federal government? 
10. Discuss the significance of the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision in relation to the authors’ contention that initially in American history there was “an absence of civil rights.”  Has this reality been overcome or just modified? 
11. Two basic issues have dominated the story of the extension of civil rights since the mid-1960s: the ending of legal discrimination, separation, and exclusion, and the debate over affirmative action. What effects have these debates had on contemporary American civil rights? 
12. Compare and contrast de facto and de jure discrimination. Which one is the government best equipped to handle, in what ways, and why? 
13. What is the significance of the Fourteenth Amendment to the civil rights movement? Based on your reading of the text, can you think of any other vehicle through which the civil rights movement could have succeeded? If so, which one? If not, why? 

Week 10: By July 29, read chapter 17, Domestic Policies. Please also look at the video on corporate welfare. 

1. Why does the federal government regulate the economy?
2. How is the economy managed in the U.S.? Is the economy managed fairly for all citizens? Why or why not? How could it be managed better? 
3. Describe the rise and fall of economic regulation in the U.S. What reasons exist for regulation and for deregulation? Which side of this debate is more compelling? 
4. What are social safety nets and why do they exist? Are they truly necessary? Why or why not? 
5. What are the characteristics of American social safety nets? How and why is the American system different from those of other countries? Which system of safety nets is better and why? 
6. Why is corporate welfare treated with less criticism than welfare for the poor? Should this be changed? How? 

Week 11: By August 5, read our final chapter 18, Foreign and National Defense Policies, and read/view the supplementary materials for this week.

1. Who makes foreign policy? Should foreign policy be made differently? How? 
2. What is the relationship between foreign policy and democracy? How does our foreign policy affect our domestic policies?  
3. Imperialism can be defined as the economic, political, and/or military domination or control of weaker countries by stronger ones. Is the US an imperialist nation? Why or why not? 
4. What do Article I, Section 8 and Article VI of the Constitution imply about American foreign wars generally and particularly since World War II? 
5. Should United States foreign policy interests be pursued unilaterally or multilaterally? Why?
6. Examine the foundations of US status as a world superpower. How is this status maintained, and what are its goals, strategies, and potential problems?
7. How should American foreign policy balance its traditional influence of soft power with corporate interests in natural resources and markets?

Week 12: Our final exams are due by midnight Monday, August 12. In proper essay format and with proper citation, please answer both questions in separate essays, per instructions provided in “Midterm and Final Exams.” Each essay should be about three pages in length. You must submit both Midterm and Final Exam essays to pass the class.

1. In what ways did the US Constitution and subsequent US Supreme Court decisions support, defend, and reinforce slavery and white supremacy in the US?
2. Considering such issues as gerrymandering, voting rights and voter suppression, the Electoral College, judicial review, interest groups, and political and social inequality, how democratic is the United States? Should it be more democratic? If not, why is the system fine the way it is? If you think we do need more democracy, what reforms can be made to make it more democratic?