Description
Midterm Exam Study Guide
1. What is politics?
a. Politics deals with conflict over the allocation of values
2. Conflict, why it is inevitable and solutions
a. It is inevitable because of material scarcity and philosophical disagreements b. How to deal with it: making governments authoritative with the idea of coercion i. Coercion involves “preponderance of force in society”
3. Core beliefs of liberalism, conservativism, and libertarianism
Liberalism
• Principle: for change
• Proponents: Democrats
• Economic issues
• Welfare programs
• Affirmative action
• Federal minimum wages
• Vigorous government
regulations
• Social issues
• Prochoice
• Progay marriages
• Lenient immigration laws
Conservatism
• Principle: against change
• Proponents: Republicans
• Economic issues
• Low tax rates
• Less generous welfare
programs
• Deregulation
• Limit Affirmative Action
• Social issues
• Prolife
• Against gay marriages
• Cut immigration
Libertarianism
• Principle: minimal
Government
• Proponents: Libertarians
• Economic issues Don't forget about the age old question of What does comparative advantage mean in macroeconomics?
• Low tax rates
• Against welfare programs
If you want to learn more check out What is louis pasteur's contribution to biology?
Don't forget about the age old question of What do emic data mean?
• Against affirmative action
• Social issues
• Prochoice
• Progay marriages
4. Different types of rules: Endogenous, exogenous, structural, and policy rules a. Exogenous rules:
i. It includes those people who follow and do not conduct any rule making b. Endogenous rules are the ones who follow and make the rules
5. Differences between Articles of Confederation and the 1787 Constitution; what led to the abolishment of one in favor of the other?
6. What does the Constitution and its amendments say about slavery and slaves? 7. How are constitutional amendments proposed and ratified?
8. Important constitutional provisions: The 3/5 Clause, the Necessary Proper Clause (the Elastic Clause), the Interstate Commerce Clause, the Enumerated Powers, the Reserved Powers
9. Differences between unitary systems, federal systems, and confederate systems 10. Constitutional bases of federalism If you want to learn more check out What are some examples of endemic diseases?
11. Evolution of federalism: dual federalism and cooperative federalism, and their nicknames
12. Liberties in the Bill of Rights, understand each, no need to memorize the order 13. How did liberties protected in the Bill of Rights apply to the states?
14. Polling method, what are some challenges and key to success?
15. Differences b/t disenfranchisement of African American voters, black codes, and Jim Crow laws?
16. Important legislations and Supreme Court decisions on civil rights: Proclamation of Emancipation (1863), 13th (1865), 14th (1868), 15th (1870) Amendments, Civil Rights Act (1964), Voting Rights Act (1965), Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), and Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
17. De jure and de facto discrimination
18. Different views about affirmative action
19. General level of Americans’ political knowledge
20. What is ideology? How ideological are Americans? Are there more selfidentified liberals or conservatives?
21. Formation of political orientation: nature (genes) and nurture (socialization) 22. Explicit and implicit political socialization We also discuss several other topics like Is there a difference between vision and mission?
If you want to learn more check out Who discovered that dna was a double helix?
23. Issue publics and their consequences