Homework in Mr. Beck's class - Summer School 2008
| Due Date |
Government - Magruder's Text |
AP Government - Edwards' Text |
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Have a terrific rest of your summer! |
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| Fri July 25 | Final Exam. Review Sheet is due. (The Review Sheet is optional, for extra credit. To receive credit it must be complete.) Make sure you have your textbooks to turn in. | <-- See to left. |
| Thu July 24 | Notes are due. All notes must be complete and in order. It is not necessary for you to remove them from your notebook. A webpage with all the lessons listed and linked is here. (If you are doing Cornell style notes, make sure you have the main idea of each page of notes at the bottom.) Also, any late work is due today. | <-- See to left. |
| Wed July 23 | Define bureaucracy. Point out what people think about the word. Write about the three features of a bureaucracy, and then about the benefits of a bureaucracy, especially the idea of specialization. (414-415) Turn in both homework items together. | Identify the characteristics of bureaucracy, as well as the myths and realities in the section "The Bureaucrats." (468-470) Then go to the section on implementation (481-488) and outline that section. There is no special question to answer for this homework. Turn in both homework items together. |
| Tue July 22 | Describe each of the president's roles. (354-356) | Outline the section about the president's leadership in terms of his relationship with Congress, "The Politics of Shared Powers." (408-416) The answer: What do you think of the weight public support has in the president's power? Is this good or bad, and why? |
| Mon July 21 | Campaign Commercial Project due. | Campaign Commercial Project due. |
| Fri July 18 | Current Event #4 due. | Current Event #4 due. |
| Thu July 17 | NO ASSIGNED TEXT HOMEWORK. Turn in last three homework items, study for Mid-Term Exam #2 on Friday covering Politics and Congress, and work on campaign commercial project. | <-- See to left. |
| Wed July 16 | Define a bill, and explain the different kinds of bills and resolutions. (334-335) | Outline the way congressional leadership is arranged and how committees work. (367-374) There is no special question to answer for this homework. |
| Tue July 15 | Detail some of the things Congress cannot do, then write the kinds of powers there are that gives it its authority to do its job. Then distinguish between strict constructionists and liberal constructionists, and note how they are different. (290-292) | Outline how congressional elections work. (357-364) Then answer: Which is the most significant reason incumbents win as much as they do, and what is a novel way you think you can solve that problem? |
| Mon July 14 | Elaborate on each of the three main reasons the U.S. Congress is bicameral. (262-263) | Outline the way that Congress is bicameral. In your outline somewhere note at least five differences between the two chambers noted in the chart provided in the text. (365-367) |
| Fri July 11 |
Define separation of powers and note what each
branch is supposed to do. Then define checks and balances and provide
three relatively detailed examples of how this works in practice. (66-69) Turn in all five homework items from this week. Turn in Current Event #3. |
Outline the ways Congress goes about its business in
relation to all the influences on its lawmaking ("The Congressional
Process," pages 378-383) Then answer: Which of those influences would impact
you the most if you were a Congressperson, and why? Turn in all five homework items from this week. Turn in Current Event #3. |
| Thu July 10 | Define propaganda and explain how groups use it. Then define lobbying and include the key things that a lobbyist does when he/she does his/her job. (249-254) | Outline the sections "Whether to Vote" and "How Americans Vote." (304-315) (Remember, even thought this looks like a lot of pages, just get the main concepts and conditions on one side of one sheet!) Then answer: Which do you think voters think about more when voting: the party, the candidate, or the issues? Explain briefly. |
| Wed July 9 | Detail the sociological factors and the psychological factors that go into how a voter behaves in the polling booth. Just note a couple of significant things for each of the factors, but make sure you are writing with complete sentences. (169-172) | Trace the steps a presidential candidate must take to try to win the nomination of his party. (270-279) Then answer: Which of the criticisms of the primary campaign is the most significant, and why? |
| Tue July 8 | Explain why we have a two-party system in this country. The text has a lot about this, detailing four main reasons, so be sure to write at least three significant sentences about each one. (119-122) | Define each of the "three-headed political giants," list the tasks of parties, define the rational choice theory and the Downs model, and elaborate on the party in the electorate. (In other words, outline pages 242-247) Then answer: Which of the tasks of parties is the most important, and why? |
| Mon July 7 | Define public affairs and public opinion. Then explain how each of the following is significant in the formation of one's attitude toward these things: family, school, mass media, peer groups, opinion leaders, and historic events. (208-213) | Outline the section on "What Americans Value" and "How Americans Participate." (Please keep it within one side of one page, getting down the main concepts or definitions.) Then answer: Which ideology do you most identify with, citing three things that appeal to you about what that ideology generally believes. (196-206) |
| Thu July 3 | NO ASSIGNED TEXT HOMEWORK. Study for Mid-Term Exam 1 covering Philosophy of Government, Comparative Governments, Practical Foundations of American Government, and Federalism. Previous assigned homework is due to be turned in, and Current Event #2 is due. | <-- See to left. |
| Wed July 2 | Explain why we have a federal system, define federalism and division of powers, write about the main strength of federalism, and then provide an example of how it works. (88-89) | Outline the nature of intergovernmental relations today. Be sure to define fiscal federalism, define the different kinds of grants, and explain what a mandate is. (81-88) Then answer the question: Who do you think should have more power, federal or state? Explain. |
| Tue July 1 | Elaborate on the three ways power is distributed geographically. (14-15) | Outline the purposes and constitutional basis for federalism. (72-76) Then answer the question: Which of those key purposes of federalism is most important, and why? |
| Mon June 30 | Explain the three ideas the English colonists brought with them that helped shape U.S. government. Then note the most important parts of the Magna Carta, Petition of Rights, and English Bill of Rights. (29-30) | Outline the "Madisonian Model" of government: "Thwarting the majority" and "The Constitutional Republic." (48-51) There is no special question to answer for this homework. |
| Fri June 27 |
Define democracy,
and itemize six important things you learned from the text about it. Then
define dictatorship, and then itemize six important things you
learned from the text about it. (12-14) Current Event 1 is due. |
Outline each of the
"issues" on the agenda in Philadelphia when the delegates met to put
together the Constitution. (43-48) (Please! Only one side of one page! Do
not go too much in depth, especially with the "equality" issue or the
"economic" issue! I'm more interested in the "individual rights" issue) Then
answer the question: What do you think about the Constitution saying very
little about personal freedoms? Current Event 1 is due. |
| Thu June 26 |
List each of the basic notions of American democracy, and elaborate on each. (18-20) |
Outline the sections "The English Heritage: The Power of Ideas" and "Jefferson's Handiwork: The American Creed" on pages 34-36, as well as "Philosophy into Action" on pages 41-42. (It looks like a lot, but it really only amounts to three pages) Then answer the question: Which of those questions addressed at the Constitutional Convention do you think has been the hardest to answer, and why? |
| Wed June 25 |
List the six purposes of government in the Preamble, and elaborate on each. (8-10) |
Outline the traditional theory of democracy, and then outline the three contrasting contemporary theories of democracy. (15-18) Then on the back of your paper answer this question: Which of those three theories do you think most threatens traditional democracy, and why? |
| Tue June 24 | Define the
term state, and elaborate on each of the four characteristics of a
state. (Pages 5-7) (Current Event 1 is due Friday.) |
On a single side of a single page of paper, outline the
sections "Politics" and "The Policymaking System." (Pages10-13) Then on the
back of that paper, answer the question: Which of the policymaking
institutions is most important, and why? (Current Event 1 is due Friday.) |