American Politics Comp Questions

 

 

  1. "Politics is the attempt to shape a common future". Write a critical discussion of this statement. Feel free to substitute your own definition in whole or in part. Include in your discussio n the ways in which both ideology and institutions make a contribution.
  2. Majorities are both the blessing and the curse of democratic society. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of majorities in democratic theory and practice. Include in your discussion a consideration of some of the modifications of majority rule, and the reasons for them.
  3. Discuss the elements of political leadership, identify the attributes of good and bad leadership, and defend your judgements. Provide copiou s examples from various areas of politics.
  4. Discuss the roles and power of the traditional parts of government: legislative, executive, and judicial, in modern government. Include in your discussion the factors which have contributed to their present roles and functions.
  5. "Scarcely any political question ever arises in America that is not, sooner or later, turned into a judicial question". Discuss the validity of this statement, and the factors operative in the American poli ty that might be said to validate it.
  6. Discuss the positions of two political theorists with dissimilar ideas as to the appropriate role of government, and relate this discussion both to constitutional forms of government and to contemporary controversies in specific policy areas.
  7. In relation to substantive rights and/or procedural guarantees, the 14th Amendment’s due process clause has undergone significant interpretation and transformation over time. Discuss the changing meaning and interpretation over time of this protean passage.
  8. Discuss the various non-governmental forms of political organization with public policy aims that have arisen in various political systems and assess the legitimacy of their activities and methods.
  9. Discuss the importance of elections in linking the public and its preferences to public officials and public policy outcomes.
  10. The most profound revolution in America and the western world in the past 200 years h as been the introduction of ordinary people into the political process. The most obvious way in which their participation has been secured is through the right to vote. Yet voting is in fact only the exposed tip of a complicated political and social process. Discuss (i) some of the ways in which people in America have become involved in politics (e.g. social movements, governmental acts), and (ii) some of the social and political structures and ideas which are the precondition of and the support for tha t involvement (e.g., ideas about equality, political parties).
  11. Discuss the elements of political leadership, identify the attributes of good and bad leadership, and defend your judgements. Provide copious examples from various areas of politics.
  12. Discuss the problem-solving capabilities of government, using examples from both foreign and domestic policy and for the latter, from different levels (national, state, local).
  13. The relationship between citizen and state attracts t he attention of many theorists and is also a central component of most political ideologies. Using the United States as an example, explain how this relationship is interpreted in terms of theory/ideology and practice.
  14. How do people politically participate in democratic and/or non-democratic systems? How and why do theorists and ideologies justify – or demand – participation? In practice, what factors best account for meaningful political participation? What are the consequences of large-sca le nonparticipation?
  15. Is economic equality related to political equality? Drawing on relevant political theories, discuss the relationship between economic and political equality in the United States.
  16. What are the effects of pursuing one’s self interests in politics? How have different political theorists viewed the relationship between self-interests and politics? Draw examples from at least two countries to analyze the consequences of pursuing individual interests in domestic politi cs and national interests in international relations.
  17. Analyze political opposition in relation to the establishment and maintenance of democracy, illustrating your argument with concrete examples from the US. What role do democratic theorists assign to political opposition?
  18. Discuss political representation in the United States, establishing theoretical foundations and the actual experiences. Are there conclusions that can be drawn about the nature of the political systems themselves?
  19. What makes an event politically important? Consider the following question: "Out in the mud-splattered villages of Burundi or along the dusty roads of Bangladesh live the silent masses. Save for the periodic typhoon, Ebola outbreak or episode of genocide, no one ever notices them. In the age of global communication, silence means you don’t exist. Who exists depends on what the media class decides – those who control the satellites, coaxial cables and videocams and who are largely located i n the northern hemisphere. They decide who is hip and where politics are made. Of all the world’s cleavages, this may be the most significant."
    Discuss the significance of such non-governmental influence on political life as that described in the above passage from the perspective of the United States. How do the values of the political system in which each member lives affect their view? How might political theorists analyze and respond to their views?
  20. Democratic politics has tra ditionally presupposed a sovereign community. Yet, this presupposition is challenged by increasingly regional and global interconnectedness—through issues from economic internationalization, to environmental problems, to arms procurement. What effect does this have on sovereignty, citizenship, and democratic politics?
  21. Constitutional government is often seen historically as limited government. What is the theoretical basis for such limitations? Discuss the development of constitutional limitation s within the central government in the United States. Additionally, describe, account for, and compare the relative changes in authority and responsibility of the three branches of our central government.
  22. Political systems at any given time often retain the vestiges of previous regimes or, especially in the case of the United States, of previous periods. Examine the origins and consequences of such vestiges in the US and one other system. For the US, include in your essay a discussion of the lo ng-term effects of the revolutionary tradition with its emphasis on community, centralism, individuality, and direct democracy as opposed to the concentration of state and corporate power.
  23. Running as a continuos thread through our nation’s history has been the issue of how governmental power and responsibility is shared and distributed between the national government and state and local governments. Impacting on a wide range of constitutional issues—from congressional authority under the commerc e clause and the role of the President in foreign affairs to the formation of the welfare state and the protection of individual rights and liberties—the US Supreme Court frequently has examined and ruled on this relationship between the federal and state and local governments. Discuss the Court’s prominent role and decisions in defining and articulating "our federalism."
  24. Discuss both the causes of party dealignment in US politics and its consequences in modern American government.
  25. How would you describe, analyze, and evaluate the "dialogue of politics" which is characteristic of the American political scene and which involves both the formal branches of government and the informal actors (individuals and groups) who participate in the dialogue?
  26. Analyze the patterns of interest aggregation and agenda-setting in the United States, identifying the major political actors in these processes. What does your analysis reveal about the relationship between political eli tes and the mass public in our political system?
  27. Compare the role of charismatic leadership and law in the politics of the United States. Are these conflicting or complementary means of establishing authority?
  28. It is conventional wisdom that a necessary condition for democracy is a civic culture. Examine the formation and nature of civic culture. Examine the formation and nature of civic culture in the American political system.
  29. Compare the American presidency to anothe r political leader from a country of your choice. What are their sources of power (and limitations on this power)? How do they emerge as leaders?
  30. Discuss the following quotation. "For most of U.S. history, elections were the main areas of political combat. In recent years, however, elections have become less effective as ways of resolving political conflicts in the United States. Today's political struggles are frequently waged elsewhere, and crucial policy choices tend to be made outside the electoral realm." (1) What evidence is there for this rise in "politics by other means"? (2) What are the implications for the American political system?