POL201: American National Government

Week Two Journal

Prepare: Prior to beginning your journal this week, complete all course readings and assigned videos, review the Week Two Instructor Guidance, and the Discussion, “Policy and Your Life.” It would also be helpful to review last week’s readings.

Reflect: Once you have completed these assignments think about how American politics have and could affect your career aspirations. The Founding Fathers created a governmental structure that affects almost every aspect of our lives even today. For instance, if you are a criminal justice major, what parts of the U.S. Constitution are applicable to what you are learning in your major? If you are a business major, which branch of government – executive, legislative, or judicial – has, or will have, the greatest influence on your business ambitions? If you are a healthcare major, how does separation of powers in the U.S. government affect the operations of most economic, social, and political processes throughout the United States?

Also, think about how federalism and the U.S. Congress have affected or will affect your life. The federal structure ensures that there is a clear line between local, state, and federal government regulations, policies, and oversight—sometimes! Think about how federal statues affect your work or will affect your work in the future. Does Congress have oversight of any of the processes or products in your workplace? Do the government regulations, policies, and oversight sometimes conflict with local or state regulations, policies, and oversight?

Write: As you reflect on the information you learned this week, write in your journal, based on your current major and/or desired job, a few detailed paragraphs about the following:

·  The role Congress has in establishing workplace conditions in your current or desired job.

·  How a federal policy affects your current or desired work place.

·  What role Congress has played in establishing workplace conditions in your current or desired job.

Your journal response must be a minimum one page, double-spaced. Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words.

 Week 2 – Instructor Guidance

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: FEDERALISM, CONGRESS AND POLICY-MAKING

;“A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect and promises the cure for which we are seeking.”– James Madison (Mark’s Quotes, 1790)

Week Two Instructor Guidance

This week, we will focus on the concept of federalism. Federalism is the idea that the federal and state governments share power. We will also focus on Congress, specifically in terms of Congressional policies and how these national policy impact our daily life.

Regarding the idea of federalism, most of what we hear today involving federalism deals with questions of federal and state responsibilities. For example, if a state legalizes marijuana but the federal government still views it as an illegal drug, who has the final say? Another example is the case of school desegregation – the federal government required desegregation, but certain states were slow to act (see Section 3.8 of your textbook). In this second example, the federal government made use of federal troops to enforce policy. However, there are numerous other approaches the federal government uses to try and enforce policy.

(Balance of Powers, 2015).

As we discussed last week, the Constitution involves a series of checks and balances. Federalism is another of these balances as it helps to balance the powers between the national, state, and local governments.

A Quick Study of American Federalism
Dr. James Klein, a former Ashford instructor, provides three detailed videos that highlight many of the key concepts that are important to understand regarding Federalism.  Make sure you continue to watch through all three parts!

(Klein, 2012). 

The other important concepts this week involve the role of Congress in the policymaking process. As Fine (2016) discusses, apportionment is simply the distribution of seats for the U.S. House of Representatives. There are 435 seats in the House, and apportionment is the idea of how our government decides how many seats each state receives. This is based on population. The higher the population in a state, the more seats they receive in the House.

The process in which a bill becomes a law is also addressed. One key point to remember is that a bill may only be introduced by a member of Congress. The President cannot introduce a bill in Congress. For example, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as PPACA, ACA, or Obamacare) was actually H.R. 3590 (House Resolution 3590 from the 111th Congress) introduced by Charles Rangel, a Congressman from New York. The President’s role involves supporting legislation and encouraging legislation to be taken up by Congress, but he cannot actually sponsor or propose a bill in the chamber.

Schoolhouse Rock: America – I’m Just a Bill
Schoolhouse Rock provides an fun (and catchy!) take on how a bill becomes a law.

( Disney Educational Productions, 2011).

Throughout the week, think about the differences between the House and Senate, the role of Congress as it relates to the other branches, and how members of Congress are elected.

As you read Chapter 3 and 4 this week, please consider the following questions:

1. What is federalism?
2. Do federal or state policies take priority?
3. How do states and/or the federal government enforce their decisions on the other?
4. What does the Constitution say about this?

Remember, to focus on fact, not opinion, when researching and discussing these concepts this week.

A More Perfect Union: Constitution USA with Peter Sagal

(A more Perfect Union, 2013).

WEEK TWO LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Discussion #1 – Policy and Your Life

1st Post Due by Day 3 – Thursday

Select a policy or piece of legislation that directly impacts your current or future profession (i.e., your major). In your initial post, discuss the federalism challenges that this policy is creating or facing. For example:

• If you are an education major, how are local, state, and federal government policies affected by the Every Student Succeeds Act or some other piece of education-related legislation? Please be sure to view the supplemental material that is included as a part of this discussion question.
• If you are a criminal justice major, how does recent legalization of marijuana in some states affect local, state, and federal marijuana laws?
• If you are a business major, how does the insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act affect local, state, and national businesses and their employees?
• If you are a political science major how has the recent Citizen’s United ruling affected the amount of money available for campaigns at the local, state, or federal levels?

Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in your own words. Your initial must be at least 300 words. Support your position with at least two of the assigned resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library databases. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly in-text and in areferences list at the end of the post. A minimum of two substantive (minimum of 100 words) follow-up responses are required.

Journal – Week Two Journal

Due by Day 7 – Monday

Once you have read all of the course readings for the week, reviewed this guidance, the supplemental resources and completed your discussion question post, you are ready to critically analyze the content, and write a meaningful self- reflection on how these concepts may impact your academic, personal and/or professional lives. Think about how federalism and the U.S. Congress impacts your personal life. How do federal policies impact your current job or will they impact your future career? Does Congress have any oversight regarding your workplace?

• Describe how federal policy affects your current or desired workplace.
• Explain the role Congress has in establishing workplace conditions in your current or desired job. Your Journal must be a minimum of 1 page, in APA format. It should include specifics, significance, and analysis to fully address each of the content items, and illustrate your understanding of the content and context in which it impacts you.

Week Two Quiz

Due by Day 3 – Thursday

This quiz covers the material from the textbook in Chapters 3 and 4. Please be sure to note that it is due on Thursday and plan accordingly. You have two attempts to complete the quiz. Your last score is the one that is recorded in the gradebook.

Week Two Learning Activity

Due by Day 7 – Monday

This week you will continue the process of preparing for your Final Paper through the learning activity worksheet. This week’s worksheet focuses on federalism and the specific relationships between local, state, and national government. To begin this process, it is important to select a specific national policy and think about how the policy you select showcases federalism. Think about the topic you discussed in Discussion Question 1 this week and the resource provided that illustrates possible examples. Is this policy implemented by the federal bureaucracy?

Remember, it is vital to support your ideas with full APA citations and to fully explain how the sources you’ve selected support your main point.

Your Week Two Learning Activity focuses on federalism. Utilizing the worksheet template, you will address the following with specifics, significance and analysis as you:

1. Describe one advantage to a national policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy.
2. Describe one disadvantage to a national policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy.
3. Recommend one option to maintain the advantage of the national policy discussed.
4. Recommend one option to improve the disadvantage of the national policy discussed.
5. Effectively utilize and cite at least two scholarly sources to provide evidence or support, to back up your arguments (opinions) expressed.

As part of this assignment, it is vital that you support your ideas with full APA citations both within the paragraphs and as a reference list.

Please read through the Final Paper prompt and the POL 201 Model Paper Template before completing this assignment as it having a clear understanding of what is expected for the Final Paper will help you as you complete the Learning Activities that help to build your Final Paper.

It is highly suggested that you review the POL201 research guide as part of completing the learning activity assignments.

WEEK TWO CHECKLIST

Week 2 Learning Activities	Due Date
Review Materials and Course Syllabus	Tuesday – Day 1
Review and Reflect on Instructor Guidance	Tuesday – Day 1
Read Chapter 3 and 4 of American Governmentby Levin-Waldman	No later than Day 3
Review the Required Articles and Multimedia: America the Undertaxed Are taxes too damn high? Quick Study of Federalism Part 1 Quick Study of Federalism Part 2 Quick Study of Federalism Part 3	No later than Day 3
Post initial response to Discussion #1 – Policy and Your Life	Thursday – Day 3
Complete Week Two Quiz focusing on Chapters 3 and 4 of the text	Thursday – Day 3
Week Two Journal	Monday – Day 7
Complete Research and Worksheet for Week Two Learning Activity	Monday – Day 7
Post two responses to peers in Discussion #1 – Policy and Your Life	Monday – Day 7

UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS

Final Research Project: America’s Democracy: Your Report Card

You are encouraged to continue working on your final research project this week. In Week One, you developed ideas regarding the major questions addressed in your final regarding the United States Constitution. Read through the feedback your instructor provided you within WayPoint regarding this assignment this week and think about how you can expand your ideas regarding this research for your final paper.

Take a few minutes to read through the Week 5 Final Paper prompt and think about how you will utilize the research and ideas you generated in Week 1 to complete section 3 of the paper. Be sure to utilize the POL 201 Model Paper Guide and format your paper according to APA 6th edition guidelines.

Final Thoughts

Good luck this week and I look forward to exploring the concepts of federalism, Congress, and policy-making further with you this week in our discussion. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to post a question in the Ask Your Instructor Forum or email your instructor directly.

REFERENCES

• A more perfect union: Constitution USA with Peter Sagal [Video file]. (2013). In Films on Demand. Retrieved September 28, 2015, fromhttps://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?token=58627&aid=18596&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=560&h=315&fWidth=580&fHeight=365
• Balances of Powers. (2015, July 13). Retrieved from Teach-nology.com: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/soc_studies/constit/1/
• Campbell, A. L. (2012). America the undertaxed: U.S. fiscal policy in perspective. Foreign Affairs, 91(5), 99-0_2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034967506?accountid=32521
• Disney Educational Productions. (2011, December 8). Schoolhouse Rock: America – I’m Just a Bill Music Video. Retrieved July 13, 2015, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFroMQlKiag
• Fine, T. S., & Levin-Waldman, O. M. (2016). American Government, Second Edition. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
• Klein, J. H. [JamesEducationMedia]. (2012, January 29). Quick study of Federalism part 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn54hCIxF3Q
• Klein, J. H. [JamesEducationMedia]. (2012, January 29). Quick study of Federalism part 2 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX88g3wJTCw
• Klein, J. H. [JamesEducationMedia]. (2012, January 29). Quick study of Federalism part 3 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Z6idma-CM
• Mark’s Quotes. (1790, March 11). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from Interesting.com: http://www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/Madison/
• Norquist, G. G. (2012). Are taxes too damn high?: The debate about the rate. Foreign Affairs, 91(6), 156-162. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1223498374?accountid=32521

The following faculty contributed to this guidance: Jamie Weitl, M.A., Stacy Manning, M.A., Jeffrey Hall, Ed.D., & Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Ph.D.

