Political science

Is Congress broken or dysfunctional? If so, how or what are the most important parts that are broken or dysfunctional. If not, where is Congress functioning as intended or why are arguments about dysfunction missing key points/ideas about Congress? What are some ideas for changing Congress that relate to the ideas you are talking about above. Why are they good or poor ideas for reforming Congress? Make sure to say congress Is dysfunctional

Directions: For the final essay exam in this class, you are required to compose a 400-450 word argumentative essay addressing the following question. As a brief reminder, this essay is worth 32 points.     FINAL ESSAY EXAM QUESTION    During the semester, we discussed a variety of issues related to Black liberation and the oppressive experiences Black communities face.  Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor examines the explosion of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by examining Black people’s ongoing struggle with violence, police brutality, and exploitation by the criminal justice system.  She ends the book with a simple question. Based on our class readings, class discussions, and your essays and research papers, develop a 400-450 word argumentative essay that addresses the following question.    Can Black people gain equality in America?    A few things to consider…..  Do you have a claim (thesis) that takes a position on one side or the other? This is an argument so the essay should be arguing a position related to the question. To make it easy for the reader to find, try to keep it in the introduction.   Have you clearly incorporated the reading material from the class? The purpose of this essay is for you to demonstrate that you understand how to make clear statements and use source material to support your ideas, claim, and discussion about a particular topic.    Are you still using I, me, my, you, us, we, our? That language should not be included in this essay. Remember, we talked about the many reasons why this type of language should not be used. At this point of the semester, you should have already made the adjustment in your writing. This essay is your opportunity to demonstrate growth.  Does your essay follow the basic essay structure at the least? At the very least, an essay has an introduction, body paragraphs that examine the points of discussion, and a conclusion. These are the basic components of an essay. Also, make sure the first line of each sentence is indented. This signals to the reader that a new paragraph is starting. Avoid using pronouns in the first sentence of a paragraph. A sentence with a noun has to precede a sentence replacing that noun with a pronoun.    Are your sentences complete? Remember when we talked about fragments? A complete sentence has to have a subject, verb, and complete thought.  Also, do not combine two complete sentences with a comma (that makes a comma-splice).     Did you proofread?

Answer any 3, no sources required. not in essay format, answer as individual questions and list the questions before answering. 1.Why is history important to the study of contemporary world affairs? What are the limitations of history for understanding and explaining contemporary world affairs?   2. Compare and contrast the balance of power and polarity theory. Which one do you think is most useful for understanding contemporary world affairs? Why?   3. What is a Great Power? What approaches can be applied to identify a Great Power?  Why are Great Powers important in the study of contemporary world affairs.   4. What is meant by the concept of international society? How has International Society changed since the origins of the modern state system?   5. What factors led to de-colonization in wake of World War II? Identify and briefly discuss the major challenges de-colonized states have and continue to confront.   6. What is functionalism? How does it differ from neo-functionalism? What is its relationship to the concept of international regimes through a brief discussion of an international regime?   7. Despite a wide range of theoretical and empirical studies, the causes of war and conditions of peace unite them all together. Do you agree? Why or why not?   8. What is meant by interdependence? Define the concepts of sensitivity and vulnerability and illustrate with an empirical example.   9. Define deterrence. What are its primary components and purpose? Briefly identify and discuss the primary concepts of a strategic nuclear mutual deterrence relationship.   10. What are the key components of the international economic system established after World War II? How have these changed over time? Identify and briefly discuss the challenges the system faces today.

Essay #4 – Domestic Public Policy For this essay you will pick an example of a domestic policy.  This needs to be a law passed by Congress OR an executive order issued by a President since January 20, 2001.  I will not accept anything that deals with International relations or foreign policy, however anything involving immigration would be acceptable for example……I will say often the policies chosen to write about are in the areas of taxes, entitlements, healthcare, energy, environment, education, etc.   Good examples would be anything relating to healthcare, education, the environment, immigration, or energy, although technically anything involving entitlements, spending, taxes, and regulation are also acceptable. 1.  Introduce and describe when your policy was passed/issued.  Who was President, which party mainly supported it, etc.  What problem/issue was the policy meant to deal with and/or improve?  You can also mention what was going on in the economy/society that made this in your view come to the forefront of the policy agenda.   2. Describe how the policy came to be adopted.  Track the steps in the executive order, or law.  Was the policy you picked something that had never been done before, or the reform of an existing law, or an EO that had been issued in the past or an EO that was just changing how a law was being implemented…..those details help as to describing the process in how this policy came to be.  You can mention the controversy over it, how the votes for it in Congress were very split between the two parties or non-partisan, if it was originally vetoed at first by a President, anything to highlight the process (and struggle) of getting this policy adopted.   3. Find sources that give us an idea of how successful (or unsuccessful) the policy has been.  Has it been effective in solving the problem it set out to fix?  What are some major problems the policy has faced?  Has Congress (Or the White House) set out to improve the law at any point in time?  Try to show an example of how the policy is working, and another example that points out a problem. 4. What’s your opinion of the policy?  Do you think it’s been effective or not?  What would be recommendations you would have in improving the policy?  For this I’m looking for good examples based on good sources because I know that there’s always tons of material out there with ideas of how to improve laws. As always, at least 4-5 pages and 4-5 sources.

