Assess the adequacy of the American Constitution for the practice of democracy in the national political system, by engaging one and only one of the following questions. What do you think about the

PROJECT I

Format essay in MLA, four to eight pages long (8.5″x11″), that is, at least four full pages (excluding the separate title and works cited pages). Double-space with twelve-pitch font and one-inch margins all around. Paginate at the lower right-hand corner of each page. The title page would include name, date, title of paper and class information including course and section numbers, and option number. The project due to be uploaded on Canvass on the indicated date.

Assess the adequacy of the American Constitution for the practice of democracy in the national political system, by engaging one and only one of the following questions. What do you think about the assertion that the structural provision you have chosen is an obstacle to the realization of majority rule, even if tempered by the preservation of minority rights? In other words, does the issue hinder governing according to the “consent of the governed”? If so, then reflect on what can be done to repair what some perceive as one of the Constitution’s flaws. If not, why? Use course materials and three additional sources to complete your project. Also, use all those resources. This includes, for example, chapters in the textbook that may not have been assigned reading.

Choose one of these topics:

I. Supreme Court Justices, demographically unrepresentative of the American population, are appointed to life tenures with “good behavior”. This is, in effect, lifetime service for judges who are not elected to office. In fact, they serve up to about four decades and resign at their leisure. Also, having distinct ideological tendencies and sensitive to the political climate, justices often time their resignations to mesh with their own political preferences as to their successors. In so doing, they impact the selection of incoming justices. Moreover, the Supreme Court is influential in the policy making process.

II. In the Senate, states with small populations such as Rhode Island have the same number of votes as large ones such as California. Congress is thus in significant ways an unrepresentative institution. Keep in mind that the nature of American bicameralism requires that both the Senate and the House of Representatives assent to any legislation. That means that the Senate can exercise the equivalent of absolute veto power on majoritarian legislation passed by the House.

III. In the history of America, the Electoral College has placed in the White House some five candidates – John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), George W Bush (2000) and Donald Trump (2020) – who did not get most of the popular vote. In at least one of those elections, that of 2016 – the election winner did not even come in close in the popular vote. In fact, presidential candidates and their managers do not necessarily try to win the popular vote, except as an afterthought. Instead, they dedicate themselves to putting together a coalition of states that would provide a majority of electoral votes, focusing on “battleground” states such as Florida, and neglecting the rest.

Syllabus Changes: This syllabus is for informational purposes only and may be altered or modified at the instructor’s discretion to provide a more effective learning experience for students. Students are responsible for all announced changes. This syllabus may be changed during the semester. A new written syllabus will be uploaded unto Canvas for all registered students in the class when such changes are made.