US Government Homework
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 464-470
For Discussion: Many people have criticized party primaries by noting that they tend to be won by the most extreme candidates--thus polarizing the nation. Do you agree with this critique? Should we go back to nominating conventions? What do you think?
-Due Wednesday, May 25th
AND
Study Sheet for Test 4
Find it here.
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 458-462
For Discussion: What do you think the future holds for political parties in the United States? Will they grow stronger? Weaker? Will either of the two major parties disappear? What do you think?
-Due Tuesday, May 24th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 453-57.
For Discussion: Are political parties good or bad for the United States? What do you think?
-Due Monday, May 23rd
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 437-443.
For Discussion: Do criminals have too many rights under our system of criminal law?
ALSO: Click here to sign up for a presentation topic.
-Due Friday, May 20th
Homework 21
Read Remy, pp. 430-435. Also, check out this article from the Economist in 2005 on tort reform.
Should tort law be modified in the United States?
ALSO: Click here to enter your e-mail address into my database.
-Due Wednesday, May 18th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 423-428
Evaluate the major legal principles of the American legal system. Do you agree with them? If not, what might work better?
-Due Thursday, May 12th
Homework 20
Read Remy, pp. 412-418.
Do you agree with the Court's ruling in the Bakke case? Why or why not?
For those interested--here is a debate/discussion between Justices Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia. It's about an hour and a half, but it is quite fascinating. This is Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com's take on the goings-on.
-Due Wednesday, May 11th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 398-405.
Have we gone too far in the creation of protections for the rights of the accused?
Also, if you are interested in learning more about the diversity lottery, check out this Dan Baum piece from December 5th, 2005 New Yorker (PDF).
-Due Tuesday, May 10th
Homework 19
Read Remy, pp.391-397.
Many have criticized the doctrine of jus soli and claim that it is subject to abuse. Should jus soli be abolished?
-Due Monday, May 9th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp.387-390
For Discussion: Are our current immigration laws too harsh? Or should we have a less permissive policy? Why?
-Due Friday, May 6th
Homework 18
Read Remy, pp. 376-382
Do you agree with the outcome of the case of the Nazi march in Skokie? Why or why not?
-Due Thursday, May 5th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 371-375. Also check out this justification by the New York Times of their decision to publish the latest WikiLeaks info dump--this time of diplomatic cables.
Do you agree with the New York Times here?
-Due Wednesday, May 4th
Homework 17
Read Remy, pp. 366-370. Also please read this interview with Justice Black from 1962.
Is "clear and present" danger the proper test for legal free speech? Or are you inclined to agree with Justice Black?
-Due Tuesday, May 3rd
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 358-364. Also check out this piece on the attempt to abolish "under God" from the pledge of allegiance.
Should religion be totally banished from the public sphere? Should "In God We Trust" be expunged from our currency, for example? Use the info in the reading to answer this question.
-Due Thursday, April 28th
Homework 16
Read Remy, pp. 355-357
For Discussion: Justice Hugo Black believed in total incorporation--he thought that all of the rights in the bill of rights should apply to the states. In the end, we now use selective incorporation. Do you agree or disagree with Black? Why or why not?
-Due Friday, April 15th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 343-348
For Discussion: Do the other branches have enough power to really stop the Supreme Court?
-Due Thursday, April 14th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 336-341
For Discussion: Does the Supreme Court have too much power in shaping public policy?
-Due Wednesday, April 13th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 331-335. Also read this article by Howard Bashman.
For Discussion: What is Bashman's argument? Do you agree or disagree?
ALSO: Here's the link to the study sheet for Test 3.
-Due Tuesday, April 12th
Homework 15
Read Remy, pp. 320-326
Is it right that Supreme Court Justices serve a life term? Why or why not? What alternatives might there be? Explain.
ALSO: Check out this article from The Atlantic magazine on law clerks. It's a short and interesting piece.
-Due Monday, April 11th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 312-317
For Discussion: Evaluate the process for the selection of federal judges.
-Due Friday, April 8th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 305-310.
Almost no one has anything bad to say about judicial review--that's why this 1825 opinion by Pennsylvania judge John Gibson is so notable. Please read it in Eakin v. Raub
For Discussion: Was John Marshall right to grab the power of judicial review? Do you agree with Gibson’s critique?
