Note: the final is comprehensive, but this page only covers topics since the midterm

However, most questions from the first half of the class will come from your midterm.  So be sure to review your midterm before taking the final to review older material. 

Ch 9: interest Groups

1. Explain the basic premise behind the Elitist and Pluralist Theories of policy-making. Which better explain politics in America? 
2. Discuss the tactics/strategies used by interest groups to influence policy-making --especially lobbying, electioneering (PAC donations), ballot initiatives, & litigation. Why are some groups more influential than others ("How Interest Groups Succeed")?
3. Roesler argues that ballot initiatives should be considered a tactic of interest groups, since the most successful Initiatives are those backed by interest groups. Explain how the 2006 Minimum Wage initiative, Rex Sinquefield's teacher initiative in Missouri OR the Cannabis legalization in Colorado illustrates Roesler's point.
4. Discuss the tactics used by Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights movement (see chapter 5). Compare these tactics to those of more traditional interest groups seeking to affect policy.  Why didn't King use tactics (like electioneering) that are more commonly used today? 
5. Why are modern interest groups hesitant to use protests, but instead favor of other tactics to influence legislation?  Optional: Watch this Daily Show clip on vandalism and the Occupy Wall Street protests.  For more (optional) on the problems of protests, read this article on the protests of the police shooting of Michael Brown.
6. Candidates who spend the most money usually win and interest groups that have more money have more access and more influence. How does this reflect the point that in terms of interest group spending on campaigns, liberty seems inconsistent with equality?
7. How does this Colbert interview of Robert Kennedy, Jr illustrate the power of interest groups? 
8. Watch this Daily Show Clip and explain the power of the NRA in affecting the government's ability to regulate guns. Why isn't the ATF able to order gun dealers NOT to sell guns to people who are drunk and/or stoned? Use this example to explain the relationship between Congress, Interest Groups and the Bureaucracy that regulates the interest groups.  How do the actions of the Florida Legislature after the 2018 school shooting illustrate the power of the NRA?

Chapter 7: Parties

1. Distinguish between a political party and an interest group.  Is the "Tea Party" a political party?
2. American politicians, beginning with George Washington, have been critical of parties, yet we still have them.  Why are they still relevant?  In other words, what functions/roles do parties play in our democracy (see "Parties Today and their Functions")?
3. In terms of groups affiliations (race, gender, socioeconomic status), who are ‘typical’ Democrats and Republicans?  Be sure to review chapter 6 & watch the Parties Minilecture for more on this).
4. Discuss the impact & role of 3rd parties.
5. What factors perpetuate the two-party system in the US (i.e. why is it hard for 3rd party candidates to win)?  Watch this 2008 interview of Ralph Nader to see his frustrations at the two main parties and why it's difficult for 3rd party candidates to get on the ballot. Based on the CPG Grey clip in the lecture, discuss how the First Past the Post system harms 3rd parties.
6. What role do parties play in the US & other democracies?  Compare “responsible party government” with “divided government.”
7. Briefly explain the structure of the two main parties.  Explain the nomination process for the parties.  Be sure to differentiate between a caucus and open & closed primaries.

• Optional: Go here to see 2012 St. Charles County Republican Caucus, where Ron Paul supporters loudly protested what they perceived as being shut out of the process.

     

Chapter 8: Campaigns

Listen to the Electoral Variations article (go here to see a student's transcription)

1. What factors affect political participation & voter turnout?  Discuss the impact of Education level, Age, Race, Income & Party competitiveness on turnout.
2. What factors discourage voting?  How does Abby (in this clip) illustrate Voter Fatigue? 
3. How do states attempt to limit voting (discuss Voter ID and voter registration?  Recall the Voter ID and registration clip from ch1 and the ch7 discussion of supporters for both Democrats & Republicans: Why do Democrats seek to make it easy for minorities & the poor to vote, while Republicans favor putting more restrictions on voting (including photo ID laws) when voter fraud is essentially non-existent?
4. Discuss two reasons why Roesler prefers optical scan over electronic voting -- in other words, two problems with electronic voting.
5. Explain how campaign rules & laws affect the outcome of elections and relate this to Lasswell's definition of Politics. You can discuss voter ID OR how the caucus system favored Bernie and the Primaries favored Hillary.
6. How did the 2002 McCain-Feingold (BCRA) law try to address the concerns about money in politics after the Buckley v Valeo decision?  How was it undermined by the 2010 Citizens United decision and the 2014 McCutcheon ruling?
7. How does the Citizens United ruling expand on the earlier Buckley v Valeo ruling?  How do these court rulings affect the influence of large corporations & special interest groups?
8. Many people are not concerned about large contributions, since it only buys "access" and not "votes".  Why is Roesler concerned about contributions buying access?
9. How does this Colbert clip (about how he created a 501-c4 to funnel money into his SuperPAC) illustrate the problem with money harming democracy? 
• Optional:  For more, you can watch this optional clip on how/why he set up his SuperPAC. You can also watch Colbert closing his SuperPAC while keeping all the money for himself without telling anyone where the money went (even the IRS).
• Optional: If you want more context, watch this earlier clip about Colbert's PAC becoming a superPac).
10. Watch the Colbert rally clip in the lecture or watch last 1/2 (from 4:35 to 7:00) of Colbert's Rally for Herman Cain in South Carolina, especially his take on the Citizen's United ruling & on Lincoln's "Government of the people, by the people..." What was Colbert's point about questions about his SuperPAC being a joke?  Go here for a different link.  It also can be found on the online lecture.
11. Discuss the factors that allowed Trump to win despite spending less money than Clinton, focusing on Russia, Comey & Trump's use of Social Media. Do you agree with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that Russian interference changed the outcome of the election?

