Review Sheet for Semester Final

Foundations of Government

1. Declaration of Independence - purpose
2. Purposes of government as spelled out in Preamble
3. What ‘federal’ means
4. Problems with Articles of Confederation
5. Formal and Informal Amendment process
6. Checks and balances – examples
1. Veto
7. Separation of powers – definition and how it’s different from checks and balances
8. Full Faith and Credit Clause in the Constitution
9. South Dakota v. Dole and how it relates to federalism (what type of federalism?)
10. Mandates in federalism / Carrot and Stick Approach
11. Jim Jeffords – Democracy in America episode

 

Congress, and The Presidency

12. Member of Congress – different roles
13. Which groups hold power in Congress?  (gender, race, etc.)
14. Why there is ultimate free speech on the floor of Congress
15. How and why Congress has the ability to investigate other branches of government
16. Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)
17. What happens to most bills in Congress? 
18. Conference Committee – what it is
19. Presidential Ordinance Power
20. President’s power as Commander and Chief – what is it, and are there limits?
21. White House Staff
22. Re-election and factors of success (House vs. Senate, incumbents, scandals, etc.)

 

Judiciary, Bureaucracy and Political Socialization

23. Terms of service for federal judges
24. Which federal court are most cases heard in?
25. What conditions lead the Supreme Court to “call a case up”?
26. amicus curaie
27. Judicial Activism, Judicial Restraint and Judicial Independence
28. Definition of Political Socialization
29. Purpose of polls / flaws of polls
30. sampling error, random sampling, loaded question
31. Effects of aging on political socialization and voting
32. Differences between “liberal” and “conservative”
33. Implementation and the factors of why implementation fails
34. Implementation and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 / immigration policy

 

Interest Groups, Voting, Elections and Media

 

35. Positives added by interest groups
36. Free Rider Problem
37. What factor leads to non-voting in the United States
38. Predictors of voting
39. Mid-term elections – what they are and voting patterns
40. Functions of parties – Party as Organization, Party in Government, Party in the Electorate
41. Democracy in America – “Rock the Vote”
42. Campaign finance laws
43. Roles of the media and the Washington Post article on Foster Care

 

Foreign Policy

1. Bush Doctrine
2. NGO – Non-Governmental Organization
3. Difference between Bosnia in 1990s and Iraq           in 2000s
4. Foreign Aid – where does it come from in America and is it useful? 
5. Exit Strategy in Iraq and similarities to Nixon Doctrine.
6. Microfinancing video “Pennies A Day”

 

Essay

 

1.  Kay Bailey Hutchinson stated that in order for the United States to justify committing American troops to any cause, that cause must be a “national security interest.”  (a) Define national security interest and give a historical example of a conflict which satisfied the national security interest requirement  (b) Discuss one way in which the Iraq War has satisfied the national security interest requirement. (c) Discuss one way in which the Iraq War has not satisfied the national security interest requirement.