Module 5

 

WEEK FIVE

 

We sure have lots to look at in the real world relating to American Government! We will try to keep up.

 

1) This week, with the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, let’s look at the Judiciary. Please read chapter 14 of your textbook, The Judiciary. After reading the chapter, can you better express why filling the vacant seat left by RBG is turning out to be so controversial? 

 

2) We also have the first presidential debate of the election season this week. Please watch the debate, either in real time or a recorded version. Take notes while you watch. What themes jump out at you that might relate to what you’ve learned so far this semester from your reading?

 

3) Write a blog post answering the two questions outlined above.

Module 4

 WEEK FOUR

 

Sidlow, Chapter 17 State & Local Politics

 

I’m posting Module 4 a little early… hoping you haven’t experienced any disruptions to communication from the email upgrade IT did earlier this week, and wanting to give you a little extra time to get a head start on the coming week if you want to.

 

In week 4, we move on (and note that we are really moving on… to chapter 17!) to the organization of state and local politics, and how these interact with the Federal levels of government. There’s a lot to this topic. Some feel passionately that state and local governments are the natural authorities over most aspects of government. Others feel the Federal level of government should prevail. The so-called “states’ rights” advocates feel their freedom is infringed upon when decisions are made for them in Washington. Whether they know it or not, in doing so they are promoting the principal of “subsidiarity” which avers that the proper levelof government for any particular decision is always the level closest to the people whose lives will be impacted by the decision. 

 

That may seem abstract, so we will look at some examples this week. Abortion, for example. Are abortion rights a matter to be ruled on at the state level where regional attitudes can be reflected in the decision, or at the Federal level where national values can be applied to everyone? What about environmental policies? Access to health care? Gay marriage? Legalization of marijuana? The tension between states’ rights and national values plays out in many, many important issues that affect the daily lives of real people in fundamental ways.

 

What about the electoral college? There is much debate about whether it was created to promote states’ rights. Regardless of one’s position in that debate, the electoral college has in fact been a factor in preserving state identities and interests by incentivizing presidential candidates to pay attention to them. Would our national dialogue focus as much on the interests of rural and sparsely-populated, mid-country communities if those voters didn’t wield a few electors in the electoral college? We don’t know for sure, but I suspect the answer is no. In that case, for example, presidential candidates might skip right over the mid-country communities and pay the bulk of their attention to the more population-dense coastal regions. 

 

2) This week, please read the chapter on state and local politics, then do some research online on an issue that has relevance to the state-Federal question and resonates for all of us in the West Coast states right now: forest fires. Should wildfires be allowed to burn themselves out? Should people try to put them out? Should we allow deadfall to remain in place or should we actively clear it by removing it or by controlled burns? Who is allowed to use the forest? Who determines what people can do there? What levels of government currently determine the proper forestry practices and uses for particular forests? Are these the correct levels? Should the Federal government be in charge of policy-making for all forests across the country? Or should control of those forests be devolved to state or local authorities to manage as they see fit? What are the arguments on both sides? Which do you find most convincing? Post a blog entry reflecting on these questions. Your entry should reference the chapter and show evidence of having read it.

Module 3

DUE: Sidlow, Chapter 3 Federalism

 

I hope you’ve been finding clean air to breathe this past week… just when we thought pandemic life couldn’t get any more challenging. I live in an unusual and uninsulated metal house, which is normally OK because I also have outdoor space, but these days… go outside? Not that either. Oh well – it’s sweat or sore throat. Pick your poison, literally. 

 

1) Last week, we looked at the US Constitution, the masterful defining work of political structural writing that provides grounding for so many aspects of American political life. Continuing our exploration of the foundations of American government, this week we will look at the structure of “Federalism” in your chapter reading. Please read Chapter 3 of Sidlow, “Federalism,” and write a blog post summarizing 2 or 3 key insights you gained from that chapter.

 

2) In addition, we’ll read 3 short essays from a collection today called The Federalist Papers. These essays were written by some of the founding authors of the Constitution and therefore of American democracy. The Founders hoped to promote ratification of the Constitution, delving deeply into many aspects of its intent. The Federalist Papersgive us an excellent opportunity to learn about the original intent of the Founding Fathers as they wrote the Constitution. Please read Federalist #10 and Federalist #51. These are in Appendix F of your textbook, but you’ll also find them on this free online edition of The Federalist Papers. After reading #10 and #51, please choose one additional essay to read based on your own interests and curiosity. Then make a brief recording of yourself sharing your thoughts on one or all 3 of the essays… post the recording online in an open-access format (e.g. YouTube), then post a link to the recording to your blog site. 

 

The Federalist Papers, full text, can be found here:

 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1404/1404-h/1404-h.htm

 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and getting to know you a little better through your recorded posts!

Module 2

WEEK TWO

 

Welcome to Week 2. I got blog links from both of you, and you can now find your and each other’s blogs on the class website. Just go to the class website which, again, is located at:

 

https://ndnuiag.blogspot.com

 

Look at the right side of the page and you’ll see a list of student blogs. Click on your or your class-mate’s name and that will take you to the blog. When we do interactive activities later in the semester, this is how you’ll find each other’s work.

 

1) This week, we drill down on constitutions. Please read Sidlow, Chapter 2, The Constitution, as well as Appendices A & B, The Declaration of Independence & The US Constitution.

 

You’ll hear people accuse each other of not honoring the Constitution… Democrats accuse Republicans… and Republicans accuse Democrats… how can the same document be open to such widely ranging interpretations? After reading Chapter 2, answer this question in a blog post: Is it a strength or a weakness of the US Constitution that it is open to such widely-ranging interpretations? Can you point to examples of some consequences of this characteristic of the US Constitution?

 

2) What about the Declaration of Independence? What an amazing document! Has the USA lived up to the sentiments expressed in this amazing document? Please pull out a passage or two from the Declaration and reflect on ways in which the USA as of 2020 has, or has not, lived up to the sentiments expressed. Are we still on our way to doing so? Do we seem to have given up? Is this document still relevant in the “America” of 2020?

 

3) Finally, if you were born in a country other than the USA, do a little research and learn about the constitution of that country. Does it have one? How does it compare to the Constitution of the USA? If you were born here, do this exercise for the country in which one of your parents was born, or your grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

 

OK you two, try to stay cool during the remainder of this heat wave. I look forward to reading your thoughts about constitutions!

 

Patti Andrews