Optional Clips

• Here's a great Daily Show piece discussing the 2013 Australian Election & how it differs from US elections.
• Here's aorg analysis of arguably the most racist & sexist ad of the 2012 campaign season.  
• Go here for an interesting read why we have elections on Tuesdays

   

Chapter 11: Congress (Watch Mr. Bill)

1. How does representation differ between the House of Representatives and the Senate?
2. Explain how and why the House is a more formally structured institution.
1. Optional: For a fun look at filibusters, watch this Daily Show clip.
3. What factors are likely to make a member of Congress to view themselves as a delegate as opposed to a trustee in terms of representation? 
4. Explain the ruling in Baker v Carr (1962). The Supreme Court interpreted the Equal Protection Clause to require that electoral districts be periodically adjusted to account for population shifts. Why does this "one-person-one-vote" ruling forces states to redraw district boundaries after every census? For more explanation of the ruling, watch this clip. 
5. Based on the lecture, discuss the two ways that extreme gerrymandering undermines democracy. How does it discourage participation and undermine the will of the popular vote? Should leaders be able to choose their voters rather than voters choosing their leaders?
1. For a great (optional) look at the "artistry" of gerrymandering, watch this Daily Show (Jason Jones) interview.
6. Watch this Daily Show clip on election rigging and gerrymandering and this Colbert clip on how Gerrymandering changed the outcome of the 2012 House elections. How do they relate to Harold Lasswell's definition of politics? Go here for an alternative link to the Colbert clip. 
7. Discuss the role of congressional parties, leaders and committees in the legislative process. Be sure to know the leadership of Congress: names as well as titles for both houses (including party affiliation).
8. What are the main roles/powers of Congress? 
9. Roesler argues that "pork" (another term for earmarks) is in the eye of the beholder. Watch this clip on military spending. Do you think this is "pork"?
10. Briefly explain how a bill becomes a law (Mr. Bill is helpful).  You can find the lyrics here. 

 

Chapter 12: The Presidency

Optional: go here for history of presidential ads 

1. Discuss the expressed (delegated by the Constitution), statutory & inherent powers (including the media) of the President.
2. Since the New Deal, the powers of the presidency have expanded dramatically while those of Congress have waned.  Why?  Does this reflect the intent of the framers of the Constitution?
3. Why is the Presidency NOT like the CEO of a corporation?  In other words, how do Iron Triangles make it difficult for the President to control his bureaucracy? Refer back to previous units on this topic.
4. What was the framers’ reason for creating the Electoral College to select the president? According to the lecture and this CGP Grey discussion, what's wrong with the Electoral College? In other words, why would professor Roesler like to get rid of it?
5. Based on the Electoral Variations Clip, discuss how the Electoral College reflects the "how" in Lasswell's definition of politics?
6. Discuss other approaches to selecting a president. (listen to Electoral Variations in Canvas to answer this question. You can also go here for a map of the 2016 swing states

For a different perspective on Presidential elections, listen to this OPTIONAL NPR clip on a Republican's view of French elections.  

 

Chapter 13: Bureaucracy;  Colbert Report clip on Wetlands definition

1. Understand the organization of the federal government bureaucracy (cabinet departments, independent agencies, government corporations & regulatory agencies).
2. How do iron triangles and Congressional oversight limit the President's ability to get the bureaucracy the do what he wants (also see chapter 7)? Hint: think of the difficulty of having to report to two different supervisors with different agendas.  
3. How does this Daily Show clip on Obama's struggles with reforming the Veterans' Administration illustrate people's worst impressions of bureaucracy. Another OPTIONAL clip discusses the history of the mistreatment of veterans going back to the revolutionary war period
4. Discuss the benefits/reasons for having a bureaucracy (preventing fraud, uniformity of service & public health & safety) as well as the drawback (stifling creativity and increasing costs).
5. How does the Nick Kristoff Colbert clip on fish genitalia or the Daily Show clip (comparing regulation of US banks to Canadian banks--see clip in the lecture) illustrate the benefits of regulations or the cost of NOT having regulations?  What are the costs of NOT regulating pesticides, such as the neurotoxin pesticide chlorpyrifos? Do you agree with the Trump administration decision to reverse the ban and now allow the pesticide to be used on food?
   
