Term Paper

*** POST YOUR IDEAS AND QUESTIONS HERE FOR BROMLEY FEEDBACK
AND SHARING OF IDEAS & DIRECTIONS ***

Due Dates:

  • Draft or Outline: Tues, July 16, 7pm by email
  • Final Essay: Friday, July 19, 9:45 pm by email

Required elements:

typed, double spaced, 10-15 pages

fully cited all sources (with end or footnotes: note, most teachers prefer endnotes; I prefer footnotes)

fully bibliography, properly formatted and organized

no cut/paste from sources without quotations and citation, no crappy paraphrasing, and no outright plagiarizing.

Essay should demonstrate:

  • comprehensive and appropriate understanding and application of course vocabulary
  • comprehensive and appropriate understanding and application of course concepts and conceptual frameworks
  • questioning, probing, and thoughtful analysis and evaluation that extends beyond common political beliefs
  • logical, consistent argument

Topic:

  • anything related to this course as derived from the Vocabulary list

Call, write, text, email, FedEx, petition, protest, or sue me for anything any time.

– Bromley

 

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For good sources, see this Table of Contents from the 2003 version of the book I’ve been using for your print-out readings, The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity.  You can match your subject to the author and find that author directly at the Stanford library.

See also American Government AP Version by Wilson & Dilulio.

 

36 Comments

    • In considering the absence of a socialist revolution in the US you might review:

      – Is socialism incompatible with the Constitution?
      – Does the Constitution structurally deny the ability to change the form of government?
      – In what ways has the American political process inhibited the advent of socialism, and at the same, to what exctent have elements of socialism either been adopted or its agenda coopted by it?
      (For example, there is a book by Eric Rauchway, “Murdering McKinley,” that argues that Teddy Roosevelt used the McKinley assassination as a rationale for adopting socialist policies in order to defeat socialism; you can find similar arguments about FDR).
      – Why have the American people generally rejected socialism as a political identity? (two party system, middle class, federalism, factionalism, etc.)
      – Is the American experience simply incompatible with the goals of socialism?

      As for Reps setting having their wages set by constituents, you may have trouble finding direct authorities on this issue, although you will find all kinds of studies about government and congressional pay and its impact on decision making, etc. I have not studied it.

  4. I’d like to talk about how the living constitution allows for the legal acceptance of the social issues that come with every generation, such as civil rights, woman’s rights, abortion, and gay marriage.

    • You will need to look into how the political process adapts (or doesn’t) to social and cultural changes. Your essay will generally be about public opinion and politics, or the intersection of American culture with American political culture.

      You will have to take into account the pluralistic nature of American society and government and how it adopts, coops, rejects, reflects, or changes larger or particular cultural change.

      My version, 1997, of the Lanahan Readings has two good essays on this topic that are not included in the latest edition: “Public Opinion and American Democracy” by V.O. Key and “Coming to Public Judgment” by Daniel Yankelovich.

    • That’s a pretty broad topic. Are you interested in the criminal justice system, or the justice system generally? There are many aspects of it, including police, but you can also bring in prosecutorial corruption, grand jury manipulation, plea bargains, and general abuse of powers.

      Do include in your study the opposite side of the issue, and consider how/why there is not more abuse than exists.

    • This could be a study of the extent and limits of pluralistic society, the melting pot and what, exactly is the meaning of “e pluribus unum”

      Will you look at a particular time? A particular part of society, such as immigrants or economic classes? There are many places to go with this one. In the Lanahan Readings you might look at “Race Matters” by Cornel West, “People of Paradox” by Michael Kammen and “Habits of the Heart” by Robert Bellah.

    • Some thoughts:
      – Cold War iran and the CIA
      – Check out the LBJ tapes on his conversations with the Shah. Fascinating!
      – Jimmy Carter’s failed policy of ushering out the Shah and trying to manage the revolution
      – Iranian exiles and their political entrepreneurism in American politics
      – Reagan Admin and revolutionary Iran (Iran-Contra)
      – I remember the attack on the Iranian embassy in DC in the early 1980s, I think. You may wish to look into that and how it played out in American politics.

      Be careful to stick to a study of American government in this topic. There are many articles on American foreign policy in the Lanahan Readings that we have not reviewed that you should look into.

    • pls clarify which “systems” you are addressing: Supreme Court and lower courts, or federal and state courts?

      Looks like yours will be a study of judicial powers and their intersection with other governmental powers and/or society in general?

  9. I should write about how desensitized american’s youth has become just to spite you all, but I shan’t because my words would be too scathing. So instead I shall write about how Lincoln should of have been impeached and how Johnson was wronged (even though he was a jerk and totally deserved to be impeached).

    • Feel free to go for “that which shall not be spoken” — I’m curious and sounds like some passion attached to that opinion!

      If you want Lincoln/Johnson, be sure to keep it a government and not straight historical study.

    • This topic is a great example of the exchange and intersection of faction, as net neutrality has so many different and opposing impacts. Be sure to review the processes of government along with the players and opinions in your study.

      • Interesting question that could include a study of whether or not we actually do have a pluralistic society and how that does or did not play out in American history and government. The Lanahan Readings has good essays on pluralism, so browse its authors to see what interests you.

        As for the extent of democracy, that opens tons of directions with lots to investigate.

    • I really like your response to the Venezuela post… great foundation for an essay. BUT, if you want to work on segregation, immigration and social classes, go for it!

      You will need to consider the structural elements in the political system and how they either define or somehow shape those issues. There’s lots of info and studies and commentary out there on it, but please be prepared to challenge your own preconceptions.

  13. I plan on writing about the affect large corporations have on the political structure. How they disproportionally get represented and how it harms the United States as a whole. I plan on talking about how loss of diversity of factions is negative. And the impact large donations and lobbyists afford the elites.
    Im excited about it.

    • Excellent! I’m sorry you can’t interview Terry for this. Do look into how the common person in this country can very easily find voice through some lobbying or other interest group and measure those against the corporate (who are also aligned against each other) and labor factions. Look up lists of “the most influential” lobbying groups and you may be surprised by those lists.

      That said, stick to your thesis and back it up!!

  14. The ineffectiveness of the two-party system under first past the post voting compared to a multi-party system with either alternative or mixed-member proportional voting

    • In addition to what I emailed you, it occurs to me that what I replied above to Lane may apply to your thesis: are interest groups the equivalent of multi-party political parties and, if so, do they not have more power under the two-party system than under a divided multi-party system? That is, do interests groups get buried in the 10 or so functional parties (among 100s of minor and irrelevant ones), whereas non-party affiliation of interest groups in the two-party system retains their influence outside of electoral results?

  15. I want to write about efficacy and how the government has failed at both internal and external efficacy. I also like to use obamacare as example in that it seems like a watered down attempt at health reform that does not really address the major issues. I employ this toward the Dodd-Frank.

  16. I want to write about Polling, the reliance of polls from the government causes false external efficacy and how polls are inaccurate and bias. Could i talk something about pluralistic society in this? Can the topic of a Pluralistic Society be tied to polling?

  17. THESIS: Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was groundbreaking in America’s movement towards equality, it did not completely eliminate racism, sexism, and discrimination, as there are still many problems concerning inequality in the United States today.

    I’ll definitely edit it to make it more coherent and specific but that’s the basic gist of it.

  18. I want to write about the Florida v Zimmerman case. How media can manipulate situations to make a generalized point of view for the nation. How main facts can be ignored once a case is deemed to have racial profiling and how the government officials stray from the important facts, make assumptions, and prejudgement opinions. I’m going to try to show the close-mindedness of Americans (no offense to anyone because I’m American also) and their political officials.

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