The topic is why the United Kingdom has a two-party system? The essay should not be a broad general introduction of a country. A case study is NOT a country profile. I already did an introduction but its not finished, so just review and finish it and then follow the topic.  This essay needs to apply comparative politics methods and theories and concepts. Clear arguments and your own perspective on the topic.

(THE EXAMPLE OF THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THE ORDER IS UPLOADED BY THE NAME “EXAMPLE”) Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and Related Programs https://archive.massbudget.org/browser/line_item.php?id=3000607500 They were under funding mental health services then lumped the budget with a bunch of other services to make it look like a budget increase. – Evaluate the Governor’s recommended funding levels  – Find Historical Appropriation Levels (MBPC)  – Record the History of the budget appropriations from 2012 – 2021 (MBPC)  – Explain the budgetary trends  – Talk about how these trends have impact on Mission, Problems, and policies  – Talk about inflation and its effect on appropriation trends – Recommend changes to policy initiatives and funding levels past 2021 Note: does not need any formal writing format, writing by points are recommended

Decide and discuss whether you consider yourself as one of the following….either exclusively one or the other: structuralist or culturalist.

The last reading and writing assignment laid the foundation for this present assignment by providing the tools required to perform a practical analysis of a public policy. This present assignment calls for you to use those tools to perform an analysis of the essential provisions of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Your task is to describe the background of the “welfare” issue, the basic national values that create the need for this (welfare) policy, the winners and the losers etc. Then, methodically apply the steps in the Chambers model to determine the adequacy, equity and efficiency of related TANF policy. In order to render judgments about adequacy, efficiency and equity, you should: Identify the basic policy elements (goals and objectives; forms of benefits etc.), sub-types or sub-elements (long vs. short term etc.; personal counseling, cash benefits, subsidies etc.) Identify the basic evaluation criteria you are using to evaluate the policy (Fit between goals and underlying purposes and values; clarity of goals etc.; stigmatization, target efficiency, cost-effectiveness of the form of benefits etc.) Although this policy provides a block grant to the several states and allows discretion in the way that its basic provisions are carried out, you may restrict your analysis to the basic provisions of TANF: assisting needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes reducing the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families One good source of information on TANF is provided by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Organize this assignment as you see fit but consider using the same table form that Chambers uses to identify policy elements sub-elements and evaluation criteria that lead you to your evaluation which you may do by adding a column to the table or adding additional narrative. I am not looking for an exhaustive analysis of this policy. While you should try to identify all of the basic policy elements (goals, form of benefits, eligibility rules, service delivery organization and financing), identifying just one or two sub-types and evaluative criteria, that is, enough to support your preliminary conclusions, will be sufficient. It is important to note that all of the elements of a policy should work together to accomplish the goals of the policy. Thus, a “challenge” to the adequacy of the policy (the ability of the policy to meet the goals of the policy) may reside in the form of benefits or in the organization of service delivery or financing etc. PAGE LENGTH- 4-5 pages.