   1. For more (Optional) read The Business Insider discussion of John Tobacco interview on the Daily Show clip in the lecture. You can also (optional) watch the whole clip here, since it's been taken off the Comedy Central Website (warning, it's very crude): http://crooksandliars.com/heather/daily-show-you-cant-ram-banking-regulation and/or here: https://archive.org/details/COM_20130625_060000_The_Daily_Show_With_Jon_Stewart#start/600/end/660 
6. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of devolution and privatization (contracting out to "shadow bureaucracies"). Why doesn't privatization (contracting out) tend to improve performance?

Optional clips/articles on the bureaucracy:

• Read this (optional) article for a strong defense of government bureaucracies by Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College
• Here's another interesting (optional) clip about how Al Qaeda bureaucracy works.
• For an interesting look at the TSA screening, watch this Colbert clip on the TSA screening.  (or you can read Goldberg's blog of the search of his "resistance"). Many experts argue that this is not likely to be effective since there are easy ways to thwart the technique. How does this fit with Ben Franklin's belief that "they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"? 

Chapter 16: Foreign Policy (chapter online) -- most of these questions can be answered from the lecture, but the online chapter may be helpful

1. Discuss how American foreign policy has changed since George Washington's presidency.
2. Watch this Colbert clip on the 2001 Authorization on the Use of Force (AUMF). Is this too much power for one person?  Do you think the Founders would want the President to have this power?  What did Obama ask Congress to do?  
3. Watch this clip on our operation in Libya. Do you agree with "candidate" Obama or President Obama on the constitutionality of bombing Libya?
   
4. How was the War Powers Resolution an attempt by Congress to regain some control of foreign policy?  Professor Roesler argues it didn't work.  Does the case of Libya support Roesler?
5. Discuss other factors that affect US foreign-policy making, including the media and interest groups.
6.  Watch the short interview of  Eugene Jarecki in the lecture on "Why We Fight".  Discuss the power of the military industrial complex in promoting military spending, including "political engineering." 
1. Optional: How does this Daily Show clip on congressional authorization of tanks against the wishes of the military reflect this?
7. Compare Obama's foreign policy with Bush's, including Bush's approach to Iraq with Obama's approach to Libya.
8. In what way is Trump's foreign policy radically different than his predecessors? In what ways was Trump unable to make significant changes? How does his inability to get everything he wants illustrate the power of other forces setting policy?

 

Chapter 14: The Judiciary

• Optional: for a fun look at the Supreme Court, watch this clip starting at 4:20 (4 minutes & 20 seconds); &  this Colbert interview of Jeffrey Toobin

1. Explain civil (tort) versus criminal law, stare decisis, amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs and certiorari.  
2. What was the impact of Marbury v Madison on the power of the Supreme Court?
3. Listen to this article and distinguish between Strict versus Broad Constructionists. Give an example of each from the lecture. Be sure to review McCulloch v Maryland decision.
• Optional: This Colbert clip might help explain Strict Constructionism.
4. Distinguish between Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint.  Cite examples of both types of rulings -- be sure to explain the logic/rationale behind the decisions in those cases and how they are activist or restrained decisions. Which judges have become the most activist (striking down laws) in the last two decades?
5. Understand the Supreme Court procedures for choosing and deciding cases.
6. In 2018, Trump announced the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Kennedy on the Supreme Court. What does CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin argue (from the lecture) will be the impact of that on Roe v Wade?  How does that reflect the increasingly partisan nature of the Supreme Court (partisan bias of justices affecting court decisions)?

