US Government Homework
Homework (No Number)
Is gay marriage the next great civil rights issue of the United States? Check out this mini-debate between gay marriage advocate Gavin Newsom and opponent Maggie Gallagher.
-Due Friday, June 12th
Homework (No Number)
Should all Americans have the right to own and possess firearms? What about the role of the Second Amendment? Check out guncite.com--a pro-gun website, as well as the site of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. And this is the site of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--the most powerful pro-gun group.
-Due Thursday, June 11th
Homework (No Number)
The recent murder of abortion doctor George Tiller has refocused attention on this controversial procedures. Reach this 2003 article from the Economist. Also, if you want, you can check out blogger Andrew Sullivan's roundup of personal testimonials from people who had or were affected by late term abortions here.
-Due Wednesday, June 10th
Homework (No Number)
This is an interesting article about the death penalty from a 2008 issue of Time Magazine. Read it for tomorrow.
-Due Tuesday, June 9th
Homework (No Number)
Read and be ready to discuss this article on Sotomayor and the Ricci case.
-Due Monday, June 8th
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 Monday, June 1st
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 Friday, May 28th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 453-57
For Discussion: Are political parties good or bad for the United States? What do you think?
ALSO: The study sheet for Test Four is now available.
-Due Thursday, May 21st
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 437-443.
For Discussion: Do criminals have to many rights under our system of criminal law?
-Due Wednesday, May 20th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 430-435. Also, check out this article from the Economist in 2005 on tort reform.
For Discussion: Should tort law be modified in the United States?
-Due Tuesday, May 19th
Homework 18
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 Monday, May 18th
Homework (No Number)
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.
ALSO, to check your grades, click here.
-Due Friday, May 15th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 406-410
For Discussion: Do you agree with the Court's ruling in Washington v. Davis?
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 Thursday, May 14th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 398-405.
Have we gone too far in the creation of protections for the rights of the accused?
-Due Wednesday, May 13th
Homework 17
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? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Tuesday, May 12th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp.387-390
For Discussion: Are our current immigration laws too harsh? Or should we have a more permissive policy? Why?
-Due Monday, May 11th
Homework 16
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 Friday, May 8th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 371-375
Are shield laws a good idea? What do you think?
-Due Thursday, May 7th
Homework 15
Read Remy, pp. 366-370
Do you agree with the Hazelwood decision? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Wednesday, May 6th
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.
For Discussion: 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 Tuesday, May 5th
Homework (No Number)
There is no written work.
Read Remy, pp. 355-357
ALSO: Study Sheet 3 is UP.
-Due Thursday, April 29th
Homework (No Number)
There is no written work.
Read Remy, pp. 343-348
ALSO: Read this article about the rights and responsibilities of the Chief Justice. It was written two years ago, before Rehnquist's death, but it has good information nevertheless.
-Due Wednesday, April 28th
Homework (No Number)
There is no written work, but do the reading and be prepared to discuss the question below.
Read Remy, pp. 336-341.
Does the Supreme Court have too much power?
-Due Tuesday, April 28th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 331-335
-Due Monday, April 27th
ALSO: I tracked down an example of what an actual oral argument before the Supreme Court sounds like. Be forewarned, each case is about an hour long, so budget your time. Please try to listen to as much as you can!
Click here to play the full tape (you'll need some sort of media player). If that link doesn't work, try this downloadable mp3 for the Grutter case and this one for the Gratz case (if you just click on them, they will play, but if you right-click on them and select "Save Target As," you can save them onto your computer) . If you absolutely can't play any of this, check out this written transcript (you'll need the Acrobat Reader).
The cases (argued one after the other) are Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Gratz and Hammacher v. Bollinger (2003). Both cases refer to affirmative action at the University of Michigan--the Gruter case refers to the UMich law school, while Gratz is about its undergrad program. The law school gave preferential treatment to minorities, while the undergrad program specifically added 20 points to the application of anyone who was a "qualified minority."
For your information, the first hour relates to the law school and the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Kirk Kolbo, splits his time with the U.S. Solicitor General (Ted Olson). They are arguing against the University. The lawyer representing the University's law school is Maureen Mahoney. In the second hour, you'll hear Kolbo and Olsen again, but the lawyer representing the University's undergrad program is John Payton. As usual in oral arguments, the Justices frequently badger, interrupt and generally entertain. Remember that this is the Rehnquist Court, so Justices Roberts and Alito are not yet on the court--instead we have William Rehnquist and Sandra Day O'Connor.
Want background? Here's an article about the Bakke case--the big precedent setter on affirmative action--and here's one about the clip you just listened to. These are both by Dahlia Lithwick, the court reporter from Slate.com. Obviously you should feel free to disagree with her.
Ultimately, the court ruled (more or less) in favor of the defendants--deciding that the undergrad admissions scheme was unconstitutional, but that the law school method was acceptable. Here is the full text of the verdict, but be aware--it is 95 pages long. Here is a series of discussions about the verdict, also from Slate.com.
AND the plot thickens: in 2006, Michigan voters approved a measure that would ban most affirmative action in the state. Who was the main spokesperson? None other than Jennifer Gratz, the plaintiff in the case above.
Homework (No Number)
There is no written work, but do the reading and be prepared to discuss the question below.
Read Remy, pp. 331-333. Also read this article by Howard Bashman.
