There are many, many sites on the Web that offer information about American politics. On occasion, I will mention supplemental "self-guided" exercises, simulations, and resources that relate to lecture and discussion materials. I encourage you to look at these (some might even be fun). However, these will not count towards your grade.
Supplement One:
Determine
Your Ideology
This exercise is a "quick" test to help you determine your "ideology." Consider the discussion of the liberal tradition in American politics. What, exactly, do people mean by liberalism? Or libertarianism? Does the modern use of "liberal" in this quiz mean the same thing as the classical liberalism discussed in lecture?
Supplement Two:
The
Articles of Confederation and The
Federalist Papers
The Articles of Confederation are discussed in class, and canbe found in the reader. I've suggested in class that some folks liked the way things were under The Articles (1776-1789). "Anti-Federalists" had a different philosophy of government than the folks advocating a new Federal government in The Federalist Papers. Read the Articles of Confederation and one or two more of the Anti-federalists arguments against the Constitution proposed in 1787, then read Madison's response to the Anti-federalists in Federalist Paper #10. What does Madison mean by "a pure democracy?" Was America more of a "pure democracy" under the Articles? Why does Madison feel the need to argue that "extensive republics" are better than small ones?
Supplement Three:
Political
Parties
Examine the philosophy/principles/issues of the various political parties. How do they differ? Do you find yourself supporting one/many issues of the various parties? Make a point of looking at some of the "third" party web sites linked to this page. The Center for Voting and Democracy (CVD) might help you answer one question presented in class: Why are there only two major political parties in the United States? For discussion (week 3) read the Magnuson article about Ralph Nader, and browse the CVD's stories about different ways to hold elections Some think elections in the United States would be more fair if we adopted proportional representation (PR).
Supplment Four:
Influence
of Interest Groups
Interest groups are often criticized for their active involvement in politics. Do yo feel interest groups help or hurt the political process? Are interest groups and political parties playing the same role in the political system? Review a few of the major interest groups web sites.
Supplement Five:
Media
and Politics
Does the media have a liberal or conservative bias? Examine various arguments suggesting that bias exists. The Media Research Center (MRC) is a conservative media "watchdog" organization. Review a few of their video examples of "liberal bias" in the media (we will discuss their survey data in class). Then read an article critical of the MRC, The Myth of "Liberal Bias" in the Media. Check Also see The Pew Center For people and the Press , which provides analysis of public attitudes about the media
Supplement Six: How do Polls
Influence Public Opinion and Voting?
At some point, I've mentioned how ubiquitous public opinion polls have become. And I've probably used ABC News Public Opinion Polls or CNN All-Politics polls to illustrate how support for Bush has gone sky-high since Sept. 11th. The Pew Center also has analysis of public opinion about the terrorist attackes. Why has opinion about Bush changed so rapidly? How much have opinions about civil liberties changed since Sept 11th? Do these large swings in opinion reflect "non-attitudes" and opinion instability, or something else?
Supplement Seven:
Register
to Vote
The above link will guide you to the Washington Secretary of State's Office. You can download a .pdf registration form, which you can print out, then mail it off. Act now, if you want to vote in November. The form is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. If you were not able to mail your registration form 30 days before November 6th, think about why so few people vote.
Supplement Eight: Relationship between Congress,
Committees and Cash
Some say that members of Congress spend all their time chasing money. Not true. They stop to sleep sometimes. Follow the following link to find out who contributed to their campaigns. The Center for Responsive Politics site will also allow you to compare PAC contributions to incumbents and challengers. Check out how many people from your district (or even your Zip Code) actually give to candidates in your district. What's the connection? How much do you think it would cost to get your member to write you some legislation?
Supplement Nine: Supreme Court
Decisions
Review some of the Supreme Court cases we have discussed in class, incuding (United States v. Lopez (1995); Roe v. Wade (1973); Miranda v. Arizona (1966).