Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Extra Credit
April 27th will be extra credit night. To earn 25 points toward your final grade you must give a 5 minute presentation on one of the following readings listed below:
Militants Found Recruits Among Guantanamo's Wrongly Detained
America's Prison for Terrorists Often Held the Wrong Men
Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand
How TalkingPointsMemo Beat the Big Boys on the U.S. Attorney Story
The Climate Change Lobby Explosion
Web2.0 Debate: Keen v. Weinberger
A Hereditary Perk the Founding Fathers Failed to Anticipate
Net Neutrality's Quiet Crusader
Supreme Court Upholds Voter Identification Law in Indiana
Voter, Beware
Choose one of these readings and then tell the class about it. Be as thorough as possible and be prepared to answer questions. You may use any visual aids, handouts, etc. that you'd like. If you feel you must use a powerpoint slide show, do not include words on any of your slides. I'll discuss more details about the assignment in class next week.
These will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. Use the comments section of this post to claim one of the articles. You'll present in class in the same order. I'll add more articles if necessary.
Militants Found Recruits Among Guantanamo's Wrongly Detained
America's Prison for Terrorists Often Held the Wrong Men
Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand
How TalkingPointsMemo Beat the Big Boys on the U.S. Attorney Story
The Climate Change Lobby Explosion
Web2.0 Debate: Keen v. Weinberger
A Hereditary Perk the Founding Fathers Failed to Anticipate
Net Neutrality's Quiet Crusader
Supreme Court Upholds Voter Identification Law in Indiana
Voter, Beware
Choose one of these readings and then tell the class about it. Be as thorough as possible and be prepared to answer questions. You may use any visual aids, handouts, etc. that you'd like. If you feel you must use a powerpoint slide show, do not include words on any of your slides. I'll discuss more details about the assignment in class next week.
These will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. Use the comments section of this post to claim one of the articles. You'll present in class in the same order. I'll add more articles if necessary.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Class Notes: Week of 4/13
Last night we briefly discussed interest groups and watched the first half of the documentary "Free Speech for Sale."
The text defines an interest group as "a private organization or voluntary association that seeks to influence public policy as a way to protect or advance some interest." In the documentary, how did the group (with the misleading name) "Farmers for Fairness" seek to influence public policy?
What are other examples of interest groups? What is a 527 group? What is issue advocacy?
The text defines an interest group as "a private organization or voluntary association that seeks to influence public policy as a way to protect or advance some interest." In the documentary, how did the group (with the misleading name) "Farmers for Fairness" seek to influence public policy?
What are other examples of interest groups? What is a 527 group? What is issue advocacy?
Class Notes: Week of 3/30 (The Courts)
Article III of the U. S. Constitution creates the federal judicial branch.
The U. S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter of federal constitutional questions. The Court has the power to declare state and federal laws and actions null and void when they conflict with the Constitution. (See p. 425 of the text. This is known as judicial review--a power that the Court basically claimed for itself.)
There are 9 justices on the Supreme Court. Justices and federal court judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve life terms. The number of Supreme Court justices is determined by Congress.
The laws of each state establish the state courts. State court judges are selected in a variety of ways. A majority of states (including Kentucky) choose their judges in elections. Some states use merit selection systems to appoint judges.
The judicial branch is considered the least democratic of the three branches of government. Why?
The U. S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter of federal constitutional questions. The Court has the power to declare state and federal laws and actions null and void when they conflict with the Constitution. (See p. 425 of the text. This is known as judicial review--a power that the Court basically claimed for itself.)
There are 9 justices on the Supreme Court. Justices and federal court judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve life terms. The number of Supreme Court justices is determined by Congress.
The laws of each state establish the state courts. State court judges are selected in a variety of ways. A majority of states (including Kentucky) choose their judges in elections. Some states use merit selection systems to appoint judges.
The judicial branch is considered the least democratic of the three branches of government. Why?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Grading Update: Week of 3/23
Just got another big batch of blog post and comment scores uploaded to Blackboard. The posts and comments due the Saturday before and after spring break are freebies--everyone gets full credit for those. Back to the normal schedule this week--next posts and comments due this Saturday (3/28) before midnight.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Class Notes: Week of 3/23
Last night we reviewed the mid-term exam. On the final exam be sure to read carefully every question. I'll be offering some kind of extra credit in the next few weeks for those of you not happy with your mid-term exam score.
We discussed social movements. You should know the text book's definition of social movement: "A loosely organized collection of ordinary people; working outside established institutions; using unconventional and often disruptive methods; acting to get their voices heard by the public at large, the news media and leaders of major institutions, and government officials, in order to promote, resist, or undo some social change." The film "Freedom on My Mind" showed us footage of a social movement in action and provided real life examples of portions of the definition above (working outside established institutions...using disruptive methods...acting to get their voices heard by the public at large, the news media...) and also examples of civil disobedience. The book defines civil disobedience as "Intentionally breaking a law and accepting the consequences as a way to publicize the unjustness of the law."
We also watched the first part of a documentary on the women's suffrage movement entitled "One Woman, One Vote," and learned about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Their efforts helped bring about ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
We discussed social movements. You should know the text book's definition of social movement: "A loosely organized collection of ordinary people; working outside established institutions; using unconventional and often disruptive methods; acting to get their voices heard by the public at large, the news media and leaders of major institutions, and government officials, in order to promote, resist, or undo some social change." The film "Freedom on My Mind" showed us footage of a social movement in action and provided real life examples of portions of the definition above (working outside established institutions...using disruptive methods...acting to get their voices heard by the public at large, the news media...) and also examples of civil disobedience. The book defines civil disobedience as "Intentionally breaking a law and accepting the consequences as a way to publicize the unjustness of the law."
We also watched the first part of a documentary on the women's suffrage movement entitled "One Woman, One Vote," and learned about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Their efforts helped bring about ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Assigment: Week of 3/23
Please read again pages 422 - 434 (The Foundations of Judicial Power, The U.S. Court System: Organization and Jurisdiction, and Appointment to the Federal Bench). Take a look at the bios of the current Supreme Court Justices at the SCOTUS web page.
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