1. Power Assessment:
On a piece of paper, please answer the following questions:
Make a list of all the individuals, institutions and circumstances that have power over you. For each one, briefly describe how they have power over you.
Make a list of all the individuals, institutions and circumstances in which you have power. For each one, briefly describe how you have power
Overall, how do you feel about power in your life? Why?
Your assessments reveal some of the assumptions you hold about power in your own lives. We’ll discuss why we should care about power and how it connects with the study of politics and government. Throughout the course they will learn about power in the American system of politics and government as well as the power you have to influence and participate in the system.

2. Power and Government
“Society in every state (condition) is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one”
-Thomas Paine,
Common Sense, 1776
This general mistrust of government did not end with the Revolutionary War. People in the U.S. today still question government, as they likely should. Next slide shows an example. Paine argued that British rule of the colonies was an abuse of power. Many have claimed that power corrupts…

3. NY Times and CBS News Poll
“How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time or only some of the time?”
5% said just about always
25% said most of the time
66% said only some of the time
4% said never
Where do you see distrust of government in popular culture? Examples of movies and/or TV shows? How are public officials often portrayed in such shows? Are they the “good guys” or the “bad guys?” Is government truly necessary at all?

4. What is Power?
“the possibility of imposing one’s will upon the behavior of other persons.” Sociologist Max Weber
“our capacity to get other people to do the things that contribute to what we want.” Economist Kenneth E. Boulding

5. Power and Authority What is authority?
Do authority and power go hand-in-hand?
Are people in power corrupt? How so?

6. Power Defined
Our capacity to get other people to do what we want ~Kenneth E. Boulding
This is the bottom line, when have you been able to get someone to do what you want? Are you doing what I want right now?

7. Five Sources of Power Expertise Coercion Rewards Persuasion
Formal Authority
Think about each of these, what are they, how would they relate to power?
At this point have students discuss what they think about power and create a bit of a class discussion. Make the point that political leaders often combine these sources of power to get citizens to act in a certain way. Example, a president might speak to the nation (formal authority and persuasion) about offering a tax break (reward) to people buying fuel-efficient cars.
EXPERTISE: power derives from the power holder’s specific skills or expertise, ie: doctor
COERCION: Power comes from the power holder’s ability to punish or penalize others ie: Police
REWARDS: Power comes from the power holder’s ability to give something of value such as money, responsibility or praise ie: Bank Lender
PERSUASION: Power comes from the power holder’s ability to persuade or influence others ie: priest, religious leader
FORMAL AUTHORITY: Power comes from the power holder’s position and duties within an organization ie: CEO

8. What gives a Ruler Legitimacy?
When the power and authority of a leader is accepted by the people it is said to be legitimate
Throughout history this has been argued through the mandate of heaven, divine right of kings and social-contract theory
What do you think works?
Mandate of Heaven: ruler was the “son of heaven” thus gaining authority of “all under heaven” The ruler retained this right so long as he ruled his subjects in a moral manner. IF he failed to rule well the mandate of heaven would pass to someone else.
Divine Right of Kings: 1500’s Europe, monarchs represent G-d on earth. Due to the right being divine, rulers did not have to answer to the people for their actions. G-d granted them absolute power to govern as they saw fit
Social Contract Theory: legitimacy of government stems from unwritten agreement between ruler and the ruled,. People agree to obey the ruler in exchange for the rulers promise to protect their rights
Now that we have spoken about some ways in which rulers obtain and keep power, let’s discuss where the idea of government comes to us.

9. Government and the State
How is government defined?
What are the basic powers every government holds?
What are the four defining characteristics of the state?
How have we attempted to explain origin of the state?
What is the purpose of government in the United States and other countries?

10. Government Defined
Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies (often referring to a nation-state).
Why do we need government?
Have students take some time to answer the question regarding why we would need government and discuss their ideas.

11. The State
The state can be defined as having these four characteristics
Population:
States must have people, the number of which does not directly relate to its existence
Sovereign: Every state is sovereign. It has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and decides its own foreign and domestic policies
Territory: A state must be comprised of land, territory with known and recognized boundaries
Government: Every state has a government, that is, it is politically organized

12. Origins of the State
The Force Theory: states that one person or small group took control of an area and forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule
The Evolutionary Theory: argues that the state evolved naturally out of the early family

13. Origins of the State cont.
The Divine Right Theory: holds that God created the state and that God gives those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule
The Social Contract Theory: argues that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people.

14. The Purpose of Government
The main purposes of government are described in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States
“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America”