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Primary Task Response: Respond to the following scenario with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Be substantive and clear, and use research to reinforce your ideas.

Now is the time to make a decision about relocating the manufacturing operation to the United States is fast-approaching. AutoEdge, like most companies, uses a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat (SWOT) analysis to facilitate its decision making.

You have just completed your first monthly activity report for the board when Lester calls.

“Hi,” you say. “I just finished my monthly report for the board. I’ll e-mail it to you when we get done talking.”

“Sounds good,” he says. “I’m calling because we need your expertise again for another facet of our investigation into the manufacturing operation. This time, I want you to conduct a detailed SWOT analysis for AutoEdge, and provide a brief summary of your analysis.”

“I was expecting this,” you say. “Some of the research I’ve done over the past 4 weeks will be useful as I put this analysis together for you.”

“Yes, I thought you were in a good position to do this work,” he says. “Your analysis may be different from other people who have been at the company longer, but your fresh perspective on the components will be helpful in moving the debate forward.”

“That’s a good point,” you say. “I’ll keep that in mind as I go through the information.”

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1.  Research Project will consist of two parts.  Part One will involve critiquing research that has been performed by others.  You will need to critically evaluate the researcher’s work by identifying strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve, and possible extensions of the research. 

Pick and thoroughly read one of the following three articles.  You will need to utilize your research skills by locating them using either the Library Database or the Internet. 

·  Weick, K.E. 1993. The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The mann gulch disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 628-652.

·  Ashenfelter, O. and Kreuger, A. (1994) Estimates of the economic return to schooling from a new sample of twins. American Economic Review, 84(5), December, 1158-1173.

·  Card, D., Krueger, A.B. (1994). Minimum wages and employment: a case study of the fast-food industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. American Economic Review, 84(4), 77293.

Once you have read your article, you will write a critique.  In your critique, discuss the following:

·  Research methods used

·  Why the authors selected the methods

·  What other methods could have been used

·  Why the other methods would have been applicable

In addition, discuss the primary results of the paper and how these results could be applied to a business application.  Your paper must follow current APA standards and be no more than three pages in length, not including any appendices or attachments. 

2.  Part Two will involve developing a regression model for a topic of your choosing in an attempt to explain a phenomenon of interest.  In doing so, you will be required to locate data on the Internet and do the appropriate analysis.  You will also have to explain your topic of interest, the variables chosen, and why the variables were chosen, in addition to presenting and explaining your results.  Your paper should include the following:

·  Introduction – describe the phenomena you are attempting to model and its importance (2 – 3 paragraphs)

·  Literature Review (find at least two references) – who has done similar work and what were their findings?  (2 – 3 paragraphs)

·  Data – summary statistics of the data (2 – 3 paragraphs)

·  Methods and Results – what analysis did you perform and what were the expectations for the model?  Were your results similar to those in the references you used?  (3 – 6 paragraphs)

·  Conclusions (2 – 3 paragraphs)

Your paper must follow current APA standards.  Be sure to include tables as necessary and to label them properly. 

Throughout the course there have been many topics related to analyzing data that you should consider including in your write-up such as a graph of the data.  In the Appendix, you may want to include graphs used to evaluate normal distribution.  A discussion of the results of such analysis should be included in the results section of the paper.

An example of a potential problem would be house values.  Many counties have online tax records, which include detailed information about a house.  Data may include square footage of a house, whether there is a fireplace, square footage of a deck, whether there is a basement, finished basement square footage, and lot size.  Collecting the data would take a little work and would require determining how many houses you should collect data from to be able to develop a model.  This topic is off limits but there are many topics available to you. 

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Based on the study you designed in the Research Design discussion, apply the scientific method by specifying the five steps of hypothesis testing for your study.

• Step 1: State the hypothesis.
• Step 2: Collect the data – For the purpose of this discussion, you will state how you would collect the data.
• Step 3: Calculate statistics – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate the statistical analysis technique(s) you would use.
• Step 4: Compare to a critical value – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate where you would set the alpha value and why.  Note: This step is hypothetical, as you are not actually conducting a statistical analysis. Consequently, you will choose if the results of your hypothetical analysis are above or below the critical value.
• Step 5: Make a decision – For the purpose of this discussion, you will create a conclusion based on the hypothetical results from Step 4. Be sure to include a recommendation on the effectiveness of the new drug based on the results.

Utilize a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources that were published within the last 10 years and are documented in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

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