Saturday, November 7, 2015

Politics and Government Homework - Due - Tuesday, Nov 10


1 - Read Dahl 89 - 99 and take notes

What indicators does Dahl mention as useful to test for constitutional performance? Are these measures appropriate?
What is Dahl’s criteria for determining how well a constitutional system performs?
What are some factors that impact the likelihood of democratic stability?
Why does Dahl focus on democracy in the second half of the Twentieth Century?
Why does Dahl believe the Civil War occurred?
Discuss the questions Dahl raises regarding the impact of presidential vs parliamentary systems on democratic stability.
What criteria makes for democracy for the purpose of Dahl’s study?
Discuss Freedom House and its findings and summarize. What conclusions might one try to draw from the data.
What is federalism? What countries, in addition to the U.S., have federal systems?
What determines how well rights and liberties are protected in a mature democratic country?
2 - Submit a response to the Constitution Center Trip (2 pages, typed)

Did the Constitution Center suggest the founders intended to create a revolutionary and democratic government? Pick any three things you saw and discuss them in relation to this question.

How did your experience at the Constitution Center confirm, refute, or deepen your own thinking about a text or texts you've read in class? (provide textual evidence)

What would you change or add if you were designing a Constitution Center?


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