The purpose of the final exam is to demonstrate that you have not only understood the fundamental ideas presented during the course of the semester, but are capable of making and defending a coherent argument using what you have learned.  The final exam is due on Friday, December 18 by  3:20 p.m. and it is to be uploaded to Canvas.  This will count as 35% of your grade for this course.  No late papers will be accepted.  What that means is that Canvas will not accept submissions beginning at 3:20 p.m. on that day. Nor will I, via email. If you are having difficulty uploading your paper to Canvas, you may email it to me prior to that time and date. If the time stamp on your email reads anything later than 3:20 p.m. on that day, it will be considered an F.  If I were you I would get it done and uploaded WAY before that time.  You may use any readings that we have done this semester, including readings not originally on the syllabus that were added during the semester.  That means Tocqueville is in play.  As is the Federal Court case on Canvas, Trump Inc. vs. Boockvar. Here is the catch:  The final exam is not a paper.  It is a three-page long, single-spaced, detailed outline complete with correct and proper citation format as outlined in class (see handout: “How To Write A Paper”), which is to be formally presented in class on the day of the final.  You will have seven minutes to do so, followed by Q and A.  Any presentation going under six minutes will negatively affect the final grade.  The thirty second warning will be given as usual to keep accurate time.  I highly suggest you practice your timing on a stopwatch before the day of the final exam. The order of presentations will be on a voluntary basis.  All students must remain in class for the duration of the final, and Q and A will follow each presenter.  I will be keeping track of all Q and A participants, and thus every one of you must ask at least one question at some point, regardless of presentation order.  The limit of questions to each presenter will be three.  Answer The Following Question: In this year alone, we have witnessed a unique Presidential Election, and a rare exercise, and/or non-exercise as the case may be, of power from the Judicial Branch and the Legislative Branch.  So, in your considered view, is the Executive branch of government really the most powerful of the three?  If so, why?  If not, why not?  What interrelationships are involved?  In your answer, include an explication how the Federalists believed the relative power of each branch might be and why, and then go to the readings to back up your argument.  Other than that, how you use historical analyses found in the textbooks is at your discretion. You must use at least five sources in your answer.  What is a source?  Pika is one source.  Nelson is one source. The Federalists Papers is one source.  The Constitution is one source.  The speeches collectively are one source.  Any individual Supreme or Federal Court case counts as one source, and you have no limit as to how many you may use.  (If you wish to expand your use of Supreme or Federal Court cases, you may do so, but they must be approved by me first, the only reason being to show the relevance of your chosen case, and I might be able to steer you in a more helpful direction, if necessary.)  The media, in all of its forms, collectively count as a single source, and there is no limit as to how many media outlets you may use, but choose wisely.  The Tocqueville reading counts as one source. That is eight total available sources, and you need only use five.   The best answers will clearly identify your own “So-What Factor”, and the top three arguments defending it.  This question may sound broad, but it is to examine how you analyze the Presidency in terms of not only the founding of the United States, but also if or how that has changed over time.  You may take any direction you wish, but the overall point is to be clear and ruthlessly organized.  STAKE YOUR CLAIM AND OWN IT.

For this portion of the exam you will have to answer a total of three of the following questions, one from the first three, one from the second four, and a third of your choosing from any of the seven. For your exam you must answer one of this first set of three questions. According to Habermas, what is the public sphere? What is Habermas’ ideal speech situation (aka rational critical discourse) and what should result from it? Does rational critical discourse occur within our political media? If so, when and where (think about what particular media formats or outlets)? If not, why not? Did the recent presidential debates have a proclivity towards RCD? Why or why not?  What is the binary discourse of American civil society? How is this binary related to Habermas’ ideal vision of civil society?  In what ways can a political actor or institution be discussed utilizing these binaries? Describe an example in which these binaries are disseminated. Why, after an examination of the binary discourse present in American civil society, does Alexander conclude that we can never have a perfect civil society or public sphere?      Habermas argues that political communication must be rational in order to be effective.  On the other hand, Alexander and others argue that political communication is performative. What do they mean by this? (Think cultural scripts, drama, and recognizable narratives). Be sure to define the concept of performative rationality. Argue your position in reference to this debate. That is, by using examples from our media (be specific), answer these two pertinent questions: which type of political communication is more likely to occur?  In your opinion is one type of communication more ideal/desirable? Why? Which one do you think is more effective? Why?   For your exam must answer one of this second set of four questions. What is a political gaffe? Is understanding political gaffes important for political campaign coverage? Why? How are gaffes connected to the construction of authenticity? Be sure to describe the process by which gaffes are constructed. What are some of the communicative strategies used by politicians to mitigate a gaffe moment? Which strategy do you think is most effective? Lastly, if you worked on a campaign how would you administer this strategy? What is political polarization? How has political polarization shifted over the last couple of decades? Describe using examples. How is this process connected to media bias? Be sure to define and describe the type of media bias that is connected to political polarization. Lastly, what are echo chambers, and how are they connected to confirmation bias and political polarization? (Be sure to describe echo chambers and confirmation bias.)    There have been a number of recent changes in technology and policy that have altered the dissemination and impact of political advertisements. First, describe two of these changes and their impacts on contemporary political advertisements. Second, describe two strategies you would take to create an effective political advertisement. Lastly, describe an empirical example of an existent effective advertisement that used those strategies (link to the advertisement if possible).  Describe three characteristics of the troll community of 4chan. Connect these characteristics to at least three of the anxieties expressed by alt-right trolls. Describe these anxieties and why they are connected to the political positions of the alt-right. Next describe how these communities use bots and memes to signify their political positions and attempt to influence politicians and the public. (Be sure to define the concepts of memes and bots.)      One of the most important insights of the aesthetic public sphere paradigm is that entertainment media and serious political debate cannot be so easily separated. Utilizing this framework, select and describe a pop culture text or icon that emphasizes this social fact. That is, describe how this entertainment text or icon enters into “serious” political issues.  How can these fictional characters or celebrity personalities be used to take a political stance? Lastly, why does this further problematize the ubiquitous desire for RCD?