Day 1

political science

day 1

course materials:
bandes, et al, american governmentand politics today
the essential 2008 edition

teacher name: Nyong

political science takes information from other feilds

how we get power and how power is used

power is an essential element in every society
where there's a conflict there is a balance of power
perhaps not concrete, perhaps an abstract like a value system or knowledge
the dynamic of power is going on in society all the time

the american revolution started as an imbalance of power, one that forced teh colonies to ask serious questions

absolutism = absolute power
the divine right of kings was claimed by the monarch/
monarchs in general
monarchy = ruled by a king or queen

the king claimed absolute power, colonists rebelled, seeing themselves as equal to the monarch

colonist = territories owned and exploited by teh mother land

revolution moving from colony to independence
colony to state status

each state claimed sovreignity, apart from an absolute power of the government

go from there, to the constitution

first constitution: articles of confederation (confederation was the first form of government we had, weak central government and independence from each other)
confederation during the war

move from confederation to federation after the war
move from a loose association to a tight relationship
as a result, some of the powers of the states were reduced, and the central government was given more power

supreme central government

today's constitution is the second, the federal constitution

the constitution needs to do three things:
1. must be able to feed itself without support from other countries -we are the largest producer of agriculture
2. must be able to defend itself - we are teh greatest military power in the world
3. must be able to manufacture - this would make the country richer and more powerful than selling raw materials

a country that depends on selling raw material cannot be as powerful as a country that sells manufactured goods

part of the reason for the civil war was the south's disagreement with the third precept

nation building, the ability to create the wealth of a country
the source of power was the ability to be fully integrated

civil war fought to free the slaves
without removing the power of the south, the nation could not integrate
slave labor was teh source of raw materials

read teh federal constitution
it is the basis of power in the unitied states
it's a system that is copied - for instance the euro

civil rights and liberties

the inalienable rights that none can take away
we need to accept the rights that reside in everyone to provide a harmonious society

liberties refer to the things the government should not do or take away

the government is responsible for providing the safety of life

look at teh supremem court and how things can be traced back to the magna carta
look at habeus corpus

the supreme court violated teh right of habeas corpus
habeas corpus = we must bring the person before the court, tell them what they did wrong, and let them plead there case

rule of law

rule of law must be binding, including the lawmaker

if you are to find someone guilty, he or she must be tried by an impartial jury, unbiased community

any person under the jurisdiction/control of the united states, the constitution applies there, and the protection extends to all persons, not just citizens
any person born, naturalized, or just visiting

public opinion and socialization

what people to do preserve the constitution

the process of learning/teaching the values/beleifs of society

political institutions

two kinds of organizations: constitutional and extra-constitutional

const. org. : permanent parts of power
executive, legislative and judicial
electoral college

extraconst
interest groups: groups of people with common interests, lobby the government
meet with lawmakers, go to courts
political party: organizations that motivate the people to give them power by elections
two party system, dems and repubs

these groups are form outside teh constitution

the writers of the contitution were against political parties, and termed them factions
politcal parties destroy unity

public policy

techniques of nomination
elections

electoral college: some say it's out of date, but teh process of amending the constitution would be ignored
if it is removed, teh small population states would have a lot less pull

538 members of the electoral college
qualifications are: must not hold any federal office

ca: house of rep 53
senate:2
total 55

where do the electoral college come from? their identities aren't well known

in the primary e choose the electoral college members

minimum of 270 votes are required to be preisdent

the electoral college, elected directly, vote for you

policy is the decision by the goverernment what to do and not to do
domestic and foreign policy

the federal constitution:

a. preambel (introductory part of the const.)
the six objectives of the const -
more perfect union
establish justice
domestic tranquility
common defense
general welfare well-being
blessings of liberty

b. articles of the const
1. legislations- house of representatives
senate
bicameral
(two -house legislature)

2. executive - office of the president
3. judiciary - the federal courts
4. relations among the states
5. methods of ammendment
6. supremacy of the constitution; assumption of debts; oath of office; no religious qualification or test
7. ratification of the approval by 9 states

c. ammendments 27
bill of rights - first 10 ammendments
11-27 other ammendments

roosevelt's new deal was teh first acknowledgment of the welfare clause of the constitution
gives one supreme court, then allows congress to appoint inferior courts
conflict arises when congress passes a law that conflicts with the constitution
supreme court
court of appeals - appelate jurisdiction
district court - original jurisdiction
the debts of the states were assumed by the central government
all the federal officers have to swear to uphold the constitution


written 1787
ratified in 1788
effect in 1789

define political science

the study if the society for the knowledge and understanding of how to govern or manage it for the welfare of the people

draws knowledge form
philosophy - study of how to obtain knowledge of eternal principles
history - records of the past, studied in order to draw lessons (what to avoid, what to emulate)
sociology - study of teh society and groups/orginization inside it
anthropology - the culture and values of a society
religion - concerned with the ultimate beyond
psychology - study of the mind, thinking
geography - study of space, both physical and political
economics - knowledge of how to create wealth - economy - system of production and distribution of wealth
law - rule of behaviour

society is any group 2 or more
is it possible for people to live peacefully together
there is a common denominator for humans

polis - the ideal sharing community
the term commonwealth implies the same kind of sharing of resources - no-one will be without
state - the treaty of westfalia was teh seminal document that described independent sovreign states as a result of the catholic/protestant wars
today: state - 1. independent sovereign group with a government and recognized by other states - usually a part of the united nations
2. part of a federal territory
3. government

nation: people with common culture, language and history
nation is not neccessarily a territory
with intermarriage, and intermingling, it is increasingly difficult to maintain a naiton-state

ethnicity
-people of common customs, values
-now used to mean a subgroup of the nation
tribe
-same as nation
-the term is used by european anthropologists
-connotation of primitive group, backward
-despite primitive originally meaning native, became a synonym for backwards

civilized just means of the city
in the vernacular: ability to read and write
the ability to read and write does not connotate intelligence
tribes is an excuse to dominate a people

there is power in the usage of language
"PC" political correctness
the language, expression needs to allow for mutual respect
despite or difference, we are not unequal

politics and america are based on hypocrisy and idealism

politics: comes from "polis" (city)
means activity of the city, what happens there
deciding who gets what, when and how
an authoritative allocation of resources
resolution of conflicts, disagreements or quarrels
getting and using power

power: the capacity or ability to make things happen
capacity to make someone do something against his will, compliance with ones wishes
power may come in different kinds:
use of physical force, coercion
influence, use of persuasive power
authority - acceptable power, legitimate power, appropriateness;most of the people grant them the power
manipulation: handling the populace in a deceptive manner;requires knowledge

authoritarianism: dictatorial power with limited freedom
totalinarianism: full control, without any form of freedom

govenrment: a long-standing group of people established to make decisions for the benefit of the whole society

institution : long standing structure of relationships bound together by values and beleifs within which power is acquired and used for acheivment of goals

structure held together by beleifs and attitudes

is america founded on ideals and hypocrisy?