 

Chapters 15: Domestic Policy

Watch the 60 Minutes clip: Where have all the addicts gone (available in Canvas)

1. The US government plays a much smaller role in domestic affairs (economic and social policies) than most other Western democratic governments.  How would political culture & values explain this? (Also see chapters 6 & 1).
2. Watch Roesler's lecture on healthcare reform on his webpage. Discuss the reasons for health care reform.  Discuss one part of the bill you think is a good idea and one part that you don't. 
3. Compare health care approaches in the US and Canada after reading "Paying More, Living Less" (in Canvas --ch16/17 module -- and also discussed in the Domestic Policy online lecture). How does the ACA's approach to reforming health care fit in with our political culture of mistrust of government?  Review the "statistics columns" from the WHO's pages: 
   http://www.who.int/countries/usa/en/ and http://www.who.int/countries/can/en/
4. Discuss the ways government can affect the economy: Regulation, Fiscal & Monetary policy.
• Optional:  Watch this interview of Obama's Head of the EPA for a defense of government regulation, especially with regards to mercury pollution
• For a fun (optional) look at government regulation, watch this Colbert Clip on raw milk.
5. Distinguish between progressive and regressive taxes. 
6. The optional article What Would Jesus Tax (WWJT -- found in the ch16/17 module in Canvas) discusses the question of whether our policies should reflect our values/morality. In the US tax code, the wealthy who earn much of their money through capital gains pay a much lower tax rate than middle class Americans who pay much higher taxes on their earned income. Even billionaire Warren Buffet complains that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. Should taxes reflect our moral values? If so, is our current system moral? 
   1. Optional: For more, read this article and explain why Billionaire Warren Buffet argues that our tax system is unfair. OR, read this short CNN article on the same topic.
   2. Optional: read this Susan Pace Hamill article: What Would Jesus Tax?  If you have trouble with the WWJT article, try here OR here (also in Canvas).
   3. Optional : For an interesting look at taxes in America, watch this Daily Show clip (starting at 2 minutes).  
7. Explain in Lasswell's definition of Politics and relate it to choices over conflicting values. Discuss one example from public policy (healthcare, Social Security; drug policy, the budget...) and explain how it relates to Lasswell. Explain how ideology (specifically the EFO ideology model of Equality, Freedom & Order) relates to the idea of choices over conflicting values. For a helpful clip linking values to politics, watch this Colbert Clip on Father' Reese's views on the Federal Budget proposal by Congressman Paul Ryan.
8. Do you favor a larger role for the government (such as promoting healthcare & clean air or fighting war on drugs)? How does the debate over the role of government in our lives relate to one’s view of freedom, order & equality and the EFO ideological model? How does this relate to Lasswell & to choices over conflicting values?
9. Other countries, such as Switzerland, have taken a more health-oriented approach to drug addiction, compared with our "war on drugs."  Which makes more sense to you?  Watch the OPTIONAL 60 Minutes: Where have all the addicts gone (in Canvas).

• (If you want more info -- this part is not required!--  read this article from the economist: "How to make Heroin less deadly"   and this one "A Fix But No Cure..." and this one: Swiss_heroin_model_reporting_benefits). (For more, read this article and discuss Portugal's approach to drugs).
• For more on America's war on drugs, watch this Colbert interview of Nick Gillespie on legalizing Marijuana.  Explain his argument with regards to "prohibition" of marijuana. Specifically, what is the problem with harsh sentencing of non-violent drug offenders?  Make a case for or against changing our approach to drug policy. Contrast our approach to drugs with the Swiss approach to heroin.   
• Optional: watch this silly Colbert clip on Sanjay Gupta's views on marijuana.
•  Optional: Read this article in the Christian Science Monitor on income inequality in America. David Francis discusses which segment of the population gets the most federal subsidies aimed at building wealth?
• Optional:  Watch this Daily Show clip on Buffet's ideas & class warfare-- in what way does Stewart argue we are a 3rd world country?

More Optional Clips:

• For more on the cost of the Obama/Republican tax cut deal, go here. 
• For a fun look at the FED's "quantitative easing" policy, watch this Daily Show clip
• For a fun look at Government as Big Brother, go here
• For a fun (but insightful) look at the 2008-2009 economic crash, watch this Southpark clip or the whole Episode at http://www.xepisodes.com/episodes/1303/Margaritaville.html, especially the segment from 18:25 to 20 minutes

The Final Exam is comprehensive, with both multiple choice & essay questions. 

The best way to prepare is to review the midterm and quizzes since the midterm for multiple choice questions. 

The essays will be derived from the topics below.

NOTE: I will only grade your essays on the final exam if you are within 1 or 2 percentage points of the next higher grade. For example, if you have a 79% in the class, I will go back and review your exam essays to see if they would have helped bring your grade to a B.  I will NOT grade them if you have an 80% without factoring in the essays, for example.

The Final essays are NOT extra credit -- if I grade your long essay it will simply count as one more grade.  If you have a 79% in the class and get a C on the essays, then you will still get a C in the class. 

The essays will be derived from some of the following topics (see the related study guide questions for more info):

1. Tax policy
2. 14th Amendment
3. Civil Rights
4. Money in politics -- Buckley, Citizens United & reform options
5. Health Care policy
6. Bureaucracy & Iron Triangles
7. Presidential power, foreign policy & the military industrial complex
8. Lasswell
9. Locke

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