Federalism is the division of political authority and power between national and subnational governments. It has developed as a means for culturally or regionally diverse societies to allocate political decision making authority so to allow for the benefits of centralized and localized autonomy in the policy making process.
Federalism is both a constitutional idea, as well as a constitutional structure.
Even more so than the democratic and republican elements of the constitution, reflected in the distribution of power and authority between legislature, executive, and judiciary, federalism is the definitive characteristic of the American Constitution. But a constitution, to Aristotle, was more than the distribution of offices and powers, even more than the ideas and truths towards which the people collectively aspire. The constitution, as the process by which collective decisions are made, also embodies the social and economic order in that state, as issues of social hierarchy and economic development are instrumental in shaping how decisions are made, resources allocated, and power wielded. Federalism has been instrumental in defining the development of American political, social, and economic history. Students will individually write four papers, each worth a quarter of their final grade.