What is Bashman's argument? Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
-Due Friday, April 24th
Homework 14
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 last summer's Atlantic magazine on law clerks. It's a short and interesting piece.
-Due Thursday, April 23rd
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 312-317
For Discussion: Evaluate the process for the selection of federal judges.
-Due Wednesday, April 22nd
Homework 13
Read Remy, pp. 305-310
Was John Marshall right to grab the power of judicial review? Why or why not?
-Due Tuesday, April 21st
Homework (No Number)
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, April 20th
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 Wednesday, April 8th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 266-7 (just the section on Executive Privilege) and 275-283
For Discussion: Has America's bureaucracy grown too large?
-Due Tuesday, April 7th
Homework 12
Read Remy, pp. 252-259. Also, check out this editorial about the Senate's treaty powers.
Do executive orders and executive agreements undermine the powers of Congress?
-Due Monday, April 6th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 245-250
ALSO: Check out this piece from January's Washington Post about George W. Bush's "Imperial Presidency."
For Discussion: Do presidents take too much power during times of emergency?
-Due Friday, April 3rd
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 234-239
For Discussion: Does the President have too many roles to play in American Government? Why or why not? .
-Due Thursday, April 2nd
Homework 11
Read Remy, pp. 228-232
Does the President of America have too much power? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Wednesday, April 1st
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 220-226.
For Discussion: Should the Electoral College be scrapped? Why or why not? If so, what should be put in its place?
Also: Check out Earmarked For Success--about the pressure put on members of Congress to bring pork to their districts.
-Due Tuesday, March 31st
Homework 10
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 25th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 200-203
For Discussion: The reading was about (among other things) pork-barrel politics. Should this practice be banned? Could it be?
Also, the study sheet for Wednesday's test is now up.
-Due Tuesday, March 24th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 189-198 (please note that we are reading TWO sections)
For Discussion: Does the federal government spend too much money?
-Due Monday, March 23rd
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?
-Due Friday, March 20th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 172-176
For Discussion: What steps could (or should) be taken to help Congress work more smoothly with the President and the Supreme Court?
Also, the study sheet for Wednesday's test is now up.
-Due Thursday, March 19th
Homework 9
Read Remy, pp. 167-171. Also, read "Founders Chic," by H.W. Brands.
Do you agree with Brands's arguments? Do we have too much reverence for the Founders and the Constitution? Explain.
-Due Wednesday, March 18th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 157-165.
For Discussion: Has Congress overstepped its bounds when interpreting the commerce clause? Also, check out this Wall Street Journal editorial on the commerce clause.
-Due Tuesday, March 17th
Homework 8
Read Remy, pp. 146-150.
Check out this article on the powers and responsibilities of Congressional Staffs.
Written Work: Are members of Congress over-reliant on their staffs? Why or why not? Explain.
-Due Monday, March 16th
Homework (No Number)
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.
- Due Friday, March 13th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 138-140
The New York Times just published a blog entry on the filibuster. Check it out here.
For Discussion: Should the filibuster be abolished?
- Due Thursday, March 12th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 132-137
Also, click on
this link
to the web site of the radio program "This American Life." Then lick on the icon
with this image:
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: Do you think that the House is too dominated by the majority party?
-Due Wednesday, March 11th
Homework 7
Read Remy, pp. 123-130
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 Tuesday, March 10th
Homework (No Number)
Due to the snow day and various other reasons, we are behind a bit. So for tonight I want you to read two sections--which means:
Read Remy, pp. 106-116.
For Discussion: Do the states have too much power? Or not enough?
Also, check out the review sheet for Friday's test.
-Due Wednesday, March 4th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 103-105
For Discussion: What do you think of the phenomenon of extradition?
Also, check out the review sheet for Friday's test.
-Due Monday, March 2nd
Homework (No Number)
The Constitution! Check it out! Remy, pp. 775-799.
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 Friday, February 27th
Homework 6
Read Remy, pp. 84-90
The textbook spotlights some of the 27 Amendments in this chapter. What do you think of them? Are there any amendments that should exist that do not? Amendments that should be gotten rid of? Explain.
ALSO: Here is an interesting and excellent video about the current financial crisis. Not required, but recommended!
-Due Thursday, February 26th
Homework (No Number)
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.
For Discussion Tomorrow: 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 Wednesday, February 25th
The Schedule of the Course
Is available here. Check it out to all test dates and chapters.
Homework 5
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).
Is the American Constitution truly democratic? Why or why not? Try to reference the article as well as Remy.
-Due Tuesday, February 24th
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 actually are 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 13th (or Monday, February 23rd if I am not in school)
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 in Class: It's been said that the Articles of Confederation were totally unworkable as a blueprint for the new nation. Do you agree? Whether you do or not, I expect you to be able analyze at least one article in the Articles if called upon to do so.
-Due Wednesday, February 11th
Homework (No Number)
Read Remy, pp. 42-7 and pp. 770-773 (The Declaration of Independence)
For Discussion Tomorrow: Was the Declaration of Independence nothing more than just sweeping rhetoric? And if not, has America remained true to its spirit?
-Due Tuesday, February 10th
Homework 3
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.
Written work: What do you think of Locke's work? What are his hypotheses and do you agree with them? Why?
-Due Monday, February 9th
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 read the introduction. Next look at the tutorial. Finally, take the self-test.
It will 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 6th
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 5th