Students are asked to consider why bureaucracy exists, what is does, and what it is supposed to do The last unit of the course asks students to defend the bureaucratic state, so to enable them to understand the negative and positive aspects of the issue. Students are challenged to identify a problem facing America, and then write a seminar paper that advocates a course of action our nation could take to try and solve this problem. This course examines the political and ethical context in which policy decisions are made. Students are asked to prepare a term paper on the actors, institutions and steps involved in the development of public policy, such as welfare reform. This course examines how diverse groups in America's multi-ethnic plural society manage their political, social, and economic relations.
Attention is given to the strategies and policies for gaining economic equality.
The condition of women, African-Americans, Latinos, among others, are considered. The class is taught in a seminar format. A study of the Bill of Rights. By means of a careful study of Supreme Court opinions as well as commentaries on some of these controversial issues, this course will explore how our understanding and interpretation of these liberties and rights have evolved over time. We also will study the strategy and tactics of modern political campaigns.