Sinclair Readings

By admin | Published: March 9, 2010

Posting the Sinclair readings has hit an unexpected snag.  The reading will be posted tomorrow morning by 11AM.  My apologies.

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POLSC 110-51 Civil Rights Reaction Paper

By admin | Published: March 5, 2010

Due Friday March 12:

For those writing on Klinkner & Smith:

What role do Klinkner and Smith argue elected leaders played in the civil rights progresses of the 1960’s?  What other events/pressures forced elected officials to act on civil rights?  Should international pressures influence domestic policies?

For those comparing Dr. King to Bayard Rustin:

What was King’s view on violence in the civil rights movement? In your opinion is violence ever acceptable?  What was King’s stance of the rule of law? Is it OK to break the law?   How does Rustin’s vision differ form King’s?  If  King is asking for the assistance of liberal whites in the North, does Rustin see such efforts to form a coalition as viable?

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POLSC 110 Sec 53: Civil Liberties Reaction Paper #6

By admin | Published: March 4, 2010

NOW DUE Thursday March 11.

Everyone is to write on Sunstein & Tocqueville.  Both readings are in your course pak.  You need to address BOTH readings to receive credit.  I will cover the abortion cases in my lecture on civil liberties.

Why does society need dissent? What purpose does dissent serve?
Why does Tocqueville think Democracy reduces the likelihood for dissent?
Do you buy his assessment of American democracy?
According to Sunstein what types of speech can be censored in America? Which types of speech are courts more protective of?

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POLSC 235–First Paper Announcement

By admin | Published: March 2, 2010

Class,

As I emailed earlier, your first paper is now due Tuesday March 9th.  We will still meet on Thursday.   You’ll also be responsible for the reading assignment for the 9th.   Email me or stop by my office hours on Thursday or Friday if you have questions.

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POLSC 110 Sec 51: Federalism, Reaction Paper #4

By admin | Published: February 28, 2010

Due Friday March 5th.

There are 4 readings for this week.  You need to read all 4 of them.  For the reaction papers I’ve divided the class based on the first letter of your last name.  Students whose names end in A-M write on Derthick, all other compare the Kentucky Resolutions to Governor Wallace’s speech.   I haven’t asked anyone to write on US V. Lopez.  We will still discuss the case in class so please be prepared.  The questions for each of the three groupings are below:

Martha Derthick’s “How Many Communities”

How does Derthick define federalism?  Where was power located in the early republic?  How has power shifted in the past 35 years?  What does the relationship between the National and State governments look like today?

The Kentucky Resolutions & George Wallace’s Speech.

Compare and contrast the visions of federalism in these writings.  What are the authors view of state sovereignty?  Can states ignore, nullify, or refuse to follow national laws?  Do you find the arguments compelling?  If the authors are correct, what does it mean for governmental power in the U.S.?   What are the differences between Jefferson’s and Wallace’s works?

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POLSC 235–Committees: Hurwitz, Moiles, & Rhode

By admin | Published: February 28, 2010

The authors apply the three theories of committees–distributive, informational and partisan–to a case study of agriculture legislation.   You can access the article here.   For your paper I’d like to you to quickly review their findings.  Then using their conclusions, reconsider how well committees serve both institutional and member goals.   Explain why, we, as citizens, should care.  The, “so what?,” question.  What does the article’s description mean for lawmaking?   What do the author’s findings mean for policy, congressional legitimacy, and representation?   I’m asking a lot so feel free to cherry pick a few questions to focus on.

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POLSC 110-53 Civil Rights Reaction Paper

By admin | Published: February 24, 2010

Reminder the due date for this paper has been moved to March 2nd.

For those writing on Klinkner & Smith:

What role do Klinkner and Smith argue elected leaders played in the civil rights progresses of the 1960’s?  What other events/pressures forced elected officials to act on civil rights?  Should international pressures influence domestic policies?

For those comparing Dr. King to Bayard Rustin:

What was King’s view on violence in the civil rights movement? In your opinion is violence ever acceptable?  What was King’s stance of the rule of law? Is it OK to break the law?   How does Rustin’s vision differ form King’s?  If  King is asking for the assistance of liberal whites in the North, does Rustin see such efforts to form a coalition as viable?

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Congress: D/O/L Committees, Chapter 7

By admin | Published: February 24, 2010

For this chapter I’d take a stab at explaining why the committee structure was established, how they operate, and how committees serve both the needs of members and Congress as an institution.

Also a reminder the White House Health Care Summit with Congress begins tomorrow at 10AM.  It will last for 6 hours or so.  You can check out the dialog here.

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POLSC 110 Sec 51: Federalists & Anti-Federalists Reaction Paper

By admin | Published: February 20, 2010

Due Friday February 26th.

Every one should read all the selections. You will write about either the Federalist Papers or the Anti-Federalists (Melancton Smith’s & Herbert Storing’s selections).  Below are the questions for each paper.

Federalist Papers:

What does Madison mean by the term faction? What specific type of faction is he afraid of? Do Madison, Hamilton and the federalists seem to trust citizens? What is their view of human nature? Do the Federalists believe all men are created equal? What is their view of human nature?   Does the Constitution deliver on the promises of the Declaration of Independence?

Storing & Smith:

What specific concerns did Anti-Federalists have with the Constitution?  Why did they favor the “Small Republic?”  Do you agree that a politics based on local mores is preferable to nationalized politics?   What abuses did the Anti-Federalists think the Constitution would cause?   Were they prophetic or did their criticisms miss the mark?


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POLSC 110 Sec 53: Federalism Reaction Paper 4

By admin | Published: February 18, 2010

Readings and reaction papers due Tuesday Feb. 23.

There are 4 readings for this week.  For the reaction papers I’ve divided the class based on the first letter of your last name.  The questions for each of the three groupings are below:

Martha Derthick’s “How Many Communities”

How does Derthick define federalism?  Where was power located in the early republic?  How has power shifted in the past 35 years?  What does the relationship between the National and State governments look like today?

The Kentucky Resolutions & George Wallace’s Speech.

Compare and contrast the visions of federalism in these writings.  What are the authors view of state sovereignty?  Can states ignore, nullify, or refuse to follow national laws?  Do you find the arguments compelling?  If the authors are correct, what does it mean for governmental power in the U.S.?   What are the differences between Jefferson’s and Wallace’s works?

US V. Lopez– This is more of a summary.

What is at issue in this case? What has Lopez been accused of? What’s the principle finding of the court?  What does this case have to do with the Commerce clause?  Quickly explain the decisions of Rehnquist, Thomas, and Breyer.

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