-Due Thursday, April 7th
Homework 14
Read Remy, pp. 291-298
As you can see from the reading, bureaucrats have a great deal of power--yet they are totally unelected. Should our bureaucracy be more democratic? Should we introduce some sort of election system? Explain.
-Due Monday, November 8th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 284-289
For Discussion: Given how hard it is to fire incompetent federal employees, was the move towards civil service reform such a good thing?
-Due Tuesday, April 5th
Homework 13
Please note that we are skipping the beginning of Chapter 9, Section 3, but read Remy, pp. 266-7--just the section on Executive Privilege. and Chapter 10, Section 1: pp. 275-283
Has America's bureaucracy grown too large?
-Due Monday, April 4th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 252-259. Also, check out this editorial about the Senate's treaty powers.
For Discussion: Do executive orders and executive agreements undermine the powers of Congress?
ALSO: Check out this great "attack ad" from 1800--most all words here are historically accurate!
-Due Friday, April 1st
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 245-250.
For Discussion: Do presidents take too much power during times of emergency?
-Due Monday, November 1st
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 234-239
For Discussion: Has the President consolidated too much power for himself through the growth of the Executive Office of the President?
-Due Wednesday, March 22nd
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 220-226. Also please read Remy, pp. 228-232. Sorry for the two assignments, but we have to stay on track.
For Discussion: Should the Electoral College be scrapped? Why or why not? If so, what should be put in its place?
-Due Tuesday, March 21st
Homework 12
Read Remy, pp. 213-219. Also check out this Economist article from 2004.
Evaluate the constitutional requirements for becoming president. Are they a good idea? Why or why not? Discuss
-Due Friday, March 18th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 194-198
For Discussion: The reading was about (among other things) pork-barrel politics. Should this practice be banned? Could it be?
Also: Check out Earmarked For Success--about the pressure put on members of Congress to bring pork to their districts.
-Due Thursday, March 17th
Homework 11
Read Remy, pp. 189-192
Does the federal government spend too much money?
-Due Wednesday, March 16th
Also, the study sheet for Friday's test is now up.
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 181-188
For Discussion: Have the founders created an overly cumbersome legislative process? Or should it be easier to make a bill into a law?
Bonus Graphic
A great graphic design visualization of how a bill becomes a law.
-Due Tuesday, March 15th
Homework 10
Read Remy, pp. 172-176
Should steps be taken to help Congress work more smoothly with the President and the Supreme Court?
-Due Monday, March 14th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 167-171.
The reading spoke about the practice of legislative oversight, and also how limited it is. Scholars Matthew McCubbins and Thomas Schwartz published a very influential defense of Congress in their 1984 piece "Congressional Oversight Overlooked: Police Patrols versus Fire Alarms." (PDF) Please check it out.
Do you agree with McCubbins and Schwartz? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Friday, March 11th
Homework 9
Read Remy, pp. 157-165.
Read the opinion of the Supreme Court in the 1942 case Wickard v. Filburn.
Has Congress overstepped its bounds when interpreting the commerce clause?
-Due Thursday, March 10th
Homework (No Number)
Check out this article on the powers and responsibilities of Congressional Staffs.
For Discussion: Are members of Congress over-reliant on their staffs? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Wednesday, March 9th
Homework 8
Read Remy, pp. 141-145
Also, check out this article from the New York Times about the struggle for control of the House Energy and Commerce Committee between auto industry advocate John Dingell and environmental activist Henry Waxman.
Do committee chairs have too much power? Why or why not? Explain.
- Due Tuesday, March 8th
Optional Multimedia
Fascinating audio piece that asks: Why do we blink?
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 138-140
Also, click on this link to the web site of the radio program "This American Life." If you want to save it, you can right click on the link and download the mp3 to play on your iPod or whatever.
I want you to listen to a segment about life in the minority in the House of Representatives called "Bully's Pulpit"--it comes 42 minutes into the show and is about 13 minutes long. (Note: it might take a couple of minutes for the program to load in its entirety)
For Discussion: Should the filibuster be abolished?
-Due Thursday, March 2nd
Optional Reading
Interesting piece on procrastination from the New Yorker.
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 123-137
1. Read this article by Jeffrey Toobin about the increasingly sophisticated techniques behind gerrymandering.
2. For fun, check out this website that lets you create your own gerrymandered districts. Wow!
Has gerrymandering made a mockery of the House of Representatives? What realistic solutions are there to the problems that Toobin explains?
