Politics, Week 14

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Politics, Week 14 Instructional Plan

  1. Review quiz #2
  2. Review syllabus
  3. Review schedule
  4. Final exam question review

SCHEDULE

  • Week 14:  Review (this week)
  • Week 15:  Reading week (no class December 7-11)
  • Week 16:  Final exam – Monday, December 14 (same room, same time)

Course Objectives

  • Define, describe and exemplify a wide range of key concepts including ideology, the state, democracy and legitimacy.
  • Demonstrate an ability to think critically by constructing and evaluating arguments related to political concepts and systems.
  • Describe the essential formal and informal features of the U.S. political system, including the three branches of government, voting system, and political culture.

Final Exam

The exam will have two parts:

  1. short essay questions
  2. vocabulary comprehension

Part 1 – Short Essay Questions

For each answer, write about 3 or 5 paragraphs with fully developed ideas including definitions of key concepts, logic, proof and details. Answers which rely too much on doxa will be regarded as incomplete.

Part A. Everyone must answer this question:

  • Noam Chomsky said democracies exist when people have access to free information and can take action. Do you agree with this idea?

Part B. Here are four more questions. You choose two to answer.

  1. Describe Marx’s structure of society in capitalism. Be sure to include the basis of division in society.
  2. Ideologies limit our thinking. Do you agree or disagree?
  3. Describe the three branches of the US government. Be sure to include a description of major their responsibilities with examples.
  4. The recent ISIS bombing in France was an irrational act committed by religious fanatics. Agree or disagree?

Part 2 – Vocabulary

You will need to know and explain a list of 30 words and phrases. We will build the list in class.