1. Teaching Government/Political Science

2. We’re not the only game in town
Teach different forms of government
Pro’s and con’s of each
Where do we find them?

3. So many choices… Presidential vs. Parliamentary Democracy Monarchy
Theocracy
Dictatorship
Anarchy

4. Define, describe, compare, contrast…
What is Democracy?
What is Socialism?
What is Communism?
What are the differences?
Are there similarities?
Mixed forms of each
Advantages and disadvantages?

5. Democracy: what does it mean?
Representational vs. Direct Democracy
Which is better?
How citizens participate in a democracy
Voting, learning about candidates, running for office, campaigning for others, protests, mass movements, etc.
Loewen: teach change from the bottom up, not top down, if you want to teach citizenship

6. Who did you vote for in the Presidential Election?
No one
The role of the Electoral College
Why it was created
How it works
Positive and negative arguments
What do you (your students) think? Why?

7. How the U.S. Government is set up
A Federal System
Balances states’ rights, peoples’ rights, and federal power
10th Amendment and the 14th Amendment: how the balance has changed over time
Different state laws
Which power has jurisdiction?
Constant tension/evolution of this balance

8. The 3 Branches of Government
Separation of Powers/Balance of Powers: more like shared powers
Concept: Power is divided
Checks and balances
How does it work? Does it always work?
Depends on the will of the people to make it work: the system doesn’t work on its own

9. Roles of the 3 Branches
Legislative Branch (aka Congress, aka House of Representatives and Senate) makes the law
How a bill becomes a law, or doesn’t
Executive Branch (aka the President) executes the law
Judicial Branch interprets the law: is it Constitutional?

10. Branches have changed over time
Judicial Branch originally small and weak until Marbury vs. Madison and “judicial review”
Judicial Branch is not supposed to create policy or law with its rulings
Teach various court levels and systems
Cases work their way up to the Supreme Court

11. Executive Branch has really grown
Originally much smaller and less powerful
Fear of imperial power
War and crisis increased size of executive branch
Compare to today: Cabinets, budget, staff, amount of influence over our daily lives

12. The Constitution It’s really small!
Teach the contents: Preamble, Articles, Amendments
Focus on Bill of Rights, but don’t forget the others
Was the Constitution radical or conservative: or, does power change people once they get it?
Rights have expanded. Who is still left out? What do you (students) think of that?

13. The Political Process
Definition/difference between Liberal and Conservative
Democrats, Republicans, Socialist Party (gasp!), Green Party, other parties
The process of getting people elected: caucuses, primaries, elections, etc.

14. The Role of the Media Image making and advertising techniques
Name calling, transfer, bandwagon, plain folks, testimonial, card stacking, glittering generalities
The roll of the polls
How technology allows politicians to change their message
Media bias

15. The U.S. and the World The role of U.S. foreign policy
The concept of “realpolitik”
The role of multinational corporations

16. A short list of resources
Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago
We the People Foundation
Flocabulary.com