-Due Wednesday, March 2nd
Homework 7
Read Remy, pp. 110-116. Also, check out this article from last year's New York Times.
For Discussion: Given the tremendously low turnout in local elections, should we be worried about our federalist system?
-Due Monday, February 28th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 106-110
For Discussion: Do you agree more with the nationalist position or that of states' rights? Explain your answer.
Check out the study sheet here
-Due Friday, March 18th
Homework 6
Read Remy, pp. 103-105
Written Work: What do you think of the phenomenon of extradition?
ALSO: The first test will be on Friday, March 4th. Here's the review sheet.
FINALLY
Two great links that really make it easy to understand the budget.
Check out the study sheet here.
-Due Thursday, February 17th
Homework (No Number)
The Constitution! Read it in full in Remy, pp. 775-799. Or you can find it online. Also you should have your pocket version.
Also: Read Remy, pp. 95-102
For Discussion: Is our system with its overlapping state and federal law a good idea? Or should we be more like a unitary government in which the states have no real power and all law comes from the federal government? Explain.
-Due Wednesday, February 16th
Homework 5
Read Remy, pp. 76-81. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE SKIPPING A SECTION. Also take a look at these failed amendments and these proposed amendments.
Written Work: Did the Founding Fathers make the Constitution too difficult to amend? What do you think of the amendment process in general? Did seeing the failed or proposed amendments change your mind? Explain.
Also: for those who are curious to see James Madison's notes of the Philadelphia Convention, they can be found here.
-Due Tuesday, February 15th
Optional Reading
Here's an interesting new map of the United States with 50 new states--all with more or less equal population.
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 63-67. Also check out this review of Robert Dahl's book "How Democratic Is the American Constitution?", written by Hendrick Hertzberg (the editorial editor at The New Yorker magazine).
For Discussion: Is the American Constitution truly democratic? Why or why not? Try to reference the article as well as Remy.
-Due Monday, February 14th
Homework 4
Read Remy, pp. 53-58. Also read this article about the Constitutional Convention.
"The Three-Fifths Compromise and the Connecticut Compromise may have seemed necessary, but ultimately they gave too much power to the small states and allowed slavery to continue unmolested. As a result, they are serious flaws in the foundation of the United States."
Written Work: Do you agree or disagree with the above quote? If you do agree, were there any alternatives? What do you think?
-Due Friday, February 11th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 48-52. Also read the Articles of Confederation. These also can be found in the back of our textbook (pp. 808-811)
For Discussion: It's been said that the Articles of Confederation were totally unworkable as a blueprint for the new nation. Do you agree? Come to class prepared to discuss at least one article in the Articles and why it's a good or bad idea.
-Due Thursday, February 10th
Homework 3
Read Remy, pp. 42-7 and pp. 770-773 (The Declaration of Independence)
Was the Declaration of Independence nothing more than just sweeping rhetoric? And if not, has America remained true to its spirit?
-Due Tuesday, February 8th
Optional Video
Here you can watch various NFL players reciting the Declaration.
Homework (No Number)
We are beginning to use the textbook, henceforth known as "Remy." Read pp. 35-40. Also, take a look at these excerpts from John Locke's Second Treatise of Government.
For Discussion: What do you think of Locke's work? What are his hypotheses and do you agree with them?
-Due Monday, February 5th
Optional Reading
Here is a short George Orwell essay about good writing: "Politics and the English Language." Let it be your guide.
Homework 2
I want you to take the IDEAlog test, which will help you place yourself on a scale of political orientation. To get access the test, click here. When you get there, first click "English." Next click on "Take Quiz." Go through the intro, tutorial and self-test.
It might ask you for your e-mail, but there is no need to enter it. Please note that you will need Flash to take the test.
Written work: What do you think of the test and the four categories it sets up? Do you agree with its assessment of you? Write a critique and analysis of the process.
-Due Friday, February 4th
Optional Stuff
Here are some fascinating charts. Curious about where the federal budget goes? This chart by Death and Taxes is a nice graphical representation here.
Also: want to engage in a bit of military procurement through the Department of Defense? No problem! Simply master this organizational chart.
Homework 1
In the Federalist Papers (Federalist 51), James Madison wrote "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." Evaluate this quote. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Explain yourself thoroughly.
-Due Thursday, February 3rd
